Finally.. Island Paradise...

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Chris and I spent a night of recovery in Trang-- a commerical city in the south known for its Hokkien koppi shops (one of the few places in Thailand where they specialize in drip coffee, rather than Nescafe) and filling our bellies with cheap food (ahhh yes, 15 baht for a plate? I'll take it!), then we set off once again for the islands. This time we took a bus to Pak Bara (which is in Satun, Thailand's most southern province), the ferry landing for boats going out to islands in Ko Tarutao National Marine park. Our friend Aom, from Chiang Mai, had recommended coming south here because there are so few tourists (mostly Thais on a weekend holiday) and because the islands are protected by the national park. Except for tiny Ko Lipe ( a backpacker haven, one place that somehow escaped development regulation), all the islands are pristine and virtually empty. There are small government bungalows and one canteen set up on Ko Tarutao (the Big Island) and Ko Adang, and both offer camping.

Our arrival in Pak Bara was too late to catch the last ferry of the day, but the people working the ferry office offered to give us a free lift to Pak Nam, an "island" (this turned out to be a peninsula) close by where we could camp. Although it seemed too good to be true, we took them up on the offer and it worked out nicely-- Chris set up our tent on the strip of sand outside the one and only small bungalow operation, and enjoyed a relaxing evening with Tum, the Thai guy who lives there. He hooked up my Ipod to their speaker system and we got to rock out to some Youssouf N'dour, Gypsy Kings, and Metro Stylee-- something I've been missing terribly on the trip (its just not the same when I have to wear ear buds).

The following morning Tum drove us back to the ferry dock where we boarded a speedboat (along with 30 other people!), stopping at various deserted islands, before dropping passengers at Ko Lipe and Ko Adang.

Chris and I opted for Ko Adang, a bit farther away, but known to be great for snorkeling and very quiet.
Finally! We found the iconic island paradise we had so desperately been searching for! A Canadian couple we met almost right away told us that the bungalows were full, but we only saw a handful of people around when we went to the canteen for meals... Otherwise, just a few scattered tents around ours, and empty beachfront.

The water surrounding Ko Adang (like nearby Ko Lipe) is stunning-- topaz blue and ringed with coral. I had bought a snorkel and fins from a woman in Ko Chang, and I was so glad to finally make good use of them after lugging them around, strapped to my backpack like florescent green wings, for weeks. Afterward, I sold them to a Swiss gentleman who is apparently a permanent Ko Adang resident (his de-lux tents and gear, birdcages, fishing equipment, and hanging laundry sort of give it away). Anyway, I recognized some of the local fish from our scuba lessons-- banner fish, parrot fish, clown fish (my favorite so far), Christmas trees... neon blue starfish, and what appeared to be a frightening green & yellow box with a tail and a frog face-- Chris swears this is a blow fish!

We spent our time swimming mostly, being indulgently lazy-- though we did hike up to Pirate's Falls, suppposedly a source of fresh water used by (you guessed it!) pirates of late, which is now a small trickle of water that dies out before hitting the ocean ( I really hope the low-flow is seasonal, and not due to the 4 black pipes funneling water to the bungalows...). At night we stayed around the canteen (since the sun set at 7 pm and there was no other light source (and we missplaced our headlamp, along with a few dozen other items). Chris and I played umpteen card games, but its pretty quiet there so we went to bed early and woke up before sunrise. Our tent was on the water's edge along the east coast, so the sun would blind us anyway, demanding our attention....!

So yes, Ko Adang rocks, that's all there is. Its a ton of money to get there (1000 baht return) but defnitely worth it.

Alas, all good things must end, and we had to get moving if we wanted to spend any time in Malaysia. We took the morning speedboat back to the pier, then booked spots on a minibus to Hat Yai, where we could transfer to another bus across the border to Penang, Malaysia.
Goodbye Thailand!

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