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Part 37: Island hopping.....*
I'd spent the next few days doing pretty much nothing in Koh Samui but relaxing. Ironically after my previous talk of avoiding the comfort zone, this was as comfortable a zone as one could possibly get.
No thinking or exploring, no running up mountains, no looking at my watch, just heavenly beaches, sun and everything I needed in close proximity all around me.
But I surely earned the right to switch off and relax I feel, and why not. To give you an idea, my routine started firstly with eating a hearty breakfast at my hotel of eastern european sausages, eggs, fresh salad, sweet fruit and coffee, followed by the short barefoot stroll to my new local beach side bar aptly named 'Your Bar' directly on the sand. I'd got to know the staff here really well, who by now were addressing me by my first name.
'Hey Viiiiiiiince' they'd say - bringing me Ice cool mango juice direct to my table before I even ordered, then a late morning brunch of delicious fresh, tropical fruit muesli with yogurt.
After eating that, it was a relaxing swim in the sea to cool down from the scorching sun. Then I'd walk for a while noticing the same joggers and dog walkers at the same time each day, along the coastline. The empty hotels, bars and quiet beaches all along the coast suited me perfectly - I'm not sure I would have hung around had it been full of tourists to be honest.
There was not a single cloud in the sky, or ripple in the sea for days - and this was certainly one routine you could most definitely get used to.
Looking directly north east in the distance you could make out Ko Pangnan, around an hour away from here in a fast speed boat. A further hour north beyond that, was Koh Tao island, and then Koh Nang Yuan island a little further up.
I wanted to visit all three, but wasn't exactly sure how yet - especially after being guilty of a little laziness the past few days, but on further research, I learned there were several daily tours that visited these islands, and the best, if not cheapest way, was to get a speed boat there. So I organised my trip for the following day. Which was a good thing or I would have run the risk of getting to comfortable in my routine.
The early evening sunsets were quite some sight I tell you - watching the blood red sky and shimmering sun reflecting off the water, together with dark silhouettes of the palm trees, and small sail boats was an amazing feeling, even though I was alone.
I watched every last second of the picture perfect sunset, then leisurely walked back across the sand to my hostel, and that was my routine.
But by now I was just about ready for some action after three days of relaxing, instead now craving a little excitement. The evenings were very similar in the sense of being fairly quiet - it was easy to find a local bar to just sit and people watch.
I noticed a group of drunk Australians, who by the way were in no way a reflection on any of the Aussies I had met up to now.
Kind of the fake tan 'jersey shore' types - nicknamed 'bogans' as my other Australian friends told me.
They were giving some local kids and an elderly lady some stick for trying to sell them flower necklaces, telling them to f**k off!!
It really wound me up, but I just bit my tongue, and got me thinking what peak season must be like here for the locals. Anyway I didn't want that to ruin my evening so I just moved to the next place - A reggae bar with a smiling, dread locked Thai DJ playing really cool reggae tunes behind the bar. I loved this place straightaway and hung here for the rest of night.
The next morning was the first time in 4 days that I broke my routine, but I still had my breakfast before making my way to the busy Grand sea pier for the speed boat.
There were tourists everywhere, mainly large Chinese groups and Russians. Making conversation with anyone was going to be difficult, until I noticed a friendly guy who appeared to be doing his best to talk to people, with initially, not a great deal of response - he certainly seemed a character.
I sat at the front of the speed boat exposed to the boiling sun and this friendly guy, introduced hime self as Oliver, an Austrian guy working in Asia, sat next to me, immediately making conversation.
It was a relief to have some one to talk to properly for the first time since I arrived in Samui and we pretty much clicked straight away - he was a really cool guy. The Russians weren't to intent on talking to anyone. They even had their own Russian speaking guide - our one had a hilarious sounding, cockney wannabe accent, and watching him trying to speak was hilarious!
The 2 hour speed boat ride was a bit of a white knuckle affair but really enjoyable - seems I picked a great day for some island exploration. The clear blue sky, and sun beating was down on us so I made sure I was covered in plenty of protection
Koh Tao was beautiful when we approached the coast, and was covered in huge rocks .
Historically this small island used to be a detention place for political prisoners in years gone by.
Nowadays its a perfect get away with uncrowded and tranquil beaches. So far it really stood out from any other island for me.
We were dropped off pretty close to the coast so we could meander, swim, relax or even snorkel for a while for a closer look at the coral reefs and marine life.
I hopped across the rocks and found a great spot to gaze at the great views all around me.
This place was an absolute divers paradise because of the low currents and high rocks, perfect for climbers and hikers too.
It was still in a relatively lazy mood so my preference was to just relax, stare at the sea, soaking up the sun for a while before eating lunch in one of the restaurants tucked away in-between the rocks, with my new friend Oliver.
The island has only 1000 permanent habitants, I was tempted to make that 1001, with its tranquil and uncrowded beaches - a backpackers worse kept secret, this place was beautiful.
Good job the speed boat had to move on or I would have stayed there.
Next was a short trip to Koh Nang Yuan Island. I didn't know an awful lot about this destination other than its and eco travellers dream. Plastic bottles and cans are strictly banned - It was really pretty.
Formed by three separate islands connected by a three pronged white narrow sand beach, much of which is submerged when the tide comes in apparently.
The view from the southern most tip, or the View point which was a 20 or so minute steep climb was pure postcard scenery - A complete 360 degree view around the whole island, looking out to sea, it was breathtaking.
Just before the top we reached a particularly high rock that was difficult to climb, so I leapt up giving 3 American girls a hand up who appeared to be struggling.
Not sure if that was a mistake, because a line quickly formed behind them of more than 20 people. I helped each and everyone of them up too - even the Russians, who finally managed a smile.
By now I was pouring with sweat and needed the water to cool off, so me and Oliver made our way back down for a snorkel in the sea which was really the main attraction. No exaggeration - Koh Nang Yuan is simply one of the best snorkelling spots in Thailand. The shallow reefs surrounding the island are lined with intricate soft and hard corals, as well as hundreds of colourful marine life and fish - there was no better way to cool off.
On walking back to the pier I noticed it was packed with people, all trying to board their boats and catamaran at exactly the same time, causing a fair bit of congestion. But after a wonderful day, I wasn't about to get impatient or pushy, unlike the Chinese tourists seemingly in a hurry to vacate this gem of a little island. Instead me and Oliver amused ourselves whilst waiting.
We were warned the trip back was going to be even rougher, they seriously weren't kidding. At times we were holding on to literally stop us from being thrown out! - still it made the 2 hour ride pass quickly.
It had been a fabulous day from start to finish. I exchanged contact details with my new friend, got to visit 2 very different, but both equally beautiful islands, plus there was more to see for the second part of my trip tomorrow, and I couldn't ask for more than that....
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