Koh Yao Noi to Khao Lak……and a change of gears !!!

November 17th, 2018

Another transfer day as we are going back to the mainland albeit continuing the beach part of our trip as we have front-loaded the “relax” part of this trip !!

We enjoyed our stay on Koh Yao Noi, overall everything was pretty good (although we were disappointed with the beach which looks great, but is not swimmable as the water is super shallow for hundreds of meters, even at high tide. This just goes to show that you can research things thoroughly through Tripadvisor and the like but if the reviews themselves are not accurate, well > garbage in garbage out!  This island caters primarily to the higher-end or backpackers with Seaview being one of the few mid-range options …our 5-night stay cost 500 CAD. We did feel sorry for the manager with whom I had a few chats …the guy works 15-hour shifts and is seemingly in charge of everything but the Muslim owner refuses to add staff so this fellow has no option but to run at 100 miles an hour every day or quit.

It is a sunny day and in the high 20’s Centigrade, a quick breakfast followed by the first step, a songthaew ride to Manoh Pier on Koh Yao Noi,

…from there a 40-minute speed boat ride to the Bang Rok Pier outside of Phuket….smooth seas and a pleasant ride, as we got to sit outside in the bow of the boat…

We arrive early, having taken an earlier speed boat, a few taxi guys ask if we need a car but they are totally non-aggressive…..so we just hang around checking out the modest pier area…

…we had found a taxi company with a rather curious name “Cheaper Than a Hotel Taxi”, what could be sketchier with a name like that, but it was cheaper than Seaview had suggested by 1000 THB (40 CAD) and the reviews were good. After about 10 minutes I noticed a guy walking with a placard bearing our name on it…deducing it was meant for us I get his attention and tell him we are early, as is he….nice SUV and before we depart he takes a photo of us for his Boss (I guess proof that he picked us up and at what time) and we are off….limited conversation, mostly limited to yes sir, no sir whether it was Annie or I who said anything…..courteous to a fault (even apologized for coughing) and a safe & prudent driver also almost to a fault. One stop en route to fill up on LPG > Interestingly their vehicles run on a dual system of gasoline & LPG …..I guess there is no natural gas in Canada, sometimes I wonder who is in the 3rd world!

In any event, 2 hours later we arrive at the Manathai Resort a little north of Khao Lak along a long strip of sand fronting the Andaman Sea. Total cost for the trip 1,600 THB (64 CAD) ….this was the definition of a smooth transfer.

The Manathai is miles away from the Seaview Bungalows both in distance and type of accommodation> from a homestay on a “local” island to a made-for-tourists resort with little “local” flavour. A bit disorienting at first but somehow we get used to the Lala Land syndrome very quickly …starting with lovely young ladies ensuring a smooth check-in with watermelon slushies in wine glasses as welcome drinks….luggage whisked away and a full tour of premises, room etc.

We are here for the next four nights and the goal is to shamelessly indulge in some indolence before we get back to some more serious traveling.

This is a nice well-maintained resort situated on a long sweep of beach virtually alone, save for some beach restos and a new development under construction close by. There are two restos on site with a large pool area and massage “rooms”……however most clients take their business to the family-run restos on the beach which are friendly and turn out decent food/drink at very competitive prices.

Some pics of the resort area …

By the way, I guess there are not too many hockey fans among you guys …..as The Great One was featured in the https://footstepsintheslowlane.com/2018/11/14/ao-nang-to-koh-yao-noi/? post, and seemingly no one noticed !!

The game plan was to have supper at a resto down the beach…..but the rain came thundering down, and, we decided not to test our luck, instead opting for the beachfront Pad Thai Resto on the property….enjoyed nicely presented Chinese-style prawn fried rice in a pineapple with beverages while watching what became a serious symphony of soft rain, ground shaking thunder and lightning flashes across the width of the beach.

November 18th, 2018 

Yours truly prepped himself and departed at first light to try fishing down the beach where there are some rocky outcrops…

 

….significant efforts were expended but by 08:00 retired to the pool to try my luck there …suffice to say dinner was not secured

…breakfasts are included, buffet style with choices set to satisfy Thai, Chinese and Occidental palates >>>  pretty decent and no limit return trips. The beach is quite beautiful with shading offered by large Casuarina pines (aka ironwood) which are more prevalent than palms in this part of Thailand and remarkably garbage free (one of our pet peeves) …after lounging (plenty of loungers and few lounger hogs), swimming, kayaking… we did a nice walkabout enjoying a pleasant & long lunch at the Sunrise , one of the several local beachside eateries accessed by bamboo bridge type structures…

Enjoyed a nice sunset and decided against supper as we were starting to fall asleep…