Taking it Slow in Ko Kho Khao
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Ko Kho Khao, Phangnga, Thailand
In just a morning we swapped a jungle paradise for a beach paradise! Ko Kho Khao, meaning Neck Mountain Island, is just a short ferry ride from the mainland, on one of the smallest vehicular ferries I've ever seen.
We are staying at Hapla Beach, halfway up the beach that runs down the 16km island, backed by feathery casuarina trees and overlooking the Andaman Sea. There are just 6 beach bungalows and a restaurant set in a shady wooded area overlooking the beach. Due to its flat landscape the island was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami, and many locals chose not to return and rebuild, leaving the island quite a sleepy place.
Our days here have been busy ... a bit of a walk one way or the other, a little sun, a swim, salad for lunch, chill in a hammock, a bit more sun, another swim, snap the sunset, sundowners and dinner and bed, all to the sound of the sea ....!
There appears to be nothing north of us except beach and to the south just a few resorts. Apparently the centre has grassy sand flats and there are mangroves and canals to the east and the locals are farmers and fishermen but we didn't stray far enough from the beach to find out for ourselves!
The sea has been like a millpond in the morning as the tide goes out, then as the day warms up, the breeze gets up and the tide returns with breakers. Crabs busily scuttle in and out of their holes, or drag their home along with them and some quick little bug spends the day excavating a sandy burrow, leaving Nasca-like patterns on the sand.
Some days there were visitors or passers by ... a boat pulled up with passengers and a large fish to be cooked for lunch ... the weekend brought several local families out to eat ... exploring tourists looking come for a change to their resort buffet and locals taking a shortcut!
There was a full moon on our last night here, but fortunately we were not on Koh Phangan as there would have been some 30,000 people crammed on one beach celebrating the Full Moon and partying from sunset to sunrise ... certainly not an essential on our itinerary! Here the sun sets in tranquility ...
We are now well into the second half of our trip, and so far the only Western food we've had was a Subway at Surant Thani airport, where the only other choice was KFC or McDonalds! Oh and Chris has had the odd chip here and there ... Apart from breakfast that is ... where my good intentions to eat local dishes fly out of the window when faced with stirfry every day. We started well in Bangkok, with the delicious Thai breakfasts at W-Home, but since then we've settled into a bit of a routine, Chris favouring omelette and me pancakes ... and I was surprised at how many places served pancakes. Then I read the story about the Banana Pancake Trail ... which goes like this. Once upon a time a guidebook was written for backpackers in SE Asia and cafes found that including banana pancakes on the menu helped get an inclusion in the book ... as all backpackers like a few home comforts ... and now the Banana Pancake Trail, which has no clear route, is used as a metaphor for places popular among Western tourists. I have to say I prefer mango or pineapple, and no we haven't had a full English or been to an Irish pub!
Having relaxed and topped up the tan, it's time to leave paradise ... but it did have a downside which neither of us will miss ... the hungry sand flies which have taken a liking to us both!
Next a short hop to Phang Nga Bay.
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2025-02-10
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Jo Newton
2016-02-23
Looks like you're both having a fabulous time. Enjoy your birthday Elaine! Pancakes to celebrate...? xx
mariansever@btinternet.com
2016-02-24
Looks beautiful and peaceful, Happy Birthday. Marian and Simon xx