Koh Ngai Island

13-19 January 2011

“And now you put on the life jackets and I will take you into the cave,” our Thai guide said as we prepared to jump off our longtail boat. What? Once again, we have proof that some (a lot) of the time we have no idea what is going on. We took an all-day snorkeling trip to islands near Koh Ngai, a gem of an island in the turquoise Andaman Sea off the southwestern coast of Thailand, and our home for the week. We snorkeled in a few spots, one being actively destroyed by tourists and tour companies and the other pristine and un-crowded.

Our doubts about the cave subside as we realize it is a pretty touristy affair (plenty of equally confused farangs here) and the currents don’t seem too strong. So, with a shrug of our shoulders we jumped in the water and followed our guide toward the mouth of the cave. Being a cave, it got darker and darker as we swam in (our guide had a very weak flashlight). The creepy black water was warm and as our voices echoed off the cave’s wall the smell of bat guano permeated the air. Within moments of reaching the point that can only be described as pitch black, we saw the light at the end of the (tunnel) cave. Swimming towards the light and wondering if lunch will be served, we emerged, blinking, onto a sandy beach. As our eyes adjusted to the bright tropical sun we realized that limestone cliffs, over a hundred feet high, towered over the small sandy beach. The walls of Emerald Cave, is carpeted with green tropical vegetation and is quite literally a hole in the middle of an island. Its beauty was marred by, well, the fifty or so other tourists in there with us. Ahhh, Thailand….so touristy.

Koh Ngai was picture perfect, with clear, turquoise water and a long, white sandy beach. We took daily walks up and down the beach splashing in the warm water and soaking up the tranquility that can only be found on near deserted tropical beaches. We hiked through the dense jungle to a beach with only one rustic guesthouse for lunch and sipped on fresh coconuts while taking quick dips in the seductive water. And like our other island exploits, we swam, snorkeled, read, ate deliciously spicy thai food, and did little else. We love tropical islands!!!