Our game plan for today is a day trip via boat out to the Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine Reserve which means group of islands of the golden bowl – historically the surrounding waters have provided an abundance of fish and other resources, thus the golden bowl, but since about 1980 the entire area has become a protected reserve area and there is no commercial development allowed and no fishing or harvesting of any resources within the reserve.
The reserve covers about 25,000 acres (100 square km) and consists of 42 separate islands in the Gulf of Thailand. The islands vary in size from about 20 acres to over 5000 acres for a few of the larger ones, and there are no permanent residents on any of the islands aside from about 20-30 park rangers who monitor for poachers and illegal fishing, etc. There are no hotels on the island but the parks department has 5 small cabins that tourists can rent by the night at the park headquarters and there is a limited amount of camping in tents allowed as well, but the amenities are fairly limited – there is no power after 9pm and only a small restaurant that closes at 8pm – so that helps to keep the area in a relatively natural state.
We are booked onto a group tour on a large boat that holds around 60 people and the trip from Koh Samui takes about 90 minutes before we get to our first stop. Our early start means that the morning haze has not yet burned off so we are able to stake out some space on the upper deck of the boat and take in the fresh breeze without being beaten down by the hot sun. Quite a pleasant way to start the day.
Our first stop is at Koh Mae Ko where we will do some kayaking along the coast. Erica and I get stuck with rowing duty and Mrs. Columbus appears to have turned herself into Miss Daisy for a leisurely trip along the shoreline! Erica and I quickly master the paddling though and chuckle a bit at some of the less co-ordinated boats/crews around us 🙂 The kayaking lasts about 30-40 minutes and we pass by a few isolated beaches and some stunning rock formations. The tide is out so there are places where we can actually go under the rocks where the sea has eroded away the limestone base of the cliffs above creating sort of a tunnel effect and just before our last stop there is a small cave that we can row part way into that is only accesible when the tide is out.
In the center of the island is a large lake that is actually connected to the sea via a small underwater tunnel that connects back to the cave we went in, so the lake is actually filled with salt water and was eroded out of the center of the island by centuries of mother nature at her finest. When we get out of our kayaks at the last beach we are able to hike up over the ridge that surrounds the lake for some spectacular views and then down inside towards the lagoon. After a few minutes of exploring the scenery it is back to the beach and out to the large boat we came in on to move through the park to our next destination.
During the travel from the first stop to the next, lunch is served aboard the boat and we have a nice meal of massaman curry, rice, vegetables, and fresh fruit while watching the scenery roll by.
The second stop on our day trip is at Koh Wua Talap, another of the larger islands in the group, and where the park headquarters is located. The boat is going to stop here for a couple of hours and we are given a number of choices on how to spend the time. We can swim at the beach, do more kayaking, just relax either on the island or the boat, or there are a couple of hikes we can do on the island. There is a cave on this island that contains stalagmites and stalactites that seems interesting, but the one that catches our interest is the hike up to one of the limestone peaks that offers a rewarding view of most of the marine park.
The trail is about 500m long which does not seem all that far, but the vertical rise is about 240m, and the trail is rated as ‘difficult’ so not your sunday stroll around Cottage Lake. Mrs. Columbus and I have done a few of these hikes in SE Asia before so we decide to give it a go. I am clearly not getting any younger because my desire to do a rock scramble like the young people is just not there, and the 15lb or so that is my bag full of camera gear and such starts to feel like about 150lb as the climb goes on, but we are determined to carry on, and as we start to run into more people that only went part way and turned back, the desire to finish increases.
There are a few viewpoints along the way that each offer their own impressive view of the bay below and the island clusters, and also a much need point to stop for a breather and hopefully some shade from the hot sun. At about 2/3 of the way to the top a couple of the guides from the boat come scrambling along barely breaking a sweat and one of them is even in bare feet! I am sweating enough that I look like I have just stepped out of the shower and I think to myself that perhaps it would feel better if I was to swing my what now feels like 1500lb bag at one of them! Before I reach the top, the guides have reached the summit, collected a bunch of empty water bottles that have been left behind by tourists and are making their way back down – so now barefoot, and hands full they are still making it look like a walk in the park – I guess that is the benefit of doing this every day vs once a year. It is nice however to see that they really care about keeping the park pristine and natural – it is sad to see that many of the tourists think of places like this as just a spot to have a look around and dump their garbage for someone else to worry about.
We finally reach the top viewpoint and the reward justifies the effort. The views from here are breathtaking and the pictures will only do it limited justice. There is a ‘bonus’ viewpoint another 10m away up a fairly vertical rock climb, and Erica and Mrs. Columbus take the plunge and go all the way to the very top, but I am satisfied to stay at the last ‘official’ point and capture some photos and video, so kudos to both of them.
Often with these climbs the going down can be tricker than the going up. While not as physically demanding, the downhill momentum coupled with sometimes slippery rocks, and finding the right footholds means you need to pay attention. Given the rough terrain I am certain there have been many twisted ankles, cuts and other bruises by people making the descent, and as I am making my way down I wonder how exactly they get people out of here if they get hurt. There is no sort of helicopter rescue team or anything out here, so I can only imagine that some agile Thai people would have to carry you out. Thankfully that is not any of us and I make it down to the bottom with enough time for a quick, refreshing dip in the ocean to cool off before it is time to get back on the boat.
It is the end of the day for us now and all that is left is the 90 minute return trip to Koh Samui where we started. Erica has gotten herself a fair bit of sun today, and is starting to look more pinkish-red like myself, and of course Mrs. Columbus is looking almost like a Thai local by now.
After getting back for a quick shower to wash away the sea salt, and the layers of sweat we wander off to a small restaurant where the locals go for some dinner and then Mrs. Columbus and I are ready to call it an end to a great day. Erica is not yet done though, and has arranged to meet up with some people she met on the boat for some night club action. Hopefully she will not be too foggy tomorrow for the ferry ride to Koh Tao 😉