Thailand part 2: Phuket and the south

We flew from Chiang Mai to Thailand's biggest island, Phuket. 

After our long day of travel the day before, we had a day on Kata beach to recover. It was nice, but very busy, and in a surprising turn of events, full of Russian families. So much so that all the menus and signs were in English, Thai and Russian, and sometimes exclusively in Russian. 

Soon after we arrived on the beach, it started to drizzle. This didn't deter me and I decided if I was getting wet I might as well go swimming. The water was nice and warm, and I didn't get shivery at all. When we came out of the water after our quick dip, the drizzle had become big drops and was only getting harder. We quickly packed up and made the 8 minute walk back to our hotel. During this walk, it was raining so heavily that we were completely soaked through and had to wring our clothes out before we could hang them up to dry. 

We stayed inside for a bit, but in the afternoon it cleared up and we spent it lying on the beach. The night market here was interesting, rather than independent sellers, it all seemed to be run by the same company and the same food was at every station. This area was definitely the most resort like we had stayed in so far. 

But, we were here for reasons other than the beach! We had an island hopping day trip booked first, so we went to the harbour and boarded first thing in the morning. It was a big group and we all had coloured wristbands assigning us to different boats. 

Our boat took us to coconut island first, which is exactly what you think of when you think tropical island. White sand, palm trees and being able to see almost to the other side of the island. The water was so warm and we had time to go for a quick swim before getting back on the boat. 

We stopped at a snorkelling spot next, and there were plenty of fish, anenomes, and corals to see. 

Back on the boat, we drove past camel rock (which looks like a camel) and monkey island to see some monkeys. 

We then stopped on Phi Phi island for some lunch and free time, before getting back on board for another snorkelling session. This is where we saw a reef shark!

Our last stop of the day was Maya Bay, a very pretty stretch of beach on the other side of the island. It was very very busy here with a lot of tour groups, but we managed to get some nice pictures and it was incredible to see. 

After all that, it was back to Kata beach. The next day we were pretty tired out, so we had a chill day, visited the beach and the hotel pool, and prepared for the following day. 

This was day was the part I had been most looking forward to in all of Thailand. We were going to visit a National Park! 

The bus to Khao Sok picked us up at 5am and drove 4 hours towards the park. Our first proper stop was at the emerald pools. A series of very clear, very blue pools where you could swim in the shallow water. There were also spiders and special purple crabs to be found in this area. Our trip also included a short boat ride through some more of the water, surrounded by quiet trees. 

We then went to see Lake Ratchaprapha from a vantage point, which was also where they had built a huge hydroelectric dam. Apparently, only the people who originally lived in the area are able to work the dam, in a way to conserve their connection with the land. 

We then went down to the lake's edge to catch our boat. But first, our guide presented us all with bamboo cups and bought us ice-cream to fill them with. 

We boarded the boat, and took a 30 minute journey across the lake, through the giant limestone cliffs. 

We soon came in sight of our accommodation for the night, floating huts out on the water. Each came with a canoe and life jackets so we could jump straight from our room into the water. And after lunch, that's exactly what we did! 

The water was so warm and even though it was raining again now, we didn't mind because it was actually warmer in the water than out of it. 

After we'd come in and dried off, it was time for a boat safari. It had stopped raining, so as the day faded into twilight, we roamed about the lake, looking for animals and finding some eagles and lots of buffalo. We even saw one swimming to another little island. 

It was then dinner with the group and to bed for the night. We slept very well in our swaying hut and found it very therapeutic. 

In the morning we set out on another safari around the lake and this time spotted lots and lots of monkeys, some monitor lizards and hornbills. 

It was then time for breakfast and to grab our bags for the day. We stopped at a cave system where we saw bats and some stalagmites. The area outside is apparently completely flooded at certain times of the year, but at that time we could see mud all the way across the valley. 

We then went on a little jungle walk and saw some bamboo and twisty trees. Our guide took us on the short route as she said it was the season for leaches. Luckily, we all survived and got back on the boat back to the main dock. 

We had one last lunch together and then it was onto the minibus back to Phuket. This trip was incredible and I'm glad we saved it for last as it was definitely the highlight of Thailand. 

Our last day in Thailand we used as a planning (and recovery) day for the next leg of our journey which you will hear about soon!

Thailand was great, probably the most touristy place we'd visited which was nice because it made everything easy, but it also meant that sometimes we didn't feel like we were in Thailand at all. But we definitely ate the best here, with tons of options and tasty food, and so much Thai tea!

Lots of love,

Emily and Mitchell,

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