Whilst walking around the island on our first day we discovered the many stalls selling day trips for kayaking, snorkelling, rock climbing boat and dive tours out to the smaller islands. We spoke to a few of the tour owners before meeting the friendliest lady organising snorkelling and boat trips. We booked in the following morning for 8.30am, the lady met us at Tabeak on the back of a songthaeuw and we were dropped off at the pier. Neither of our guides spoke English, but they made do with their one english phrase, ('everything ok?') which they applied liberally to a wide range of situations. I think even if we had said we were not ok, they would have just smiled, started the motor, and putted us along to our next destination regardless. But the driver had a wicked grin and looked like a pirate, so we were perfectly happy to play along. The boat sped out into the ocean between many small islands whose massive vertical cliffs were very impressive up close. As our boat squeezed through a narrow crack in the cliffs, a vast lagoon opened up before us, encircled by steep karst cliffs upon which trees and succelents clung to every little crevice, apparently only requiring a small handful of dirt to sink their roots into. The water was shallow and impossibly blue, the trees so green it was almost unreal. I was glad we had insisted on leaving an hour early, as we had it all to ourselves. It was too shallow to swim but we waded around, trying not to disturb the many starfish who dotted the floor of the sandy cove. On route to our next stop, we hugged the edge of the cliffs and our guides slowed to allow us a peek into dark caves in which some very flakey scaffholding staked out a path to the cave roof, where locals would harvest valuable birds nests which are sold to make soup. We pulled into a cove which marked the entrace to the national park. This one we definitely didn't have to ourselves. We payed our 200b entrance fee and joined the groups of Japanese tourists in their fluoro life vests for some snorkelling. At first, we couldn't find many signs of life, but we soon realised why... some groups had been given bread to throw into the water and all around those people swarmed masses of bright yellow fish. A French lady with a big smile gave Chelsea half of her bread rations, explaining to her that she was trying to catch a big one in her hands. About a minute later we heard a small yelp and found her clutching her now bleeding finger. With a laugh, in a heavy French accent she said "I guess I was asking for it". I don't think she tried to catch any after that. The water was full of invisible stingers 'sea mosquitos', who didn't hurt so much as they itched, but they made us a little on edge. I had some niggling concern that by the end of the day they would flare up and have us bathing in vinegar... Or peeing on our wounds. But, it turned out it was ok and after a few freak outs and swift returns to shallow water, our confidence grew and we ventured further from the shore to a group of rocks which harboured rainbow coloured fish whose scales seemed to pulse through the spectrum as they moved between the dappled light. A heavy downpour began and the other boats quickly disappeared to leave just us and the French group in the bay. We swam a little longer and headed off to our next stop. Lunch was next, and we pulled into a small island bay with a dozen other long tails, and a few fancier speed boats who were docked in parking bags along the narrow shoreline. It was quite a strange scence, though we have probably just been spoiled by the solitude of Ko Yao Noi. Tourists milled about on the beach clutching Chang beers, while the locals sat at little stalls. It seemed that many of them lived out there or at least spent a lot of time there, as there were a handful of tiny improvised shelters built into the overhanging rock. We followed another couple along an overgrown path through the jungle to a small rocky beach. Not as pretty as the other, but a lot quieter. We snorkelled for a while until Chelsea realised the blue poly pipe running into the bay was most likely the outlet for the sewerage from the toilets. We left the water. Back at the main beach, we ate fruit and struck up a conversation with the closest person. It only took a minute to work out that not only was he from Melbourne, but he was one of only two other people staying with us at Tabeak Viewpoint. He was a lovely guy who was travelling solo before starting a teaching job in Japan. It seemed he was sick of solo-travelling, because was very keen for a chat :) Final stop on our tour was pak bai, a set of two small islands connected by a tiny spit of sand. Again, we snorkelled, but we were exhausted by this point so we boarded the longtail again and with a final 'everything ok?' from our driver, we headed home. We finished off the day with a meal at Sabai Corner, a great little restaurant just down the road from our bungalows which sits out over the shoreline amongst shady trees. After some very tasty curries, we trundled home under bright stars. Orion and the southern cross were noticeably absent, and I realised how much I've become used to finding them whenever I look up. I might have to learn some new constellations.
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