Thailand

Travel time: March / April 2008  |  by Elbyron W.

Khao Lak & Similan Islands

We asked to be dropped off at Greet Beach Resort, which was nice but seemed expensive at 1500THB per room. So, we walked down the street to the next place: Nang Thong Bay Resort. The rooms were even better here, and though they cost 1600THB each, it was well worth it. The bathrooms were especially nice, with large glass-walled showers and a separate tub. They even provided umbrellas! Anyway, we decided to just spend the next day relaxing. We all slept in, then the girls headed to the beach while my Dad and I walked down the main street looking to find a better deal on a 3-day diving trip than the one we had found online. We spent the whole afternoon visiting numerous dive shops and tour agencies, but ended up sticking with our online choice: Similan Pro Divers. My girlfriend got badly sunburned and her nice tan would later peel off. She and my sister built a sand castle covered in seashells, and when it started raining, they retreated to our resort's ocean-side pool. We did some shopping in the evening and both my girlfriend and sister bought new sandals.

A minibus took us to the pier, where we met up with all the other tourists heading out with us. We boarded a modern speedboat for a 90 minute ride to the SeaPearl (the liveaboard ship). As soon as we arrived, my Dad and I were briefed on our first dive, while the girls remained on the speedboat to go snorkeling at a nearby beach. The 4 divemasters were knowledgeable and 3 of them spoke very good English. The diving in the Similans was unbelievable, and I can't even begin to describe all the amazing coral and fish. Some of the dives were made even more interesting by huge boulders and rock formations. We saw leopard sharks, moray and ribbon eels, a stingray, giant clams, lionfish, trumpet fish, huge snappers, and turtles that swim right up to you! During our 2 night dives, we saw lobsters on the prowl, a big crab, and huge morays (one was about 8" thick!). My sister joined me for one shallow dive, while Mom worked with an instructor to obtain her Open Water Diver certification.

Beautiful beach on one of the Similan islands

Beautiful beach on one of the Similan islands

Friendly turtle that swam right up to our boat

Friendly turtle that swam right up to our boat

One of the moray eels we "spotted"

One of the moray eels we "spotted"

Sting-ray hiding in the sand

Sting-ray hiding in the sand

One of the coral reefs

One of the coral reefs

Upon returning to Khao Lak, we decided to stay at the Happy Lagoon hotel as it was a bit cheaper, and conveniently located between the town and the beach. We didn't get to go back to the beach though, as our transportation to Krabi departed at 8am the next morning. We had considered taking a public bus, but we weren't thrilled with our previous experiences, and we would have had to change buses halfway. Instead, we managed to negotiate 5 seats on a scheduled minibus to Krabi for 1550THB.

© Elbyron W., 2008
You are here : Overview Asia Thailand Khao Lak & Similan Islands
The trip
 
Description:
My 18-day trip to Thailand with my parents, younger sister, and my girlfriend. We bussed from Bangkok to Kanchanburi, then back to Bangkok to fly to Surat Thani, travelling on to Khao Sok national park. Next we spent a day in Khao Lak before boarding a 3-day liveaboard dive/snorkelling trip in the Similan Islands. Next we bussed to Krabi and explored Phang-na bay. Finally, we flew back to Bangkok for shopping and the Songkran festival.
Details:
Start of journey: Mar 27, 2008
Duration: 3 weeks
End of journey: Apr 13, 2008
Travelled countries: Japan
Thailand
The Author
 
Elbyron W. is an active author on break-fresh-ground. since 16 years.