After a harrowing drive from Phuket, we arrived in Khao Lak and were awestruck by the crystal clear water and soft sand beaches. This time of year is high season in Thailand so we panicked a bit when the first few snorkel tours were booked solid for the next week. Luckily we found a spot on a trip to the Similan Islands and celebrated with some drinks at a nearby beach bar and our first Thai massage. Traditional Thai massage uses no oil; instead the masseuse uses elbows, fingers, knuckles, knees, and feet along with stretching to dig every knot out of your muscles. At first it was a bit painful, but we both felt great afterwards!
The Similan Islands are well promoted in travel guides, websites, and within Thailand, but the coral and underwater life has been heavily damaged by tourism, illegal fishing, and global warming. It was sad and disappointing to see so much broken and dead coral, but we did get to see an octopus (One of Jeff's favorites) and some very colorful fish.
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| This octopus was pretty shy |
The islands themselves were gorgeous and well worth the trip.
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| What a view! |
For New Years Eve, we went to the party our hotel was hosting. We had a blast eating, drinking, and guessing which of the Cabaret dancers were "lady boys."
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| Just like prom :-) |
Our night ended a bit early when Jeff tried to make his party hat into a bullhorn and instead lacerated his finger with a butter knife. Jeff doesn't do well with the sight of blood and claimed he needed to go to the hospital, but we were able to calm him down, clean the wound, and bandage him up. I'm so glad he's ok and on his way to a full recovery.
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| Just minutes before the panic |
Khao Lak was fantastic, but the 3 days flew by too fast! Next stop Khao Sok National Park for some jungle trekking.
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