The touts with their brochures and insistent offers were bombarding me. It was during my first days in this part of Thailand and I was just out walking to explore the city. I wrote about this walk in an earlier post, "Walking Walking Street". 

On that day I walked down Walking Street and came to this pier just on the other side of it . For $10 I could take a boat to an island and spend the day. It sounded good, but I told them this was my first day and I would take their brochure and look it over for another day. Of course, as touts are, they were very sure I really needed to do it that day. I was sure that was not the day, though.

Now, a few weeks later I am going to that island. But, I will walk past the touts and go to the end of the pier and get a ferry for 30 baht ($1). The first day I would have paid their $10 fee, but now I know how to do it cheaper.

Ko, sometimes spelled Koh, means 'Island'. Today I am going to spend the day on Ko Larn. It is a 45 minute ferry ride from the coast of Pattaya. It's about 5 miles off the coast. You can see the island from the Pattaya or Jomtien beach. The island is about 2 1/2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide. There are about a thousand residents living on the island. 

Once on the island you can do the usual water sporting activities if you want to, including para-sailing, snorkeling, jet skiing, or ride the banana boat or just plain swim . Snorkeling is very good here as the water is clear and not choppy. What beach you are on decides which activities you can do.

Ko Larn means Coral Island. In the Thai language the words are often reversed compared to our English language. So, the way they write it I guess it would be Island Coral.

With all the beaches at Pattaya and Jomtien, why would you need to go to an island for another beach? It's because the beaches on Ko Larn are very beautiful. The white sand and clear water draws people by the boat load to the island. The water on Pattaya and Jomtien beaches are not near so clear.

There are two small islands near Ko Larn, Ko Krok and Ko Sak, but I did not get to visit them. There are places to stay on the island, but I just made it a day trip. I took some photos of the places to stay as the ferry neared the dock. There are a number of restaurants, shops, and even a 7/11, and of course the popular street food . I bought a chicken kabob, which has become a favorite food lately for me. 

Once on the island, I walk down the pier and into the small village. The small street is loaded with souvenir shops and eating places. I heard you could rent a bicycle and ride around the island, but there are no bicycles here. The person that told me had not been here, he had just heard it. There are motobikes to rent, though.

As is usual on this trip when I arrive at a new place, I do not know where to go. I just walk the streets and see what is here. After a short walk through the little street, I arrive at a parking lot on the ocean where there are some songthaews. There is a large billboard that shows pictures of the 6 beaches on the island. You can pick the beach you want to visit and the price of the songthaew for that island is listed. They are all either 20 or 30 baht.

Once I pick the beach I want to go to, I climb on the songthaew with other foreigners and ride out to the beach .The island is a mountain. Or the mountain is an island, whichever way you want to say it, and we climb over the mountain to the other side to where we find a beautiful beach waiting.

It is not crowded as I walk over a long walking bridge to get to it. There are chairs and umbrellas set up and food stands. I walk for a while up and down the beach before picking which chairs I want to rent for the day. Different vendors rent lounge chairs along the beach.

The water is warm and so very clear as I swim around. I don't see any place to rent snorkeling gear, though. I think that is on one of the other beaches. It's relaxing and quiet, compared to the beaches on the city side of Pattaya and Jomtien. At least it is until about 1 in the afternoon. Chartered boats begin to arrive with loads of Russians. Russians are known for being loud and demanding. 

The beach loungers here are not like they are on Jomtien beach . There, the loungers are separated with enough space that you can walk between them. This gives you a little space from the other beach lovers. Here, the loungers are right up next to each other with just enough space to barely get to them.

With all the boats arriving, the loungers all down the beach are filling up fast. Soon, the area I am in is completely full. A Russian couple gets the two chairs to one side of me and another Russian couple gets the two chairs on the other side. Soon, the women on each side of me employ a couple of the many masseuses that are walking around offering their services.

As the women start giving the massages, the Russian women are totally out of control. They tend to talk loud and they are both of ample proportions. I have one on each side of me now. They are so close the masseuse could give us both a massage at the same time. 

The women giving the massages are of the larger variety as well . They pour some oil or maybe sanitizer on their hands and make a big show of slapping their hands together. I guess they want the other beach loungers to see what a good job they are going to do. Then, with their hands prepared, they start work on their customers. 

The Russian women add to the malay by talking in loud tones in Russian. I don't know if they are talking to their husbands or directing the work of the masseuses. I think when they bark everybody just jumps. I don't look their way (just in case I am doing something wrong).

Aren't you supposed to lay back and quietly enjoy a massage? As the masseuses rub and slap the fat, and the Russian gals loudly give orders to anyone in hearing range, my peaceful beach time has come to an end. I see this is not going to end any time soon, so I start making plans for escape.

I carefully work myself down the lounger until I reach the end . I don't dare try to get out of the lounger over the side like I normally would. I might bump someone and I don't want to create any attention.
 
I leave the now crowded beach behind and head to where I left my ride. There are no songthaews there now, though. I watched as we rode out and I think I remember the route we took. I can walk back to the pier. It's over the mountain and I think I can walk it in 30-45 minutes. I prefer walking back anyway.

I pass a couple of street sweepers. I stop and chat with one that speaks a little english. There are views of the Gulf that I stop to enjoy along the way.

Once back in the village I get my chicken kabob and wait for the next ferry ride back to shore. Ko Larn is very nice and I will come back sometime, I hope, to see the other 5 beaches. A backpacker back at the hostel later told me he went to another beach on the island that was more isolated. Apparently I picked the most popular and hence the most crowded of the 6.