Our condo looks directly out onto a couple of small islands about five miles away. The biggest one is Koh Larn, with about a dozen small hotels and B & B's, and several beaches. A steady stream of speed boats and ferries carry tourists back and forth from the mainland. At night I can see the lights on the island whilst lying in bed. But we had never visited the island, and finally made plans to go while Ron and L were visiting. Ron had expressed an interest in doing some snorkeling, and I'd heard snorkeling was available there.
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| Sun setting over Koh Larn |
I mentioned to our driver that we were thinking of going, and he pushed for us to go on Saturday so he could go along and do some fishing. He arranged a ride for us on his friend's speedboat, and picked us up early Saturday morning. We drove to the beach in Jomtien, just south of Pattaya, where we met up with his friends. Ron, L, Tim, Mick and I climbed aboard and the captain headed out to sea. It was quite a windy morning and the waves were a bit rough. The passengers at the back of the boat, myself included, were soaked by the relentless spray coming over the sides. Next time I need to wear my swimsuit! The trip to the island was a short 25 minutes.
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| The dry ones |
The pilot circled around the south end of the island to Naul Beach. I'd looked into the six main beaches beforehand, but failed to discuss with Mick which beach we wanted to visit. Nual beach is a small, isolated beach with many sun loungers and umbrellas available to rent for the day. The place was nearly empty when we arrived, and we selected our chairs. Mick was planning to go back out on the water with a fishing friend, so he and the boat pilot waited on the boat. We went in search of a place to change into our suits, and found a bare-bones, cinder block building that housed restrooms available for ten or twenty baht. I gave the attendant a hundred and waited for the change for a long time. When I finally went to look for her, I found her outside eating with a friend, with no clear intention of returning my money. I got my change. It was a crime that they charged for these facilities; most of the stalls were broken and disgusting. We managed to find a fair one to change in, being careful not to let our clothes touch the floor.
We made a beeline for the water, and enjoyed a swim in the warm, salty sea. The sand here is a bit on the grainy side, with little bits of coral here and there. The sun was high in the sky by now, so we tried to limit our sun exposure. Back at the chairs, we played some Chinese checkers and backgammon. I attempted to make a stingray sculpture in the sand, but alas, a big wave thwarted my efforts.
Attendants stood at the ready to take orders for food and drink, and we ordered some Thai food for lunch. The food wasn't bad, and was reasonably priced. We had our fill, lounged about a bit, and went for a walk. Walking from one end of the beach to the other didn't take much time. Hillsides framed either side, one with red stone cliffs where we saw some adventurers climbing. Monkeys are said to inhabit these hillsides, but we didn't see any when we were there. Two tourists were reportedly bitten by monkeys here just a few days earlier, but I imagine the monkeys were provoked. At the other end of the beach is a lower hill, and sadly, lots of garbage. In-between are a few sparse shops selling swimwear and snorkeling equipment.
Ron and L walked over to where a couple of people were snorkeling, but the area didn't offer any kind of guided snorkeling to more interesting underwater scenery. I'm afraid snorkeling here was a bust.
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| The intense backgammon rivalry continues.. |
After some time, Mick walked up to where we were sitting. He said he was still waiting for the fishing guy, and realized he had left his phone in the car, so he had no way to call him. At that point, he assumed the guy wasn't coming because the water was too rough for fishing. So we took one last dip in the water, then packed up our stuff and got back on the boat for the salty, wet cruise back to Jomtien. This time I wore my swimsuit and was prepared for the ensuing shower! I enjoyed getting out on the water, but I'm afraid the island was a bit of a disappointment. Perhaps we can give Koh Larn another chance by visiting a different beach next time.
Finished the day with a delicious dinner at Bite Me Bistro, a new restaurant in town with a questionable name but an excellent chef! (We have taken to calling it Bi-Tay-May instead).
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| Yummy grilled pineapple |
Monday morning we were all up early. Ron, L and I left with Tim and Mick, and they dropped us at the Two Lions Pub for the Superbowl breakfast. The place was full of Americans - I'd never seen so many in one place here. Usually English-speaking events are full of Brits and Australians. Interesting to watch the Superbowl abroad - when the million-dollar commercials were airing in the US, we just saw a still of the stadium for two minutes. Even without the ads, it was fun to watch Peyton Manning collect another ring.
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| "Muricans" |
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| Commercial time |
***Happy Birthday, Michael!***
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