#58: Beach Tour

14th March 2020

Since we have the scooter until 10am, we will take a short detour to Yao Beach this morning. Afterwards, we will see what the day brings.

The way to Yao Beach is quite adventurous: first, we go through the small village here, then we leave the concrete road and end up in the middle of the jungle on a forest path. We follow the forest path for another 2-3 km and finally reach the beach. The beach is a mixture of shells and golden sand and is immediately adjacent to the jungle. It looks absolutely beautiful here, and to top it off, we are all alone. At the beach, there is a small improvised beach bar as well as some swings, a hammock, and a few kayaks. Since we only have a little over an hour due to the scooter, we take a walk along the beach. At the moment, it is low tide, so the beach is very wide and the water is pulled far back. At the end of the beach, we have a magnificent view over a bay and a large rock that extends into the sea. On the way back, we take a break on the swings and the hammock. Time stands still here! There is no sign of everyday stress or even a virus epidemic.

On the way back, we decide to keep the scooter for one more day, which is no problem after consulting with Poom. In addition, we have decided to extend our stay on Koh Yao Noi once again. We will now stay here for 4+3+2 nights and even get a 10% family and friends discount. We now each pay about €6.10 per night! We also move to the back bungalow, as it is in the shade and therefore cooler.

Next, we want to go to Big Tree, where we expect to see a big tree. However, the drive there proves to be very difficult, as, surprisingly, it is located in the forest. Since it rained yesterday, the deep holes in the forest path are still filled with water, making it impossible, or at least unnecessarily risky, to drive with the scooter. We already meet other tourists who didn't make it along the way. However, since there is hardly any traffic here, we take the opportunity and Vanessa drives a few meters with the scooter on a paved road. A natural talent!

On the way back, we drive to the village. We meet a small family from South Africa during lunch and have a chat with them. They are staying on Yao Noi for a month and plan to emigrate to Germany afterwards. After the chat, we go for a walk and then return to the bungalow. On the way, we take the detour along the coastal road again and enjoy the view.

After a break, we go to the Long Beach, which is located a little south of Yao Beach. Here, the sand is finer, the beach is even wider, and there are even fewer people around. Another beach like paradise, even though we missed high tide again and are here during low tide. Nevertheless, it is possible to jump into the sea and enjoy the warm water for a short while.

However, first we take a walk. Here, Martin takes the chance and, inattentive as he is, steps on a pear-sized, dead pufferfish. After a short sting, everything is already over and we continue on. Then we settle on the beach. Martin builds an excellent dam and Vanessa spends most of the time napping and swinging.

In the evening, we go to Poom for dinner and then back to bed.