Angthong Marine Park Boat Tour

Today we decided to join a boat tour in the marine park near Koh Samui. It has been an overall enjoyable adventure, though the customer service aspect is a little lacking from what we're used to. It's not that the people aren't nice, it's more that there is a free-for-all approach to it. We really haven't had any bad experiences on our whole trip, including today; however, it is interesting to see the different ways that countries approach their tourism industry and to think about how that mirrors each country's culture at large.

Today's tour included a hike to the emerald lagoon, a sea kayak experience, and some beach side swimming. The intent was to snorkel on the beach, but the waves are much too strong (sandy bottom) to be able to see anything. We've included some pictures from today below. We also had a traditional Thai lunch on the boat and enjoyed getting to know some fellow travelers from Vancouver, France, and the exotic locale of San Diego, California. We haven't met many Americans so it was nice to chat with them. Plus they gave us some tips for our next big part of the trip: the hike to Everest base camp. They just finished theirs up a week ago and loved it!

We are getting our fair share of adventure since we last wrote. The overnight bus was another unique experience (including a midnight dinner on the side of the highway of rice poured out of a tea kettle). Yesterday we rented a motorbike and Nick drove us flawlessly around most of the island. We saw elephants, swam in a waterfall, met an Aussie ex-pat who had some very interesting stories to share, and ended at Rock Bar, a bar and restaurant of tiki platforms literally built around shoreside boulders. It was a great setting to watch the sunset and close out our first day on the island.

Tomorrow we are scheduled for an all-day scuba trip. Fingers crossed the water isn't too choppy for us to go out!Read more