Ko Surin: Go for the Snorkeling; Stay for the... Snorkeling...

So, Thailand is pretty neat!

We just got back to civilization... sort of... after spending a few days on the Surin Islands near the Thai/Burmese border. We thought a lot of people went to these islands, but as we found out in Krabitown, no one had any idea (especially the Thais) where the Surins even were.

Why the Surins? Well, I wanted a beach, but there had to be more than that to keep Patrick happy (he sunburns easily, the little ginger kid...). We found out that the Surins were reputedly one of the top ten areas in the world to dive, and often in March and April you can see whalesharks. Well that information was more than enough for Pat to concede to going to the beach again. Plus we would have to sleep in a tent, and Pat likes camping. I tolerate it, but I love the beach. See where I'm going here? We're both making sacrifices.

So, after much speculation as to how to get there from Krabitown (since nobody seemed to know) we decided we would just go to the bus station and try our luck. Sure enough, the very first bus that we saw was going to Khuraburi, a small town which is also home to the National Park headquarters (because the Surins are also a National Marine Park). The only boat left at 9AM, so we spent the night in Khuraburi and relaxed. As soon as we got off the bus, a woman had approached us and asked if we would like to stay at her guesthouse. She also arranged absolutely everything else for us: boat tickets, a tent, snorkels and masks and fins, and transportation to the boat. She was really nice. She also had a nice cat and a cute little daughter. And her bungalows were nice, too.

Anyway, we got up bright and early the next day to catch our boat. There are two kinds of boats you can take- the fast one and the slow one. We were supposed to go on the slow one, but this past week was the Thai Lunar New Year and every family in Thailand ALSO decided to go to the Surins (which simply told us that we made the right decision- it must be a sweet place if every Thai and their dog was going there for vacation), so the slow boat had already filled. Don't worry, though! We got on the fast boat, at no extra charge.

I think everyone on this island has a share in the profits from tourism, so if you buy a boat ticket, it doesn't matter what tour company you go with- if one tour is full they just put you on the next one. Everything here is a cooperative. I would really find this out later.

When we arrived my jaw dropped. It was beyond gorgeous. It was the best place we had been to yet. I didn't care about having to sleep in a tent- I felt so special to be on this amazing island with an extremely small number of other foreigners. You won't get this at Ko Phi Phi, where, according to Lonely Planet (I hate that I have to keep quoting them!) you'll "be sharing the beach with every speedo known to man" or something like that. There were plenty of Thais there on vacation, but there is still a limited amount of accommodation so even if the place is full you're still only one of about three hundred souls spread out over a large area. The beach rarely had more than ten people on it at one time.

And let's talk about the water! So blue and crystal clear it brought tears to my eyes. Perfect for snorkeling, which is what I planned on doing while Pat went diving.

Unfortunately (or is it forturnate?), diving was not to be. You can only arrange trips from the mainland and, we hear, while the diving is amazing, it's in a dangerous spot and only divers with a minimum of 70 dives can do it (?). Anyways, not to worry, because everyone we spoke to said that you see more snorkeling than you do diving in this area. The snorkeling is spectacular. The water's visibility is, at times, at a maximum depth of 20 metres. That means while you would normally have to dive to see things like sharks and turtles clearly, you can enjoy them just by snorkeling in the Surins.

Um... let's make one thing clear. I love snorkeling, and I'm even getting better about snorkeling in deeper water (I'm a 'fraidy cat), but I do no, repeat DO NOT ever want to see a shark. Ok? No sharks. I want to feel like I'm floating through a magical world, full of colourful, cute fishies and pretty coloured corals (the Surins have an abundance of coral- over twenty different kinds- and it was hardly damaged at all by the tsunami). For me, snorkeling is a soul enriching exercise, like yoga. I don't do it for thrills. So when I heard the word "sharks" I almost didn't get in the water. How silly of me!

The snorkeling was everything I like it to be, only a million trillion times better. At one point, you're snorkeling past massive boulders of "brain coral" with large, colourful Parrotfish pecking at the parasites that call the coral home. The next moment, you're among little seafans and thousands of little fish, every colour of the rainbow are flying around you in a circle. The next moment, you're watching a school of big, black fish chase each other. It was just an amazing experience- and at 80 baht per snorkel trip (about CAN 3.00) it was a cheap one, too! I went on three different trips over two days and each time we went to a different spot around the islands.

On my last trip I was snorkeling solo while Pat was relaxing in the shade of our tent and, while trying to get away from the crowd (the Thai's splash too much and scare all the fish) I almost ran smack dab into a barracuda! I think he was as surprised as I was and quickly changed direction. I changed direction, too, and headed back to the boat. No thanks, don't want to see anything that might bite, poison or sting me! I'm paranoid; I get it.

After my last snorkeling trip we packed up our things and headed off the beach to get the boat back to Khuraburi. As we were about to board the slow boat, I realized that I had accidentally left the bag full of the tent, snorkels and masks that the woman had lent us. Oh no! We frantically tried to find someone to translate for us and finally got our point across to our boat taxi drivers. They didn't have to, but they agreed to take me back to get the bag and return me to the boat as quickly as possible (it was due to sail any minute). We sped back to the beach, I jumped off the side of the boat into the water (Lara Croft style), ran to where the bag was, and ran back to the boat. We raced back to the big boat, but it was too late. They had already left with my boyfriend on board!

Not to worry, friends, because I had given my boat taxi dudes my sincere thanks for taking me back to the beach (plus 160 baht, for their trouble). They were very grateful and took me to the fast boat that was just about to leave, meaning I left after Patrick and arrived in Khuraburi an hour before he did. Take that! I really loved the people on Ko Surin; they were very kind and didn't want my money.

Now we're on Ko Tao, on the other side of Thailand, because poor Patrick didn't get to go diving on the Surins. This place is full of Europeans and everything is overpriced. Today, I hate everything about it except that the island is full of rabies free dogs, and our guesthouse even has a Golden Retriever! And they have a cute baby, too. But still. I'm angry. This place is too expensive. More tomorrow? If I can afford the internet...


We were greeted by clean, clear water and wooden boats upon our arrival...



Our beach at low tide.


Takin' a little walk.


Our accommodation (less than 3 bucks a night!). Very uncomfortable.



However, the view wasn't so bad. That made up for it a little.


I did a lot of this.



And this.



Pat did a lot of sitting in the shade... oh! The totems were made by the indigenous people that still inhabit the island. In English they're known as "Sea Gypsies", but in Thai they're known as the "moken" which comes from a word meaning "salt water". They ran the whole island, and lived in a little community on one of the islands.



A slew of snorkeling boats.


Pat and his beach. At high tide. Notice: he is still sitting in the shade.