and here we are...

After an overnight in Trat, we took a songthaew taxi to the pier to catch the Boonsiri Ferry to the very chilled island of Koh Kood also known as Koh Kut, in the Gulf of Thailand. The ferry ticket includes transportation to your hotel which is good because the beach we chose, Ao Phrao Beach is the most southern beach on the island but it's also supposed to be the most beautiful. We've been excelling at extreme laziness here and have not ventured off this beach, so I can neither confirm nor deny this.

Beach life is the best! This beach in particular is almost perfect. Fine, soft sand, in appearance and touch. Calm, crystal-clear, blue-like waters with the gentlest of waves courtesy of a constant and welcome breeze that almost makes one forget the low to mid 30s' temperature. Apart from the usual coconut and almond trees one often sees beachside, there are also many coastal sheoak trees (Casuarina equisetifolia). They look like pine trees and even have needles and cones! https://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Casu…

Jellyfish are also in the hood (see attached pic of a poor swimmer being swarmed by said j-fish). Apparently they make the occasional appearance in the Gulf of Thailand - https://iamkohchang.com/blog/box-jellyfish-in-t… - but not, thankfully, in April as it's too hot, especially this year. We swam freely and without incidence...phew because I've been stung by a jellyfish, not a box jellyfish thankfully, but it still hurt like fuck! It happened in Sayulita, Mexico a few years ago and I thought I was having a heart attack until I saw all the red welts across my chest.

More pics in the next post along with the less than perfect side of beaches in Thailand.Read more