After staying up late last night, our 7:30 wake-up call was a bit of a shock. We all had to coax one another from under the covers. We eventually spilled into the breakfast room and had breakfast – the Kuffners are consuming enough watermelon to keep the industry afloat for the duration of our stay! We, for some reason, can’t get enough of it! The fresh mango, pineapples, and exotic fruits make for a great way to start the day.
Juanita, our tour operator, called us and told us that we would be able to go on the ‘four island cruise today’ (our first choice for a tour today). We were so excited. We were finally going to see ‘picture-perfect’ Thailand – pristine, unspoiled islands surrounded by emerald water dotted with huge karsts (the mini-mountains that you see in James Bond films). The day exceeded our expectations! Our first stop was Than Phra Nang. We arrived shortly after nine and were able to walk the length of the beach in shade. The white-sand beach led us to a cave wherein there was an elaborate temple. As we got closer we saw that it was some sort of ‘fertility spirit house’. There were hundreds of carved wooden penises jutting up from the sand. In the middle was a colourful shrine draped with flowers. Offerings (a bottle of Fanta, some eggs, and some packaged noodles) were evidence that the shrine was very much in use. We got a great picture of the boys standing beside phallic carvings taller that they are. We have yet to find out the significance of the temple and are very curious as to how it came about, especially on a relatively uninhabited island.
Next we stopped at Chicken Island for some excellent snorkeling. The predominant rock formation looks just like a chicken! Ryan, unfortunately, wasn’t feeling all that well after the boat ride. We gave him some Gravol and then the rest of us downed one as a precaution. None of us were anxious to relive our Langkawi experience over again! Ryan, Brendan, and Joe were back on the boat within a few minutes. I had a good, long, uninterrupted snorkel and was in heaven. The highlight was seeing an odd-shaped squid. I followed him for several minutes. There were parrot fish in abundance – one of my favourites!
Ryan needed to get on land and we were fortunate that our next stop was only a few minutes away. Once we arrived at the next island we put Ryan to bed on a towel inside a small cave. He fell asleep immediately as the Gravol had kicked in. Joe, Brendan, and I walked around the island and chatted with fellow travellers. We swam, tossed the football, and frolicked in the waves.
Our last stop was to yet another gorgeous island where we had a picnic lunch of Thai curry and… watermelon!
This is my fourth time to Thailand and throughout our journey I just can’t believe how much it has changed. So many beautiful, pristine places that I remember are now developed to such a great extent that they are virtually unrecognizable (‘pave paradise and put up a parking lot’). It was nice to see today that offshore and into the islands that much of nature has remained untouched. I hope that the Thai government has the sense to protect their nature reserves for future generations.
Each of us took our turn passing out, cold, when we got back (one Gravel pill each had us unable to keep our eyes open!).
Juanita, our tour operator, called us and told us that we would be able to go on the ‘four island cruise today’ (our first choice for a tour today). We were so excited. We were finally going to see ‘picture-perfect’ Thailand – pristine, unspoiled islands surrounded by emerald water dotted with huge karsts (the mini-mountains that you see in James Bond films). The day exceeded our expectations! Our first stop was Than Phra Nang. We arrived shortly after nine and were able to walk the length of the beach in shade. The white-sand beach led us to a cave wherein there was an elaborate temple. As we got closer we saw that it was some sort of ‘fertility spirit house’. There were hundreds of carved wooden penises jutting up from the sand. In the middle was a colourful shrine draped with flowers. Offerings (a bottle of Fanta, some eggs, and some packaged noodles) were evidence that the shrine was very much in use. We got a great picture of the boys standing beside phallic carvings taller that they are. We have yet to find out the significance of the temple and are very curious as to how it came about, especially on a relatively uninhabited island.
Next we stopped at Chicken Island for some excellent snorkeling. The predominant rock formation looks just like a chicken! Ryan, unfortunately, wasn’t feeling all that well after the boat ride. We gave him some Gravol and then the rest of us downed one as a precaution. None of us were anxious to relive our Langkawi experience over again! Ryan, Brendan, and Joe were back on the boat within a few minutes. I had a good, long, uninterrupted snorkel and was in heaven. The highlight was seeing an odd-shaped squid. I followed him for several minutes. There were parrot fish in abundance – one of my favourites!
Ryan needed to get on land and we were fortunate that our next stop was only a few minutes away. Once we arrived at the next island we put Ryan to bed on a towel inside a small cave. He fell asleep immediately as the Gravol had kicked in. Joe, Brendan, and I walked around the island and chatted with fellow travellers. We swam, tossed the football, and frolicked in the waves.
Our last stop was to yet another gorgeous island where we had a picnic lunch of Thai curry and… watermelon!
This is my fourth time to Thailand and throughout our journey I just can’t believe how much it has changed. So many beautiful, pristine places that I remember are now developed to such a great extent that they are virtually unrecognizable (‘pave paradise and put up a parking lot’). It was nice to see today that offshore and into the islands that much of nature has remained untouched. I hope that the Thai government has the sense to protect their nature reserves for future generations.
Each of us took our turn passing out, cold, when we got back (one Gravel pill each had us unable to keep our eyes open!).
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