After a weeks hectic sightseeing in Cambodia we really needed a break so headed back to Thailand and flew to the island of Koh Samui. This is the busiest of the islands that we went to, pretty tacky really with lots of Brits abroad! We didn't hang around and instead the next day got a boat to Koh Phanang. This is more like it, still full of Europeans on a 2 week boozefest, but a much more relaxed beachlife atmosphere. Of course there were plenty of cheesy bars to entertain us in the evenings but there was also lovely beaches and clear seas to entertain us during the day. We stayed first on Haad Rin beach, the site of the infamous 'Full Moon' Parties. We managed to avoid this event but it was still a pretty lively place. Seeking more relaxation, we then went to the north of the island to Bottle Beach. You can only reach the beach by boat which makes it very quiet and peaceful with only a handful of people on the beach.
We then moved on to Koh Tao, the smallest and most northern of the chain of islands. We came here with high hopes, expecting it to be the quietest and most beautiful of the 3 islands, unfortunately this wasn't the case. The major beach town was more of a building site with lots of new properties going up and the beach was narrow and smelly at low tide and non existant at high tide. Apparently it sbrilliant for Scuba Diving but we were here for a more relaxing time. This isn't how we wanted to spend our last few beach days so instead we 'upgraded' and went to a place called koh Nangyuan, a group of 3 tiny islands just off the coast all connected by sand banks. Now this is more like it, beautiful sandy beaches, crystal clear waters with brilliant snorkelling, and a lovely laidback atmosphere. We stayed on one island, the restaurant was on the middle one and more houses and a viewpoint were on the third. The sand connecting the 3 would be anything from 10 meters wide to 2 feet under water depending on the tide. We spent the next 3 days sunbathing and snorkelling with many tropical fish and beautifully relaxed.
A boat and plane ride later and were back in Bangkok. Only 3 more nights left before we get the plane back but I'm sure we'll have a few more words for you before we leave!
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