Don't know what it is about islands- the feeling of isolation, insulation, freedom, or a combination of all three. Can't seem to stay away from them......and see no reason to either.
From Ranong, we decide to head to another island- Koh Phayam. Koh Phayam is 2 hours boat ride from Ranong. In contrast to the 300 strong on the Koh Tao boat, the Koh Phayam boat has only 25 people on it- and most of them are locals. After a crazy trip through the mangroves, we hit open water and the scenery is breathtaking. The mountains and islands of Myanmar serve a perfect backdrop to our journey, and we chug along just inside Thai waters heading south.
The island looms on the horizon, and the water gradually becomes that magical crystal blue colour. We are greeted at the pier by some motorbike taxis and our host, Num. After a 20 minute ride through the cashew nut groves, we arrive at a deserted sandy beach- the first beach in Asia that resembles an Australian beach (top photo). It is amazing!
Koh Phayam's main industry is cashew nuts- an extremely labour intensive crop which keeps the locals very busy. On one of our exploratory strolls, we find a cool baan chalok (tea house) run by a groovy French expat. A full range of herbal teas, fantastic cakes and cookies, and some fantastic south Indian cuisine. And they have Chai- yipee!
Around sunset every afternoon, a group gathers to play volleyball and watch the sun set. A few sets of volleyball and everyone is sweaty and ready to toast the sunset with a beer. As you can see, the sunset is pretty amazing.
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