Ko Samui - Relax vibe

We've been staying in beautiful Ko Samui a few nights now, and somewhere along the way, it's turned from holiday mode, into just nomad living. Reasons being... the lack of any tourist activities we've chosen, and the ease of zipping around on our scooter, and a bit of self catering (well, breakfast at least lol). It's a great choice to come here. From Ko Lanta, and an overnight stay in Krabi, we took 3 speed boats and a bus. They do this organized travel well here.

Staying off the main road in Chaweng Beach, we've rented a guesthouse for 7 nights.  I imagine we could increase that anywhere and we'd really be living the digital nomad life. It's easy to get around and hiring a scooter is a breeze this time. Almost feels like home lol... great pool too.

We spend our week exploring the Island... first the beaches, then the hills, stopping off at the many little coffee shops along the way. There are tourist things to do here... next time we say.

Jungle Club, Ko Samui

We're not far from Samui Central, and we're there all the time. From the cool little food hall, to the supermarket, there's lots of great food here, and it's so good having all the choice.

I've always wanted to see street food like this... and Fisherman's Wharf does not disappoint.

We spend lazy mornings at the beach, drives up into the hills, and go see the craziest croc show we've seen. All in all, it's lovely here. A place you could call home. Without the vulnerability of the west coast... it's a blend of island living and Thai flavour. Very nice.

Let's Ko to Lanta

We've boarded a big blue wooden ferry for the laid back island of Ko Lanta... a little off the beaten track. We've hit low season with some great deals on accommodation and some peace and quiet. Not sure what to expect after tourist mad Phi Phi, but here goes...

Old Town, Ko Lanta

It's the kinda place life just happens. We're staying right on the beach at New Coconut Resort... a bunch of cute beach huts with a great pool. That's a good start.  It's a bit Rarotonga vibes here I feel... and very quiet. No one's in a hurry and that's the appeal.  We rent a scooter and go exploring the island.

The old Town is a quaint and interesting spot. There's cats on clothes and cannabis shops amongst old cars and bikes and plants and stuff. A nice slow walk around after lunch is a good fix.  We've hit rainy season too... and pretty quickly we discover the mud, with our first scooter mishap, sliding out and falling over. Could've been worse lol. 

We've enjoyed Ko Lanta. It's rugged, very quiet and more than a little laid back. The foods cheap and good. The roads are either excellent or terrible, but there's interesting beaches down south. Not able to swim at them in the rainy season, and some have piles of rubbish on, but in spots where there are businesses, they are kept pretty clean. It must be such a chore dealing with all the rubbish washed up everyday... so much plastic. 

Phi Phi Island Blue

How to describe Phi Phi Island... Stunning.

It truly is. It feels remote, yet connected. It's such a beautiful place to be.  The boat trip over from Phuket was speedy... we step off and we're met by our accommodation to walk our luggage through town and to Uphill Cottage. Not that I'm scared of tsunamis or anything lol but it's got a great view. And of course it's a hundred steps up.

The boat trip out to Phi Phi Lei was as good as we were hoping for. The colour of the ocean changed around every turn, and those cliffs, wow. Such a dramatic landscape, even with all the boats. We stop off for snorkeling, complete with sea snakes... for that part I stay on the boat.

The maze of shops and cafes in town is quite interesting and so easy to get around. There's people working too... carting bags of rubble and sand across town. There's a few contrasts here. From pristine beaches, to ramshackle alleyways, and the aroma from the drains all makes for an interesting stay. It's as if they've salvaged what they can from anywhere. We see wrecked boats beside sheds and rubble in bags to fill in potholes on the back roads. Most daytrippers wouldn't see these things, and I'm glad we stayed longer to get a real feel for what it's been like. Tho we'll never really know. The devastation from the tsunami was horrific.  

Still, it is paradise. With the constant engine noise from the longboats humming in the distance... that's the only real sound. Bliss.

There's good walking tracks around and we take the steps beside our accommodation up to the first viewpoint. Linking the next 2 viewpoints and down to Long Beach... we spend a good morning walking the loop and enjoying the beach.  Three nights here is enough for a good stay, but I'm sure we'll come back again for longer. Always good to leave something for next time.

The food here's been good and we've enjoyed the local Thai food. Even finding a bar to watch the league... there's something for everyone here.

Tomorrow, another Island. Although, this one's hards to beat. So beautiful.

7 Island tour, Krabi

We're off on a 7 Island sunset tour... heading straight out to the Islands that face Ao Nang Beach. There's snorkeling and island hopping to enjoy, followed by BBQ chicken on the beach and a stop off to see the glow in the dark plankton. A full day ahead. 

The first stop on the agenda is the 2 islands joined by a sandbar at high tide. The water is so warm, like a hot bath. The bumpy ride out here was full of salt spray... but the extra large long boat chopped thru it all. 

A visit out to 'Shicken' Island included snorkeling tho the water was pretty murky to see anything there. There's a whole boatload to unload to get into the water and the tour guides do an amazing job.  They even got a couple swimming with life jackets who were pretty scared.  'Cycle your legs' he'd say, while being splashed repeatedly in the face and smiling. Clearly he put in more than the required effort there.

The next snorkeling spot we saw lots of colourful fish. Someone shouts out 'Nemo', and we all swim over for a nosey. 2 little clown fish amongst all the rest. Still good to see. We're off to another beach, a third snorkeling spot, then another island... then dinner with a sunset view.

Time just kinda melts away here.  Rows of wooden boats inbetween speedboats and the only thing to worry about is... nothing.

Next on the the agenda is a trip into the jungle to visit the Emerald Pool and the Blue Pool. Both were pretty beautiful with a nice long swim at the Emerald Pool. It's like a giant hot tub in amongst all the trees.  On the way back, we stop off at the hot springs waterfall. The hot, hot water cascading down to the river was worth the trip. Large green rocks carved out comfy seats for us to soak in. Bit hot after a while but relaxing.

A lovely time had here in Krabi. We drive back to Phuket to drop off the car, quick stopover before boarding the ferry in the morning for Phi Phi Island.

Krabi... not too Shabby

We drove from Phuket to Krabi... staying 4 nights in Ao Nang Beach. What a treat. Next day we're off to Railay Beach via longboat. These noisy boats are pretty bumpy on the high seas... but we're reaching the real Thailand we came to see.

The cliffs here are dramatic and rise straight out of the ocean and land.  We're in awe of the views here and dive straight in. It's very touristy here, but there's space all around for relaxing. 

We spend a good part of the day on the beach, walking over to the other side and stopping at Diamond Cave. The beach here was covered in mangroves... and we dig on into some banana and chocolate roti pancakes... my new love.

I wish we could bottle the sand and take it with us... I'm thinking as we lie on the beach and take it all in. Closing my eyes... its like waking up in a postcard. A dream to be here.

We're out exploring the shops and cafes too... it's low season here and we get a good deal on pizza. The markets are interesting too... catering for every taste. Jellyfish Kebabs anyone?

The day ends with a beautiful sunset and the next days adventure planned. Big days  I love it.

Beach time in Phuket

Flying into Phuket, I can see Phi Phi Island from the plane. We're in Phuket, staying at Patong Beach for 7 nights at the Baan Anderman Sea Surf Hotel... great value for money. We've hired a car for the week, time to explore.

We get straight into it with a day tour to James Bond Island and a few other islands along the way. We enjoy lunch at the floating village and canoeing around Hong Island. It's stunning scenery everywhere we look, great trip.

It's mesmerizing this journey... so dramatic and open. We're keen on more time around the islands and book time at Phi Phi Don to enjoy more than just the day trip. Inspiring.

Floating village... calm vibe.

James Bond Island is dramatic as you'd expect. Full of tourists and shops, but they've done a good job to hide these. You actually get the feeling you're the only ones here.

Patong Beach is our base for the week. It's interesting, the food is great and the party atmosphere is alive and well. Not fully our scene, but there's plenty to do here. We enjoy dining in the markets, watching the sunsets and walking the streets.  Sightseeing around the rest of Phuket and visiting all the other beaches along the way. There's still damage from the tsunami around, but they've rebuilt a lot.

Patong Beach.

Karon Beach.

Phuket is a lot more developed than I was expecting and very geared up for tourists. A great base to explore the rest of Thailand... we've found our bliss here.

James Bond Island