Winter in a Tropical Island - Koh Mak

Koh Mak, the clear waters.


Getting there to Laem Ngop, 6 hours if you drive really slow.


Parking at THB 60 per night.

This island, Koh Mak, smack in the middle of Ao Thai ocean between Koh Chang and Koh Kood. A journey there will take 4 hours by car to reach the various ferry terminals within Laem Ngop in the province of Trat, so start your journey early. Over at Laem Ngop, on an unnamed jetty, there are speed boat operators offering the sea crossing for hotel staffs on Koh Mak at only THB 350, and for the public at THB 450. They also offer parking lots in private housing for you to leave your cars at THB 60 per night. Now, these boats are not the normal slow massive ferries crossing to Koh Chang. These are fast sea vessels guaranteed at making you regurgitate your food out all over the 16 or so rather comfortable seating under the white canvas canopy shielding you from the sun. It was hell of a ride for me as the December sea was rough. The boat had to continually retard the on the throttle and yet attempt to make the crossing in under 45 minutes. It's the monsoon now and we had to slam through the waves instead of cutting smoothly across clam waters. My testicles swapped positions after the ride.


A pier at Koh Mak where we arrived.


The long beach of Haad Khao.

There are a few beaches on Koh Mak. You wouldn't know which beach you did be arriving on but not to worry, the island has a network of local roads and your hotel will pick you up in a truck. We stayed on Haad Khao which means white beach. The sand ain't white on this wide gentle beach stretching laterally east west, but the waters are clam with very gentle waves offering us sunbathers a relaxing swim. We could float around face up without a struggle and be one with the horizon. The waters not churned is clear this season, see them crabs crawling and the occasional small fishes darting. I love Haad Khao, with the winter sun low, we enjoyed both orange sunrise and radiant sunsets in full view.


The shallow waters.


Sunrise in cold December mornings.

Winter I mentioned, whatever winter am I talking about? This is a tropical island, but December offered contrastingly cold mornings. Every morning, we woke to the sound of bristling trees swaying about in the breeze, it was the music of nature. It was 19 degrees centigrade as the sun rose and I clicked away on me shutter. In double clothing I was in, the wind chill I fought. The cleaners were out early, they comb the beaches keeping her pristine.


Bungalows of Baan Chailay.


Local road entrance to resort.

I stayed in Baan Chailay, about 4 to5 bungalows she has. Easy on me pocket, it cost THB 1,200 and we could sleep three. The air conditioner old, but it was cold. Need it actually we don't, the weather was pleasant. Hot showers in ground water pumped from below we bathed. The water was more of a trickling, and it smelt but hey, I ain't complaining for this price. Breakfast served simple, American or that Khao Tom (boiled rice) went well with the self served instant coffee. We were the only Asians accompanied by a number of elderly Caucasian folks politely chatting. Seated on wooden chairs and over our food laden tables, the feel was easy and homey. I had my 3 strips of bacon in the yellow sunlight accompanied by eggs, bread and butter.


Canoes for rental.

As the hours passed, the sky was a deep blue interrupted by bright white clouds . Still, the relentless breeze blowing. Our scheduled snorkeling trip costing THB 500 per pax was repeatedly delayed hourly since 10am. The sea beyond was too rough and the air too cold. We could have had ourselves a private boat at THB1,500, but it had been already been fully taken up by all the Farangs told we were. Being on Koh Mak during the monsoon season, expect travel plans to be altered. Our trip was eventually cancelled and the operators were worried how they were to deal with them Farangs who came on packaged tour. Nevertheless, we went on to an island opposite our beach known as Koh Rayang Nok.


Koh Rayang Nok.


Beach chairs.


White sands on a rather limited beach.

Koh Rayang Nok offered a small white beach with a few beach chars tastefully placed near the shoreline. Coming onto this island is not free, cost THB 200 for "entry". You could get your snorkeling gear form the lone restaurant operating on this island but the December seas were too strong for me. I do not want to drift away to Cambodia so I just sat on the sand whiter than that on Haad Khao on Koh Mak. That's where we also decided to have out very late lunch, not too tasty and a rather bit pricey. And as when one wishes, just tell the boat operator and you will be on your 10 minutes journey back onto Koh Mak.


Wind surfers during sunset.


Local roads to restaurants.

As evening approaches the cats were out playing. The dogs swam and we tourist strolled along passing the many small decent and simple resorts spaciously spread on Haad Khao. At times, we had the whole beach to ourselves. At times we had to avoid being hit by the beach ball so franticly chased by the sweaty young beach boys playing out front of their resorts. Dinner can be offered by a few restaurants located along the main road hidden behind by all the idyllic accommodations along this beach. Don't expect a gastronomical feast on these joints, they offer only decent simple meal masquerading behind artful names.


Chilling out the night.


Sofas on the breezy beach.

After dinner, there's a only-pub-on-this-beach place you could go to the locals called a Reggie Pub. Its well known to have a once a month Full Moon Party similar to that on Koh Phangan. There will be a live band and I could see that the lead singer was attempting his best to please the Farang crowd. We could not understand a single word of all the easy-listening songs he was bringing to us such. Stand By Me became Can By Me, Missing You became Meeing You . Alternatively to avoid the ear torture, we could just chill the night out over BYO whisky on the sofa set on the beach. Just make sure you order that soda, coke or French Fries from the cocktail stand serving the area. They are there to make a living after all and won't be pleased with you taking up the comfy seats free. It seemed we had the whole beach to ourselves again that night, only our laughter, cheers and chatter filled the windy night air. As we drank that last drop under the star lit skies, we walked the 10 meters back to our bungalows and shut down in anticipating of the beautiful sunrise the next morning.


Gentle waves.


So private.

Koh Mak in December, cool weather on contrasting sunny beach. A quiet place giving you the privilege of having the beach and turquoise waters all to yourself at times. Be warned though, oil yourself heavy in insect repellent. I am now sore with more than 20 or so ugly looking blistering sand fly bites. Locals had told me unlike Koh Kood and the more commercial Koh Chang nearby, Koh Mak does not spray their beaches with pesticides. The waters on Haad Khao will be still and only agitated by passing speed boats. The windsurfers takes to the waters and the power kites the cuts the breezy air. The simplicity of this island, the solitude and the clean air is a comeback that I must. Till we meet again.

Taking on Samui Roads

The good point of having a car on Samui is that one will not be restricted in coverage , bounded by an invisible barrier limited by the range covered by "two-rows" (truck taxis) that one can hop on. And they ain't cheap just for hopping from Chaweng to Lamai or the surrounding areas. I had discovered this stretch of beach facing the sunset. Takhoe is the name of the restaurant and I remembered the food was great and cheap. In contrast to the farang filled stylish restaurants on Chaweng, I was dining among the locals sipping Hundred Pipers with the soda or Coke. We came a wee bit late and missed the setting sun, the waitress told us we should have come earlier when the beach was shimmering in warm tones of orange and red. Didn't want no sand flies to jab into my foot and lay its entire family in there, so for all I would suggest - bring your insect repellent.


Takhoe place is well known for its very weird food. Away from the realm of common seafood, we had jungle mushrooms of some sort accompanied by healthy brown rice which health freaks find it ok but for me felt like chewing on dried straws I feed to my rabbit. Dining on the white weathered plastic chairs sprawled on the sandy beach, the condiments included one of the tastiest Kapi (prawn paste in chill) specially baked on coconut husk which not everyone could stomach. Normally I don't take on these weird dishes guaranteed to cause unusual lingering breath for hours, but this Kapi was something extraordinary.



Coordinates 9°34'40.53"N, 99°56'34.10"E for your reference.



On my previous blogs, I had mentioned of dining up the mountains in a place called Paradise Park. Well again, Samui is not just about the sun, sea and beach. Driving inlands heading up the mountains guided by very poor maps, I had stumbled on The Mountain Grand View Restaurant & Swimming Pool. This restaurant, they tried their best to offer guest a dip in their infinity pool which has one of the best Samui's view, but I don't think anyone would want to dip in the neglected algae infested very green waters. Pool on Samui and what comes to mind is farangs heaps basking in the sun, but I guessed this place is a challenge to find and therefore the desolation.


No guest was there and we had the whole place to ourselves. It became not economically viable to maintain the pool water and so I suppose its purpose now is a giant bird bath, a frog breeding pond or a tourist trip over and fall into water trap. Other than that aside, enjoying a cup of coffee or cooling down that cocktail accompanied by the mountain breeze with an incredible view of the distant horizon makes the trip up worthwhile.


Just watch out for the land slide areas on the way up which ate up half of the road. We were told that the weather these late years had been extreme and Samui had been trying their best to cope with fighting nature.



Coordinates 9°28'42.60"N, 99°59'49.20"E for your reference.



Here's a restaurant that offers quite a feast, not too local and reasonably priced, the crowd is a mix of locals, farangs and mosquitoes . Offering the standard range of cholesterol laden tasty Thai seafood dishes is Sabienglae Restaurant. Its located in between Lamai and Chaweng not too difficult to find. Expect the place to be packed as it is quite well known. I was not too impressed by the dinner but I would rather not risk driving into the dark mountain roads in the night and have my hungry carcass discovered in a Vios at the bottom of a landslide scene. Coordinates 9°27'11.33"N, 100° 2'10.74"E for your reference.



As you cruise the coastal roads and ascend the hills of Samui, one does come across many little spots of pleasant settings so inviting for a chill-chill (Thai slang for chill out time). Appeal of all kinds from contemporary back to rustic rural and pure simple offers a choice too many for the curious soul of an explorer. Amongst that which I mentioned, food for the belly, we scaled the hundred steps up into the temple overlooking the airport, and shopped the weekend night market of Lamai.



And as we tire we had our cocktails by the fiery night beach nearby. Just driving, maneuvering corners and watch that endless horizon revealing up as we rolled on over the top of the hill is already an episode of endorphin in my warm bloodstream.

Full photo sets here under Samui Aug 2011.

Getting to Samui the Cheaper Way

Bangkok Airways monopolized the only airport in Samui, and with that, they shout the price they want and we have no choice, or do we? Well a short flight in Bangkok Airways to Samui from Suvanaphum cost THB 3,000 one way at least (and that's during the promotion period). Double that and double the passenger, it cost THB 12,000 at least for a round trip. Yes you buy the time and the convenience, but I did it all for less than THB 5,000. That, I took the alternative, going by Air Asia to Surat Thani, and a ferry across to the island paradise. All in all, six hours or so of adventure I see it to be, and it was definitely worth the savings.



Hunting for good cheap budget airlines promotion, one could end up with return tickets for two as cheap as THB 2,000, so with that I had a smile broader then Joker in Batman - The Dark Knight . Now, once at the airport in Surat, there are 2 ways to get across to Samui. I rented a Vios from Hertz, and enjoyed my one and half hours drive over to the ferry terminal at Donsak. Or, you could purchase the bus tickets inclusive of the sea crossing while on board Air Asia when the staffs announces it.


Getting to that speck of paradise in the Ao Thai Sea consist of an enjoyable drive across well paved roads covering a distance of about 100km, that which I took one and half hours. The critical point to note is that the last ferry leaves at 19:00 hrs. So if you arrive at Surat at 16:00 to rent a car, you could be skating on thin ice. The thing about the ferry service is that, you do not know how long a queue there will be till you get there. I bought my advance ferry tickets at Raja Ferry counter at the airport for about THB 500 and they could not guarantee my getting over to Samui on the same day. You have to expect the worst if you are going during the public holiday season, so plan your timing well. Coordinates for Raja Ferry Terminal at Donsak is 9°19'42.41"N , 99°44'39.62"E .


Now, something about renting the car from Hertz, make sure you check them wheels before you take the car. It was into the second day on the island that we realized there was something stuck in our wheels. We called Hertz, they said, whatever we do, don't pull that out. It was part of the previous puncture repairs. The job looked shoddy and we asked what if the tire went flat while we were driving, won't that be dangerous? Should we not get proper wheels in the first place where safety is concerned? To which, there was no answer to our question.



Anyways, I did arrived at Donsak after a fun hour of discovering that being in the Vios taking on corners is like being in a ferry before I even got on one and that the 2000cc engine can churn out quite good torque even at speeds beyond 150km/h. I was relieved to see the clam pier with only less than five vehicles on queue and my girlfriend was glad we were still alive.



We caught the 6pm ferry, drove over the rusty gangway into the belly of the beast, we left the car on the lower deck and head on up into the comfy lounge area above to spend the next one and half hours looking through large windows as the sky turned an orange and into the deep blue. We walked the upper decks and have the breeze blow our hairs into a frenzy.



I was quite surprised the ferry was rather presentable, but not every day is we-strike-lottery day as you can see from the pictures above, on our return trip the other ferry in the Raja fleet was of a much inferior quality. Getting to a destination by never tried before means, yet another exploration chapter in my book of adventures as it continues in Thailand.

Bangkok Airport Link, Don’t

Well for those of you who are arriving in Bangkok, first advise, don’t take the bloody overhyped Airport Link. Well, fast as it may be, but when I arrived at the Makkasan station, it was like arriving on a deserted island after a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean. See, Makkasan is supposed to be the so called “City Air Terminal” and one would perceived it to be well served or linked by other connecting public transport at least. Arriving at Makkasan, we found the place almost deserted. There were little staffs on duty and when asked where the taxi queue was, we were told, it’s on the main road. Main road??

That’s when we realized it meant going to the ground floor, out of the terminal, going on foot under the station lugging my baggage to the main road some 500 meters away and to flag a cab by ourselves. And while on the main road, I truly enjoyed inhaling the exhaust fumes of traffic which was at a standstill. I was also thrilled by the experience of waiting extremely long for the crawling taxi. City planners in Thailand (oh they so brilliant) decided to place the City Terminal next to one of the most congested roads (Ratchadaphisek - Phetchaburi intersection) in Bangkok just to proof to tourist the notorious traffic jams in Bangkok are for real. And I had heard on the news lately, the record breaking lowest number of passengers in a day was 300. The average was 1,600. A billion dollar project that’s more like a joke.

Koh Larn on a Weekend

Heading for a short beach trip on a weekend gateway, not so far, just an hour or more away. Where? Pattaya for the farangs, or Bang Sean for the local folks? Neither. Its an island I will blog here. Well in Singapore we go across to the over developed Sentosa, here we have bustling and crowded Koh Larn opposite of Pattaya.




The Beach @ GPS: 12°55'30.45"N, 100°46'41.68"E

Getting there means joining the sardine crowd on a 20 Baht ride on the common ferry, standing on the roof just like trains in India. Or, you could negotiate with the scary scattered speed boat operators that harass you on your way to the pier for as low as 2000 Baht for a personal speedboat over to a designated beach on the island. We opted for the scary speed boat operators. Depending on the time of the year and the season, the operators will drop you off a beach where the waters are calm. There are a few beaches on Koh Larn for your info.



It was hot and the beach was wide. Popular destination for tourist as well and the number of boats anchored on the shallow waters numbered in hundreds. Para-sail, banana boats and jet skiing are some of the activities there.



That’s also where we learnt that 30 minutes of 600 Baht jet skiing fun could turn out to be 6000 Baht after our friends rammed into a boat. At first I thought it was the Jet-Ski con scheme so common around Pattaya where tourist get ripped off for damages they did not caused. But I learnt that the damage was genuine. I also learnt that jumping into conclusion that all the Jet Ski operators were con artist and cursing them with the word “monitor lizards” in Thai was not a good idea (I wanted to engage them in a fight because I thought they were attempting to con us, also for some reasons or other, monitor lizard in Thai is a very bad word).



With so many boats anchored, an accident is always waiting to happen. The other Indian tourist causing a commotion with the thugs on the beach had 3 Jet Skis slammed into each other, damages claimed to be 50,000 Baht or more and he could not pay. Lesson learnt, don’t Jet Ski there, it just ain’t worth it.




Fresh seafood on Mainland @ GPS: 12°55'29.58"N, 100°52'1.72"E

Food and shop houses are an abundant on this spot of an island. But if you are wise like we did, we bought the yummies from mainland over to the island at a fraction of what you will have to pay on Koh Larn. Along the streets near the pier on mainland, you will find shop houses selling life seafood. We got a kilogram of crayfish for THB350, had them steamed and packed for the trip. On Koh Larn, the same crayfish sold for THB1,200 per kilogram. Same goes for beer and all that alcohol. Local culture, we spent the entire day on Koh Larn in economy mode, brought all the stuffs from mainland and stayed tipsy chatting away into the evening to join the force of boats on the return leg at 5pm.



Good Dinner @ GPS: 12°51'39.90"N, 100°53'43.73"E

Evening time, the sea breeze a blowing. How else to enjoy the transition from dusk colors till deep blue night under the moonlit shores? Driving along the Pattaya shoreline, we found restaurants aplenty. Simple tables and plastic stools lined the pavement separating the road and the shoreline. Anglers catching them Whiting by the buckets stood where the pavement were free. We choose one spot at random and feasted, washing down scrumptious seafood with the last remaining whisky brought over from Koh Larn. A weekend on Koh Larn, cheap, simple and not so far. Just too much crowd as with every other sunny spots nearby Bangkok.