We spent 3 days and 2 nights on an island safari. We set out for Mu Ko Lao Bile, or the Hong Islands, just before lunch. The Hong Islands are a group of about 13 islands in the sound between the mainland and Phuket. We first stopped at a small deserted beach on the coast and our boat drivers made us lunch. Everything was great so far…. then the storm came. And our boat was driving directly into it! It started raining and the waves got bigger. By the time we got to the island we were going to camp on, we were all drenched, but our cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much. It was like a rollar coaster ride!
The island we camped on was called Ko Lao Lading. Living on the island was a group of 8 or 9 sea gypsies. These men are not citizens of any country. They do not have a nationality, so they do not have a passport from any country, therefore the only places they can legally be are international waters. But with a little monetary influence, the Thai government allows them to live on Ko Lao Lading for about 7 months of the year. While living there, they do some rock climbing to collect birds nests. Why? Apparently bird nest soup is a delicacy in China. Since these are the correct type of bird nests, they are worth bid money - $1000 US per pound! And they can collect 10-15 pounds per day! But they choose to live on this island, in huts or caves, and they run a small reggae bar on the island. Cool guys. Talented soccer players too.
The rain stopped shortly after we arrived on our island. We camped in tents next to the beach. We read snorkled, swam, read, and played. We did take a day trip off our island to visit some of the other Hong islands. We went to Ko Lao Bile, which was part of Thanbokekhoranee Marine Park. Here we had lunch and snorkled. Then we went to Ko Lao Bu Lo and Ko Phak Bia. Two islands side by side (you could swim across). We had fun exploring. I crawled around on some beautiful red and yellow swirled rocks. It sprinkled on and off during the day, but we were playing in the water anyway so we didn’t mind.
After one last night camping, we had to leave our beautiful island. We were sad to go, but ready for the next adventure. Of course, we knew the next adventure also involved lounging on the beach!