The dawn of misadventure: Koh mook

it has been a while for reasons that will soon become apparent, so the details are getting a bit hazy, but I will do my best to recall. We woke up really early and said poor tender goodbyes to our new friend wan. The journey to the ferry was in the back of a truck and when we eventually got there they told us that the ferry was broken so we would have to take a long boat instead. They were obviously lying to us, but hey, what were we going to do? We boarded the vessel along with a rather full boatload of people, most of which were going on a snorkeling trip. Seating was tight and I eventually retreated to the rear of the boat to sit on our bags were I was offered a hammock instead. Which was a freaking fantastic way to travel, especially after the early morning. While everyone else moaned and grumbled about how we had been gyped I swung gently at the back of the boat with my hands behind my head and a smile on my face. There were considerable delays as we picked up even more passengers but eventually we arrived at our first destination, which was a snorkeling spot for the tour people. We were told that we could join in so, determined to make the best out of the situation, I changed into my togs and grabbed a snorkel. The water was crystal clear and the fish were plentiful. Just what we needed in the middle of a hot day. Next we dropped a lady off at an island that had stunningly clear Waters and a beautiful beach. Melissa and I considered jumping ship and finding accommodation there but unfortunately stayed our course. Next up was the emerald cave which is stunning. After negotiating a jelly fish just by the boat we swam through a cave into pitch black while the surging tide created all kinds of crazy noses. Once out the other side were were rewarded with an isolated beach with sheer cliffs surrounding it. There also seemed to be a dis proportionally large amount off butterflies in the area. Presumably because they were unable to escape.

Once back on the boat it was finally time for us to be dropped of at our destination. We motored around to the main bay and were dropped on the beach. The tide was out and as we traped along hundreds of crabs scurried out of our way faster then I have ever seen crabs move before. After walking along a deserted beach we finally came to the accommodation that we had found online. Their fees were very high so we walked and then taxied, all across the island to find a better deal. We did not find one that included the much needed wifi, so returned back with our tails between or legs. The local workers did not speak very good English and every time we asked a question with any kind of detail they all chimed "bot bot!" and handed us a dialing cell phone we eventually decifered it to mean "boss boss" and asked our questions to a man with very good English on the other end. The owner turned out to be a bit of a movie buff and a bit of a geek. Luckily I am quite fluent in geek so we got along just fine. He had an extensive collection of pirated movies and insisted that we take a selection with us to or rooms to watch for the night. Melissa was suffering from some acute neck pains and was taxied into the village to be massaged back to health by one of the old ladies there. We spent most of our days at Koh mook wandering along the beach with a poking sick in hand checking out the local sea shore wildlife. Amongst them being both the smallest and the fastest crabs that I have ever seen, and the only four legged star fish that I can remember coming across. We came across some rouge Thai kids playing on the beach and after practicing their English by saying hello to us they smashed a glass bottle in or direction as we walked away. I am not sure whether they were trying to show off or intimidate us. A far more endearing sight was a young boy sitting on a beached long tail boat making motor noises worth his mouth and pretending to steer the ship. I can't remember the last time I saw kids play like that back in new Zealand.

After two nights at a far to expensive guest house we decided it was time to move on. We were determined to find crystal clear Waters like those we had witnessed on or way to Koh mook and had read that Koh kradan was one of the nicest in the region. We also read many accounts of this mystical sounding expat named wally who had setup a resort in the middle of the jungle on Koh kradan. All accounts of the man were unfailingly positive, and I just had to meet him. Even the locals on Koh mook when we said we were going to kradan would reply "you are going to see Wally?". The only way to effectively communicate with Wally was by text message and after trying for the better part of a day we managed to get a message through that we were on our way. We jumped on the nearest long boat and we were on our way.

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