Snorkelling spot, Anthong Marine Park
It was just another Wednesday morning for me today… An early morning alarm call, just in time to watch the sunrise over the Gulf of Thailand from my panoramic window. A driver appeared to take me the short journey to the speedboat pier in time for breakfast with my fellow boat passengers. This is where the Bond girl bit cuts out! Terrible coffee and the offer of beer at 8am in the morning while electro pop blares out of the stereo. Oh no.. i’ve not booked on the wrong boat have i? Is this the party boat?!
Fear not, for my tour of Anthong Marine Park i ended up on a small boat with only 20 people, taken care of by a hilarious and very knowledgable guide. He was full of beans and raring to get going for our trip in the stunning archipelago just off the coast of Koh Samui. The first stop, post a random dolphin sighting was a spot of snorkelling out in the middle of the gulf. I jumped in straight off the bat “why wait?!” i thought “lets get stuck in!” It was great, there were lots of fish that had put a great deal of effort into welcoming me, they were wearing black and white stripes to match my bikini! They weren’t the clearest of waters as we were by the rocks and it was a tad choppy. But It was beautifully blue and warm. I was telling a girl who didn’t jump in all about it when she started panicking that my foot was bleeding, all over the white floor! oooops, watch out for rocks when you jump in the sea… the guys on the boat were brilliant and cleaned it all up for me super quickly. That Bond girl thing just slipped a little further away
Emerald Lake, Anthong Marine Park
didn’t it?!
After being patched up we were whisked away to the emerald lake for some stunning views over the deep green waters.
It was quite a hike to get to the viewing point, i didn’t feel all that well prepared in my Havianas but somehow managed to make out relatively injury free. I would highly recommend something a bit more sturdy for anyone else attempting it! I got to know two lovely ladies who work for the Police in Leicester whilst hiking up the seemingly impossibly steep and unsafe steps to get to the vantage point. I then spent most of the rest of the day with them, they were full of recommendations for places, i think i may be making a detour in Thailand. More on that later…
Proof that i was there!
We were all famished by the time the Emerald lake hike was done, so after a 20 min trip we swapped the lake for a turquoise blue bay for a spot of lunch at a fisherman’s village on the only occupied island in the archipelago Koh Paluay . Which was nothing short of spectacular, there was fresh chicken soup, followed by sweet and sour chicken with all the crunch i have come to expect from the fresh and local ingredients used in Thailand. Then some incredibly moreish fresh breaded prawns
Arriving at the fishermans village for lunch – greetings provided by a very small but friendly angry bird!
with a chilli sauce. The fish was a local catch, so was succulent and juicy. I could have easily sat and eaten all afternoon. After a quick pit stop and a
Catch of the day at the fisherman’s village
shop around some of the handmade gifts that the local ladies make it was time for the piest de résistance. A scoot round to James Bond island…
The boat driver was loving the drama and sped up as we approached the nest of islands around James Bond Island so that we swooped in and around, causing a tide to wash over the landmark*. After a photo stop we cruised into Song Pee Nong beach and set about picking our kayaks for a little trip out to sea. I paired up with the guide which was great in that at least he knew what he was doing. Not so great when he decided to race another kayak out to James Bond island! My competitive nature kicked in and i went hell for leather. We won of course! “you strong lady!” was his cry as we drifted across the imaginary finish line triumphantly!
I was suitably knackered after that, and had a laze around in the sea. I did get a picture taken to prove that i was there but
James Bond island Koh Samui
it’s blurred… boo! All my freckles are starting to join together, i may have my first ever tan by the end of this trip. Stranger things have happened! I could have easily fallen asleep on the way back to shore, I am not used to being out in the sun all day like that. I was ready for a super early dinner and bed.
But… when i got back the sun was in the throes of one of the most spectacular sunset dances, i couldn’t stop staring at it. I popped down to the pool for the best view at Samui Code and gazed as the pink, red, purple and orange sky faded away. Swimming, snapping and generally unwinding from the day. It gave me a boost of energy which i couldn’t decide what to do with, there was a market on in town and a driver ready to take me
Stunning sunset at Samui Code
there… why the heck not?! Mae Nam market is a nice mix of locally produced food and gifts and has quite a lot of local people knocking around. Unlike your average night market which i generally tend to avoid. I had an amble around to see what snacks were on offer and then did a second loop to scoop up some dinner before settling down to watch the local band playing just outside the temple. They played a nice mix of songs raising money for “the poor students of Mae Nam” (themselves!) i liked their tongue in cheek humour and they were quite talented. As well was singing a lot of the songs that As well was singing a lot of the songs that
Crowds listening to the student band at Mae Nam marketfeatured in HK, it was a nice chilled out evening. When the dogs weren’t trying to steal my dinner!featured in HK, it was a nice chilled out evening. When the dogs weren’t trying to steal my dinner!
featured in HK, it was a nice chilled out evening. When the dogs weren’t trying to steal my dinner!
Ciao from a very sleepy and very freckly cake lady
x x x
*Not so much of a landmark though as it appears to be called James Bond island simply because it looks like the one that featured in The Man with the Golden Gun which which is actually in Phuket!
