Day 95 – Going to Phuket (06/11/2015)
Today was the day to say bye to our new friends and to Ko Phi Phi. We packed our bags, checked out and then we all met for the last time for breakfast. Like every morning, we went to our favorite restaurant and had a great breakfast. Back at Tara Inn we sat around for a while. Everyone was figuring out their plans for the next destination and then it was farewell time. I hate it. We will really miss Simone, Anastasia and JP. We had so much fun together and it felt like we knew each other for a long time. I hope there will be a reunion in Holland, Chile and Switzerland one day.
We bought two tickets to Phuket before breakfast today and we got the cheapest price that we’ve seen on the whole island. That’s why we weren’t sure if we were on the right boat when we got on it. It was pretty fancy and when we dropped the bags, they told us that we can get free coke upstairs. Along the way a guy came by with a plate of watermelons, for free as well. I still couldn’t really believe that we were on the right boat but after about two hours, we arrived in Phuket. At the pier we got picked up by Fernando, a guy that we met in Malaysia, about three months ago. We actually already met them twice. First time in Sepilok, Malaysia and then we ran into each other again in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, where we had a fun drinking night together. Him and his girlfriend moved to Phuket two months ago to open a restaurant with five bungalows. They were backpackers like we are and got that amazing opportunity. When we texted them that we will go to Phuket, they offered us a place to stay, which is awesome.
So on the way to their home, we stopped at a mall, where Fernando had to get some stuff arranged for their business and then we went to see their “baby”, The Cove. Edina, his girlfriend welcomed us and soon the table was full of fancy, amazing looking food. Because their cook is getting trained, they cooked all the different menus today and we were the lucky ones that got eat to it. We had amazing tuna, caprese salad, a whole fish (white snapper), squid, delicious hummus with real bread, yummy veggies, great lamb and a good wine. It was unbelievable.
After dinner we went to their house, which is amazing as well. I don’t feel like a backpacker anymore. Everything is so nice. We have our own room and bathroom, in a wonderful house, with great people. We’re so lucky. We sat in the living room, the guys had some beers and we were talking and looking at their travel pictures. As soon as we hit the pillows, we fell asleep.
Day 96 – Phuket (07/11/2015)
The main goal for today was to figure out how to get to James Bond island and to get a bus ticket to Khao Sok for when we leave Phuket. Because our friends had to work it was kind of complicated to get around. So first they showed us their two bungalows on the hill, which are really cool. After that we went to a travel agency and booked the James Bond Trip and then we finally saw The Cove by day light. It’s a really nice place, right on the beach. Caleb and I were pretty hungry, so we went to a “restaurant”, called The Museum, down the street, where we shared an amazing Pad Thai. Right when we were done Fernando passed and asked us if we wanna go to the mall with him again, so that we can stop at the bus terminal later. Unfortunately it took two hours at the mall and Caleb and I were just sitting around. We knew that we won’t do anything today but I was really hoping to get some diary writing done. However, after the mall we went to the bus terminal, where we got tickets for Tuesday to go to Khao Sok Nationalpark.
We went back to The Cove and we got spoiled with another amazing meal. Fried squid, hummus, bread, and a big crab. We were loving it. After that I finally wrote one day down and then I took a nap on one of the sun loungers and Caleb and Edina went swimming in the sea.
When I woke up the day was pretty much over and we went home. In the evening we met one of Edina’s friends, Otto from back home in London. He was on a business trip with his assistant, Gemma and stopped by in Phuket. We went to Patong market, which was really cool. They had so many food stands with so many different things. Everyone just got what they wanted and we sat down on stairs and enjoyed our findings. When our bellies were satisfied I couldn’t wait to see the crazy street in Patong. And finally it was as crazy as I expected Bangkok to be. There were ping pong shows, girls dancing on poles, loud music, lots and lots of people and lady boys to take pictures with. The lady boys really caught my attention. It’s incredible, you really can’t look away. We thought “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and took a picture with a lady boy for THB 100. Don’t judge us, you would do the same!
At the end of the street we went to Seven Eleven. Everyone got a drink and then we went to the beach, where we enjoyed them while watching pretty bad fire dancers. At one point we decided to go on at home, so we got a bottle of vodka, some sprite and coke and went home. We all sat outside and had a relaxed end of the night.
Day 97 – Little Island (08/11/2015)
Today our friends had a day off, which was great. We got some breakfast at Seven Eleven, picked up Otto and went to a pier. There we rented a tail boat (including driver) for the whole afternoon. We told him that we wanna go to Coral Island. When we got closer he told us that the main beach is full of tourists and suggested to go to the other side. Of course we agreed. We anchored close to Coral Island and everyone jumped in the water. I have to admit that the water was really clear but I just couldn’t go in. Even if I had a lot of fun snorkeling in Bali, I’m still so scared of the sea. I was torn between going in and staying on the boat for the whole time but I just couldn’t do it. After a while we kept going. The driver told us that he knows a nicer place than Coral Island, with not that many tourists. That was fine with us. When we went towards the beach he wanted to bring us, the tide was too low and we got stuck. He had to get out of the boat to push us back into the deeper water. So that beach was not gonna happen either. We kept going and he finally anchored at a tiny little island. There was only a small beach, the rest was trees and there was not one other person on it. It was amazing. Finally we got our uninhabited island. We put our stuff down and went into the water. What a nice cool off on such a hot day. At one point we tried to go around the island but the rocks were too slippery. It was still pretty cool though, we saw lots and lots of crabs. We stayed on the island for about two hours, before we went back. The weather was great all day, which was quite surprising. Since we’re in Thailand we’re a bit out of luck with the weather.
On the way back home we stopped at the Radisson Hotel, where Otto and his assistant we’re staying at. They had an amazing infinity pool there and we couldn’t resist, we had to go in there. We all got a cocktail and enjoyed the fancy life. The pool was on the beach, the view was amazing. When a rainbow showed up, it was even better. That was the first time I saw the entire rainbow. From on end to the other. Unbelievable.
Because Otto and his assistant had to catch a flight tonight, we had to go get dinner. We ate right across the street from the Radisson Hotel. I can’t remember what the place was called, it was an Indian restaurant and the food was really good.
Day 98 – James Bond Island (09/11/2015)
Today we had to get up early. We got picked up by a mini van at 7 am for the James Bond Island boat trip. Caleb was so excited about James Bond Island, he couldn’t wait to see it. After about an hour drive we arrived at the pier, where we had to wait for about two hours because we were too early. It was a bit annoying because we would have loved to just sleep a bit longer. More and more Chinese people arrived, which took our excitement away a bit. Obviously that was going to be the stereo type tourist tour. As you know, we’re not big fans of that. On the way to the boats it seemed like we’re taking over the ocean, we were such a huge group of people. Luckily there was more than one boat, so our group got smaller…but not better. On the entire boat we were about four Western couples.
It started with a speech about the today’s schedule and some rehearsed jokes. A tourist tour like out of a storybook. But at least we had free and unlimited coke, coffee and water all day.
First stop was at Panang Island, kayaking time. We had all the kayaks on the boat, so we went from our boat straight on the kayak. Two people each and the driver. Part of Panang Island is the bat cave and that’s where we went. We went through it on the kayak and it was pretty cool. Of course there were hundreds of other people but it was still pretty impressive. There were so many bats on the “ceiling” and it stank unbearable because of the bat poo. Driving through it only took about ten minutes. We drove around outside for a little bit and then we went back on the boat.
Next stop was Hong Island. Again we didn’t really go on the island, we went kind of through/inside of it with the kayaks. Unfortunately we were out of luck again with the weather, which was a shame. It was all beautiful and amazing but not the same as it would have been in the sunshine. Our driver was really nice and he took so many pictures of us, it was really cute.
Back on the boat we had lunch. They made a huge buffet with loads of food. It was nice to have such a selection but the food was not very good.
Then it was time for James Bond Island. By the way, the actual name is Khao Phing Kan but since it was featured in the James Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun” it’s been popularly called James Bond Island. The highlight and what makes it so spectacular is a 20 meter tall islet called Ko Tapu, that lies about 30 meters from the shore. It’s really cool looking. A guy with two golden plastic guns let us use them for taking a picture, which was wicked.
On the way back to the mainland we anchored somewhere close to an island (no idea what it was called) for people to jump in the water. The water was not very nice and only about six people, including Caleb went in. We didn’t stop for very long and then we went back.
All in all we weren’t very impressed with the trip. We spent most of the time on the boat. The two stops with the kayak were cool but we would have liked to have some free time on the different islands. The only time we could walk around alone was on James Bond Island and that was just for 30 minutes.
We got a ride back with the mini van. At home we showered and then we went for dinner with Edina, Fernando and a friend of theirs. We decided for The Museum because we liked the Pad Thai so much the other day. The Pad Thai was as good as last time and we finally figured out how to get to the bus terminal tomorrow. The lady from the restaurant will give us a ride for THB 100 less than the taxi would.
The Travelling Smiths 