This year we wanted to ring in the New Year in a special place. We decided to head down south to
one of the Thai Islands and spend a few days relaxing/exploring with a few friends. What an awesome weekend it turned out to be! Thailand is a crazy place for New Years as loads of tourists & locals escape on similar getaways. This congestion made for quite the travel experience combined with our budget-friendly travel modes. We left on Friday night from Chiang Rai and finally got to our bungalow resort an exhausting 24 hours later! After a 10 hour overnight bus from Chiang Rai to Bangkok, and then a 6 hour bus from Bangkok to Trat, we arrived at a taxi stand and were told that all of the boats to our destination (Koh Mak) were full! We didn’t believe it so we went to the pier anyways and explained that we wanted to go to Koh Mak. Fully aware that we might have to spend the night on the mainland or go to neighboring Koh Chang for a night, we were worried. It turned out that there was still a boat leaving for Koh Mak so the ladies at the taxi stand were lying to us. Unfortunate because we haven’t experienced deception many times in Thailand so far. Up to this point, everybody has been so accommodating and honest. We were lucky to catch the last boat out to Koh Mak at 4PM and one hour later, we were finally at our beautiful destination.
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| Reppin that Thai Beer |
Koh Mak is still relatively new and undiscovered as far as Thai Islands go. It’s very small at only 16 KM and flat. It’s a great place for people looking for a tropical relaxing holiday away from the hoards of tourists that flood to neighboring Koh Chang. There are still beautiful sand beaches & stunning crystal clear coves. The Island only has about 20 resorts and the majority of the land is filled with palm trees, rubber plantations and coconut/pineapple fields. We loved it because of this unique landscape combined with the tranquil environment unspoiled by mass tourism. There weren’t clubs, western restaurants & 5 star resorts everywhere. We spent the days soaking up the sun on the white sand beaches, exploring the island on our rented bicycles & swimming in the stunning clear blue water. Some stand out moments are when we swam to a shipwreck and jumped off, rum with fresh coconut picked minutes before, & brunch at an awesome coffee shop on the opposite side of the island surrounded by FAT local pigs (I had to get the bacon :)
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| View from our room |
We loved our little beach-side bungalows! Beautiful, rustic and secluded. A perfect place to relax after the chaos of a 24 hour commute. Yes, we didn’t have A/C, hot water, or even a flushing toilet, but we did have beautiful, beachfront property at a very reasonable price. The night we arrived happened to be the owner’s birthday. They threw a huge complimentary feast followed by hours of karaoke on the beach. Such a special place run by a wonderful Thai family: www.baaningkao.com. We managed to meet a few interesting people during our stay. A traveling expat from Canada and an Italian Executive Chef from Bangkok stand out. We loved waking up to the sounds of waves on the shore then going for a morning swim before breakfast to refresh ourselves. A special place indeed.
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| Koh Mak Crew - Eric who was sick :( |
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| Great Company on New Years |
New Years Eve we partied at our resort with the 20-30 other vacationers. We played beer-pong, set off fireworks, socialized around a bonfire and let off lanterns with wishes for the New Year written on them. It was a new years we’ll never forget and I hope this experience is an indication of what 2013 has in store.
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