Wanderworld

For our second day of island hopping in Koh Samui, Mabs and I booked a tour to Ang Thong National Marine Park via a slow boat (or whatever they’re called :D). Kayaking was included in our package, which we didn’t know would be one of our ultimate challenges during the day. Haha.

Ang Thong National Marine Park is a beautiful archipelago of 42 islands. The spectacular overlooking view of the islands huddled together is a must-see here and actually one of the reasons tourists flock to the place. The view from above is actually similar to that of Halong Bay in Vietnam, except that the water in Ang Thong is a beautiful turquoise and not emerald, and islands instead of limestone formations stand on the vast body of water.

Since we didn’t take the speed boat, it took us a while to get to our first destination. Then in a flurry, those who availed of kayaking, which included us, were told to prepare because as it turned out, we would be launched out in the middle of the sea on a kayak.

Before we were tossed out of the boat though, we were briefed that it would take us 45 minutes to kayak to our real first destination, which is Mae Koh island, so we would need enough muscle power to actually get there. Mabs and I weren’t really prepared for such a challenge and we were both worried because we were not kayak experts, especially me.

From our big boat, we paddled out to the sea aboard a kayak, and our kayak adventure (or misadventure? haha) began. As it turned out, we had to kayak all the way from beach 1 to beach 4, which was equivalent to 45 minutes. We stopped in the middle of the sea whenever we reached each beach, and our guide dished out a few details about each stopover.

Along the way, we passed by caves, one of which we tried to kayak through, which turned out to be a real challenge. Fortunately, after endless paddling, we finally reached Mae Koh Island, which is home to the famous emerald lagoon.

Emerald Lagoon

It was such a relief when we finally reached the shore of Mae Koh island. However, the adventure didn’t stop there as we had to climb hundreds of steps to get to the viewpoint and see the lagoon. Talk about exhaustion, huh? Haha. Since I left my dress at the big boat, I had no choice but to climb those stairs under the scorching heat of the sun with just my swimsuit on, haha.

Challenge seemed to be the theme of our island hopping that day because getting to the viewpoint required climbing through seemingly vertical stairs (they’re that steep) with narrow wooden steps. When we got to the viewpoint, there were so many people that we couldn’t get a decent look at the lagoon; we had to wait for others to take their picture and leave.

When the place cleared up though, that was when we finally got to see the lagoon. It had vivid emerald waters and was bordered by beautiful limestone rocks.

On the other side of the lagoon you’ll see a gorgeous vista of the Ang Thong National Marine Park, with a few islands handsomely perched on the striking waters.

Koh Wua Talap Island

After the lagoon, our next and last stop was Koh Wua Talap island. According to our guides, various activities can be enjoyed here and it’s up to us which ones we choose. The not-so-adventurous can either just chill out on the beach or go swimming or kayaking. The adventurous ones, on the other hand, can go rock climbing to the viewpoint to enjoy the famous overlooking view of Ang Thong.

Our original plan was to get up to the viewpoint because I really wanted to see Ang Thong from above the island. However, I became a bit hesitant because we were told that there are no stairs to get there; instead we’re supposed to go rock climbing and follow a rope-assisted trail and even do some rappelling in some sections, which I and my ordinary beach flip-flops were obviously not prepared for. The trek would supposedly take an hour; 30 minutes going up and 30 minutes going down.

When we got to the island, we found out that it was impossible to swim or kayak because the waves were very strong. The makeshift bridge to get to the island actually swayed every time there was a strong wave, which made crossing to the shore difficult (and scary).

After a few minutes of just relaxing by the beach, I told Mabs that we should just start climbing to the viewpoint since there wasn’t really anything else we could do there. Besides, I also didn’t want to waste such a rare opportunity to see the famed overlooking view of Ang Thong National Marine Park.

As it turned out, the trail to the viewpoint comprises huge, sharp and slippery rocks; hence the need for trekking shoes/slippers. On the sides are ropes to assist you as you go up; it’s also meant to show you where you’re supposed to go. Though we were only wearing ordinary beach slippers, Mabs and I went ahead because I figured I have gone a similar rocky trail before back in Iloilo, on the way to Bakwitan Cave.

Indeed, getting to the viewpoint is only reserved for thrill-seeking people because it’s actually very exhausting, so make sure you have water with you before you climb. Along the way you’ll pass several viewpoints where you could enjoy the view and rest for a while, which is what Mabs and I did.

As we climbed higher and higher, we met a guide along the way who asked us which tour we belonged in. He then said that we wouldn’t be able to make it to the top since our time was limited and that our slippers are not recommended for the trail further up, which involves rappelling.

Since we were exhausted anyway and we had to make it back to the boat at a certain time, we heeded his advice and just enjoyed the overlooking views from where we were, which was still halfway to the topmost viewpoint. It was the same view we would get if we continued further anyway, only lower. Haha.

On the viewing deck with us was a solo Asian (Thai, I think) tourist who volunteered to have our pictures taken. She actually asked us to do different poses, which was quite amusing, before we all went down to get back to our boat just in time.

*Travel date: March 2015

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