My roommate has just finished taking an exam for her future endeavor and thought she needed time to get away and relax. She wanted to go to a place we have never been before. Taking advantage of her enthusiasm to see a new place, we decided to have a one day island tour to Racha and Coral Islands.
We searched online for a good deal for these islands day trip. The cheapest one we have seen was worth 1,200THB. A friend of ours suggested a travel company that they usually go to (#suki). The deal was 1,000THB. Perfect for the budget!
It was a Thursday when we had the trip. The sky was somehow cloudy but we fervently prayed it would be sunny in the islands. Again, we asked to be picked up at the hotel near our staff house. The pick up was supposed to be at 8am but the driver came at 9am.
We were dropped off at the travel company's office near Chalong Pier. We had to show our booking voucher to the staff and they provided us with the identification bands.Tour companies use these bands to know the grouping of their clients. Some companies use stickers.
While waiting and because I did not have breakfast, I ate some biscuits in the waiting area. They also have coffee and water ready. For people who know that they are sea sick, they have anti-dizzying medication ready.
A few minutes later we were asked to get a life jacket and walk to the pier.
Chris was our tour guide for the day. He spoke English very well. He called out our names to check our arm bands and let us into the speed boat. While stepping into the speed boat, we were asked to look at a photographer's camera. (They usually print these photos and display them once you are back to the pier in the afternoon. Nice souvenir but I do not feel like buying one.) The speed boat was fairly big. We were about 30-35 people. A lot of Chinese tourists were on board with us.
The trip to Racha or Raya Island was about 30 minutes. It is said to be one of the peaceful islands in Phuket. There were not much people yet as it was around 10am that we arrived. The waters surrounding the island are crystal clear and turquoise in color.
I have read online that less boats and therefore less tourists visit this place. Jet skis or para sailing were banned. Beach chairs can be rented from the hotel in the island but it is fun to just sit down in the fine white sand and soak up the sun.
Next in our itinerary was snorkeling. We boarded up the speed boat again and was transferred to the back part of the island. Putting on our snorkeling gears, we set out to see the fishes underwater. This is the second time I have snorkeled all my life and I can say, I enjoyed it better this time.
While the other tourists were still snorkeling, we grabbed the chance to see the view and take photos from the front part of the speedboat.
After the activity, we were whisked to Coral Island. This island is only three kilometers from the pier where we started. It has been called Coral Island due to its impressive coral reef when one goes diving.
The island was busy with a lot of tourists coming in and out. We had lunch at Koh Hey Restaurant. Koh Hae or Hey is the island's local name.
There were a lot of sun lounger chairs that dotted the shore. I believe they were all for free. Here's the view from where I ate.
Beach activities of varying types were available. I regret I was not able to bring money to do some.
Options were banana boat, diving, parasailing, sea walking and scuba diving.
We just sat on the beach chairs and relaxed ourselves.
At around 4pm we were asked to board the speed boat back and were then dropped off to our house.
It was an awesome day. I will definitely come back soon and try parasailing :)
