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| image courtesy of www.goandamantravel.com brochure |
20 February 2014– I woke up early today. No, I am not going to work. I am scheduled to go with
a few friends to a tour going to Similan Islands.
The word
Similan is derived from the Malay word “Sembilan” meaning “nine”. Similan Islands
is composed of a total of nine islands which has a name and a corresponding
number. The high season is from December until April, when the monsoon stays
far away. It usually closes from mid May until mid October.
We paid 2,500THB
to our tour operator the day before. We had a discounted price as the usual fee
is around 3,500THB. I think it was a little bit expensive than the other Phuket
Island tours as it includes 400THB for the National Park Entrance fee to the
islands.This already includes the pick up from a place near our workplace. We
waited at 7am and our driver arrived at around 7:30am. We were not upset with
him being late. We were just excited to go and see what Similan offers.
The travel
to Phangnga Pier was about 1 and a half
hour. We were ushered to a waiting area where other tourists were also itching
to see the islands. Our tour guide provided an orientation on what will be the
course of the trip. There were complimentary tea and toast for everyone. They
even gave out anti-vertigo medication for those who are the dizzying types.
After the
orientation, off we went to the pier. We were asked to leave our foot wear in
their basket.
Riding the speedboat. From the pier,we went to Koh Payu Island (Island
No. 7). It took about an hour ride to the island.
This island is where we had swimming and snorkelling. It was my first
time to snorkel but I was not afraid because I have a life jacket on J The
weather was very sunny at that time. The waters were crystal clear and so you
can easily see the corals. The coral reefs are about 5,000 years old and is said to be the oldest in Thailand.
Next stop
was the Koh Miang Island (Island no. 4). This is where tourists can really
enjoy the beach.
We had a great time eating the delicious buffet lunch prepared for our tour.
Postcard scene
Paradise :)
We also explored Koh Ba Ngu ( Island no. 9) and Koh Similan (Island no. 8). Koh
Similan is the largest island. The right side of the bay of the island has a
towering rock formation.
We climbed
to the Sailing Rock Viewpoint
This is what I saw.
Zoomed in my phone's camera for this
Today, the Mu Koh Similan National Park is a candidate for the United
Nations World Heritage Site.
We went back to Phang nga Pier at around 5pm and was dropped back to where we were picked up. It was a long travel going there and back. Despite of this, we were happy to see nature's beauty through the azure waters of the Andaman Sea and of Similan Islands.
