Saturday, September 10, 2011

Angthong National Marine Park- Day 9

Today we got picked up from our hotel to transfer to the pier to take the boat to Ang Thong National Marine Park. Ang Thong National Marine Park is an archipelago consisting of 42 islands or more. This would be our first tour/excursion of the trip. There was an overcast this morning so we laid out on the top deck of the boat. Breakfast on board consisted of croissants, bananas, and coffee.
Our boat to Ang Thong National Park


on the sun deck

Sunbathing on Boat
After about an hour and a half boat ride, we arrived on the first island. We had the option to kayak, snorkel, or hike the steep hill to the viewpoint. We decided to kayak around the smaller islands for about 45 minutes then the Mo snorkeled a little while I took a nap on the beach.

Getting Ready to Kayak









After a couple of hours on the first island, it was time to board the long-tail to transfer back to our big boat since the big boat could not dock on the beach. Aboard the boat, we were served a delicious Thai lunch buffet consisting of curry chicken, rice, vegetable stir fry, salad, and chicken soup.




We arrived at our second island and it was even more beautiful than the first island. We climbed what seemed like an endless amount of stairs to the other side of the island to see a gorgeous emerald salt water lake. The exercise was well worth it.
View from top of Stairs

Lots of Stairs

Emerald Salt Water Lake



Kim and The Mo in Rocks
The Mo sliding through Rocks
After some photo ops, we returned back to the beach to snorkel. The Mo snuck out a croissant from the boat to feed the fishes. Apparently, little fishes are attracted to bread. This is a trick he learned from our past trip to Cambodia where the tour guides would throw out pieces of bread so the fishes would come. (Note: this trick does not work for deep sea fishing if you are trying to catch sea bass or tuna). We were swarmed by little "Nemo-like" fishes in the water. The water was a bit murky so our waterproof camera couldn't catch a clear picture.






Around 3:00 PM, we boarded the vessel and headed back to the mainland of Koh Samui. I only sat on the top deck for a short time since the sun was blazing hot. We got back around six and took a shower then headed to the Swing Bar for more bucket drinks before dinner.


Kim and The Mo on a swing at The Swing Bar
Bartender free pouring Rum into our bucket drink
We opted for a romantic candlelit seafood dinner on the beach where there was sand in between our toes. It was an amazing feeling. There were beautiful purple/pink lightening in the distance that set a nice ambiance.
Fresh Seafood and Menu Board
Beachside Dining
We ordered the BBQ seafood platter for two and shared spring rolls for an appetizer. I have yet to find any good eggrolls/springrolls in Thailand. I think they are made to be for vegetarian friendly for the tourists. I didn't like the rolls.


Eggrolls
The Mo-Beachside

BBQ Seafood Platter for 2
Seafood Platter with Flash

Vegetarian Fried Rice
Kim- Beachside



After dinner, we lit sky lanterns and set them off into the sky over the beach. It was truly amazing and romantic. Ours went up without any issues. See video on my FB page or the link here Floating Lantern on Lamai Beach


We headed over to the bar side of the restaurant where we sat on beach loungers. It was the Lamai Beach Party night so they had fire dancers. The fire dancers were really good but one of the amateurs threw his ball of fire onto me by accident. I had a feeling that would happen since we sat up front to get "prime seating". Luckily, there was no harm done to me or my dress but I have to admit, I was scared I would catch on fire.


It was quite a day and I was burnt out by 11:30.


I