Koh Samui, Thailand

Today's excursion was Island cruise and snorkeling.

We had to use local tenders to reach shore. Next we boarded a van that was clearly intended for a younger demographics that would appreciate mirrored ceilings with neon lights.

The drive to the pier to board our boat was much longer than we had expected. But we had a great group of people in the van so conversation made the time go much faster.

We arrived at our boat, boarded and we were off for our adventure.

After sailing through beautiful water with views of rocky coasts covered with lush vegetation, we arrived at our snotkeling location. As usual, I was one of the first in the water. I was a bit dissappointed with the cloudiness of the water but after taking a minute for me to adjust to the diminished visibility, I saw more fish than I have seen in my life! (May account for cloudiness of the water-if you know what I mean. Thankful that they showered us with fresh water as we reboarded the boat). The coral was not as healthy as the Great Barrier Reef but was spectacular none the less. In addition, there were a lot of giant clams.

After being the last one back on the boat, we weighed anchor.

Our next stop was a beautiful cove. I jumped back in the water and floated. I was missing my floating partners-you know who you are!

All too soon we had to leave the idyllic cove for our next stop.

We pulled into another beautiful cove and had a scrumptious lunch. The Tom Ka soup was to die for!

We had time to cool off in the water before we headed back on our very rough and high speed trip back to the pier (see photo of my ponytail flying straight back as proof of speed).

Next we were back on disco-inspired van for the trip to the marina and tender to boat.

As soon as we got back onboard, we showered, had dinner and retired to our stateroom exhausted from the activity and heat.

Reflection on Thailand-beautiful country with much less trash than Vietnam and Indonesia. Food is fantastic! This is a place I would love to come to stay for a longer time.

Photos to be uploaded when I get a free minute while onboard.Read more