Thailand – Koh Yao Noi

We decided to explore a little further afield than Railay, Tonsai and Ao Nang on this trip and as Lao Liang was closed for the low season we decided to go to Koh Yao Noi, on Mike’s recommendation. We were going to do some climbing but the weather was against us, so we did some kayaking, motor bike touring and general chilling out instead. Some of these photos were taken by Frank, some by Matt, some by Erin and some by me.

We caught the twice daily ferry over there. This is it from the outside.

This is the inside, with Erin hiding behind the pole.

This is Matt standing at the end of the pier where we arrived.

This is the view looking back out from the pier at a boat used for dive tours. I rather like this photos, it was taken by Erin.

It had been pretty wet just before we arrived (and for a while when we were there :-)). Our taxi driver was a little younger than we were used to and didn’t quite make the muddy drive to the bungalows so we had to all get out and push when he got bogged – Never Mind.

These were the bungalows we stayed in, they were the deluxe ones.

We had a view down towards the basic bungalows which were the classic bamboo walls and “garden” bathroom.

We didn’t do much on the first afternoon, although on reflection we should have done our motor bike tour of the island then instead of later. This is a shot of the guys getting their “how these bikes work” chat from Denny.

I wouldn’t have been keen on bike riding on the mainland but given how few cars there were and how many kids drove cars and bikes it was pretty safe. You can see how busy the roads are from the shot below. Note the lady riding side saddle on the right. We saw as many people as 4 on the one bike, including toddlers sitting on a bamboo stool in front of the driver.

Denny (our guide) has a lot to do with the community and helped to organise the local women’s cooperative who run a restaurant and bakery at the pier. These are some of the bakery products.

This is a photo of the restaurant.

These are a couple of the local boys inside the restaurant. Once they spotted that Erin was taking their photo they grinned and waved.

There is also a deaf and dumb man who works there making batik. It takes him 2 or 3 days to make one and they sell from between 800 and 1000 baht, or about $27 to $33. I would have bought one if I didn’t already have 4 sarongs from previous trips or if I could have found one in the right colours for a gift.