M-whY

Early in the morning, a sawngthaew (a small pickup truck with two rows of benches in the back) picked me up at my guesthouse. Along with several other travellers, we were shuttled to Ao-Nang beach, where all tours departed from. Some people were off to Ko Phi Phi for the day, others, like myself, were headed for an island hopping tour. We waited around for a while for the rest of the tourists to arrive before heading to the beach and boarding the longboats.

My full day trip would be stopping at four diffenent places today. Poda Island, Talaywak, Taloo Island, and Phranang Cave, according to the brochure. To my surprise, Thai tourists heavily outnumbered foreign tourists. I had imagined the opposite. To illustrate, on the longboat that I was assigned to, out of twelve people on board, I was the non-Thai.

A loud motor powered us across the water to our first stop. Initially I was a bit disappointed. At least eight or nine other boats were anchored there already, meaning I'd have to share the beach with a bunch of other people. Part of my grumpiness might've stemmed from the fact I hadn't slept well the night before. I half wished I was back on the Perhentians.

But my mood quickly changed though when I saw the crystal clear water and some of the translucent fish that swam in it. More common were these black and yellow striped ones, that would swim right up to you and occasionally give you a nibble. The best part of it all though had to be wading out neck deep into the warm water and soaking myself until my fingers were wrinkled.

We followed the fleet of longboats to a large rock sticking out of the sea. On the way, we passed the famous fowl shaped Chicken Island. To me though, it looked more like a turkey, but I guess it wasn't named Turkey Island cause turkeys aren't found in Thailand.

Snorkel gear was provided, and we spent half an hour checking out more marine life. After that was a stop for lunch, and none too soon, as I was starving. A group of Thai girls noticed me eating alone (which I'm quite used to by now) and invited me to join them.

"You speak english?" asked one of them.

"Yeah."

"Good. Come eat with us!"

Kik, Aoi, and Bow (pictured from left to right) were about my age and were here on vacation for the weekend. Aoi was the most outgoing of the three and spoke the best english.

"So how long have you been in Thailand?" she asked.

"I've only been here a couple days."

"How do you like it so far?"

"I really like it. It's been really nice."

"And how do you like the Thai girls? Beautiful?" she laughed.

"Yes, I like them a lot too!"

The trip was even better now that I had some company. They shared some of the bread they had brought and went into the water where the fish ate out of our hands. At my request, Aoi and Sow taught me some Thai phrases, which, despite my best effort to remember them, seemed to go in one ear and out the other without leaving an impression on my brain.

Our last stop of the day was probably the most impressive, visually. Stalactites hung over the turquoise water like tattered curtains.

A man was roasting ears of corn over a charcoal grill.

"Have you tried this before?" asked Aoi.

"No. How much is it?"

"Twenty baht." She bought four of them and handed one to me. I tried to give her a twenty baht note, but she wouldn't take it.

"No, no. Welcome to Thailand," she smiled.

The girls stopped for a bit of shopping (I guess girls everywhere are the same), before heading to the water for some more play. I was sorry when it was time to go. The day had gone by too quick!

"How are you getting back to Krabi?" one of them asked.

"Oh, I think the tour operator is going to drive me back."

"We have a car, do you want to come with us?"

Riding on the back of a truck is fun, but when given the chance, I'll always take the luxury. They dropped me off at my guesthouse, where I thanked them for the lift and exchanged emails.

"Hope you enjoy Thailand!" they waved.

I don't think there's any doubt that I will!

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!