White sand and clear turquoise waters…
We arrived in Koh Mook (or Ko Muk; or Koh Mouk) by speedboat. We then took a tuk-tuk to get to the hotel. On the way, I was really shocked and appalled by the amount of plastic and junk that lined the road. Having helped the organisation Trash Hero a few days early, I think that if they started a cleaning program in Ko Mook (my preferred spelling, so I’m going to stick with this one 😆) it would be extremely useful.
Anyway, we got to the hotel and we even got a welcome drink, which was nice and refreshing as it is always so hot on the island. As soon as we settled in the room, we set off to discover the nearest beach (there are only 2 beaches in Ko Mook!)
If you have read Raphael’s blog, (and if you haven’t go read it now) you will know that in Ko Lanta, there were a lot of tiny jellyfish in the sea so swimming in it wasn’t that nice. Upon arriving in Ko Mook, we really hoped there weren’t going to be any jellyfish because Mum had booked us a hotel without a pool but most importantly, with no air conditioning! So we were thinking, if we can’t really swim in the sea for too long, then we are going to be very hot during 4 days!…
So, do you think there were jellyfish or not? Drumroll please………………
NO!
We really made the most of our stay!! The water was soooooo clear and I loved our stay there because even if it was incredibly hot, the beach was great to relax on and the scenery amazing but the best bit was the tour where we went snorkelling and the visit to the Emerald Cave.
What was great about this tour was that we were alone on the boat and the guide took us to the places when the other big tours were at other places. The boat was a long-boat (the Thai traditional boats) and they have a lot of seating space and the colourful ribbons are tied to the prow.
First, we went to a snorkelling spot and it was amazing! It was as if I was swimming in a huge aquarium! The water was the clearest turquoise I had ever seen and the variety of fish was so diverse and colourful that I was amazed at each turn of my head.
It’s hard for me to describe how I felt when I write but that’s about it. I even think it was my favourite snorkelling spot ever!! If you remember, we also went snorkeling in the Galapagos. I think the Galapagos was better for seeing bigger animals, such as turtles and sharks but Thailand was better for seeing all types of fish! 🐠 (<- we actually saw that fish!!) But most importantly, the water was a lot warmer here than in the Galapagos!
The next stop was Paradise Beach. Now you’re probably thinking “oh just another beach that claims it’s paradise but it’s actually not all that amazing…” but hold on. It was, we all agree, a very "paradise-y" beach. The sand was white, the water was turquoise and light blue, you had a nice view on the other islands of Thailand.
And we spent an hour taking pictures! After our ‘photoshoot’ the boat driver/guide took us to the last stop, the Emerald Cave.
To get to the Emerald Cave, you can either go by kayak or swimming. We went swimming and the guide came with us. We also wore life jackets so that we didn’t tire ourselves out too much. When we got there after about 5 minutes of swimming, I was so surprised by the appearance of the cave. The opening is like a hole in a rock, as in the walls got all around you. The walls are lined with vines and the water as clear as before. When we got there, a tour group was there as well but when they left, we were all alone and could make the most of calmness and stillness of the cave. I found it simply magical.
I definitely recommend Thailand's islands, but most especially Ko Mook, as it gives you a more authentic experience of the islands! 🇹🇭🌴☀️
Eléonore
