More islands: Ko Phangnan and Ko Samui

(4/20)
Kevin and I had planned to stay on Ko Phangnan for no more than 2 days.  We assumed since the island was so small we'd start to get island fever immediately.  The day after the party we decided to visit Ollie and Tylie on Ko Samui.  Ko Samui is a much larger island and is a popular tourist destination.  The plan was to do a whirlwind tour of Ko Samui and then make it back on the 20th to hop on a speedboat tour of Ko Tao that one of Becky's friends arranged.  We invited Becky to tag along and the three of us jumped on the ferry to Ko Samui.  The ferry from Ko Phangnan to Ko Samui took roughly and hour and the three of us enjoyed every minute of shade aboard the ferry.  While Ko Phangnan is smaller and less developed, Ko Samui is much larger and more developed.  Despite the influx of FMP tourists, Ko Phangnan retains a sleepy, laid-back vibe - except in Haad Rin.  Ko Samui feels more like Bangkok on an island.  According to the locals I spoke with, 15 years ago Ko Samui resembled Ko Phangnan. However, as more and more tourists, and their dollars, flocked to Ko Samui the island experienced a period of rapid development.

Kevin and I on the ferry to Ko Samui

After disembarking the ferry at the Ko Samui pier, we set out to find motor bikes.  We rented motor bikes and began our journey to Lamai, the town where Ollie and Tylie were staying.  The drive was beautiful but scary.  The road was filled with elevation changes and, unlike the non-aggressive drivers on Ko Phangnan, the drivers in Ko Samui would pass within inches of you.  The drive from the pier, located on the northern tip of the island to the south-eastern beach town of Lamai left the three of us nerve-wracked, cranky and hungry.  When we finally arrived we dropped our bags off and headed to the outdoor market to grab some grub.  Unfortunately, the outdoor market, which Ollie and Tylie praised for its delicious seafood, was closed.  We settled for some of the most mediocre Indian food I had ever eaten.  Honestly, it wasn't bad but mediocre is the only adjective I can use to describe the food.  Hmmm, maybe bland.

After our "food" we headed straight for the beach and strolled along a smooth white sand beach.  Ko Samui's beaches were packed full of old European tourists wearing beach attire that was entirely to small for their fat guts.  Fat people and speedos don't mix.  Enough said.  In addition to the unsightly beachgoers were throngs of Thai locals trying to sell us jet ski rides, parasailing and powerboating excursions.  We made it back to our bungalows and decided to check out Na Muaeng waterfall.

As we exited Lamai town we noticed road signs warning drivers of damaged pavement, a sign parts of the island were still recovering from the heavy rains and flooding earlier in the month.  Na Muaeng waterfall was 25 minute right north of Lamai toward the interior of the island.  We parked our motor bikes and were "greeted", (Mista, Mista, you buy elephant tour to see the waterfall!), by a handful of Thai men all were turquoise shirts with the name Na Muaeng Elephant tours embroidered on the right breast pocket.  According to them the walk to the waterfall was to far thus transportation, conveniently available through their company, must be purchased.  We had no desire to ride elephants OR sit in the back of a 4x4 pickup.  They laughed at us as we began our ascent to the falls.  I decided to make the walk more interesting and ran up the ridiculously steep road to the base of the falls.  Although the run up the steep hill in the sweltering heat felt terrible, the looks of dismay I received from the tourists I passed made the sweat worth it.  The base of the falls were anti-climatic, however, I noticed a narrow, steep trail that ran parallel to the falls.  Team America was game, we all voted yes to check out how far we could go up the mountain.  We climbed for half an hour in the heat and humidity and within the first five minutes we were all sweating bullets.

Becky and I at the bottom of the waterfall.

The view from the top of the waterfall.

The view from the top of the falls was even more stupendous than the waterfall on Ko Phangnan, (pictures on the way).  While Becky was swimming in one of the numerous swimming holes on the mountain, Kevin and I clambered up the slippery rocks to the very top of the falls.  From the top we could see the waterfall started at one point and then split in to two water streams separated by a length of that ran between the two streams.  After enjoying the amazing view of the southern half of the island we began to head back down to Becky who was still swimming farther down the waterfall in one of the swimming holes on the opposite bank.  As we shifted our attention from the view to the treacherous descent I noticed a massive snake on the opposite bank.  The snake was massive, it looked like a python and was approximately 6 meters in length.  It emerged from the foliage lining the rock bank of the far stream and slowly slithered its way down the rock toward the water.  It was then I realized the snake was going to drop in to the water twenty meters above the swimming hole Becky was in.  My heart was pounding as I bolted down the rock.  If the snake took Becky by surprise...who knows what would happen. I glanced to my right and saw the snake plunge in to the water.  Kevin and I began to scream and yell for Becky to "get the @#!$ out of the water, now!".  We ran down the rock face and peered over the edge to the water hole.  There Becky was, sitting in the sun with a perplexed look on her face.  Disaster averted.  After the adrenaline rush subsided I snapped some photos and we returned to our bungalows.  What a crazy day!

A night on Ko Samui with Kevin, Tylie, and Ollie