Koh Kood

After a few more days in Luang Prabang we were tired of the heat and smoke so opted to spend our last week in Thailand on the island of Koh Kood. We caught a bus to Vang Vieng to sample the river tubing but the river was slow, polluted and lined with raucous bars playing music way too loud. We took a combination kayak/bus tour from there to the capital Vientiane. The kayaking was more a float but the river was clean and beautiful with large boulders lining the river.

Richard shoots a rapid sans kayak on the way to Vientiane

Vientiane was unmemorable but for an excellent dinner in a French restaurant. We hopped the border on a bus over the Friendship Bridge in to Northeastern Thailand and caught a night train and bus down to Trat where we boarded a speed boat for Koh Kood.


My dreams were cut short by the sound of thunder and rustling in the grass roof over my head. As I came awake I realized the rustling was the sound of giant rain drops pelting the roof. I looked across the azure waters of Bang Bao bay to see the rapidly advancing storm clouds.

Advancing storm clouds in paradise

I jumped out of the hammock and ran up the hill to grab our drying laundry before it got any wetter. It started to rain like it did in the time of Noah. I pulled a deck chair under the eaves of our bamboo bungalow and looked down across the grassy slope to the water of the bay that was now being churned up by raindrops the size of marbles. Water was soon streaming off the roof and I watched as the trees shimmered in their new coat of sparkling water. I settled back into the chair and let my mind roam over our last four days in paradise.

A walk up the rickety pier in Koh Kood

We landed on Koh Kood and soon found a beautiful little bungalow at bargain rates that offered a fan, private bath with cold shower, and a stunning view across the bay. "A" the proprietor also offered us the use of a sea kayak and snorkeling gear.

Richard relaxing on the deck of our bungalow

Our first two days were spent lazing around. We were "traveled out" and needed some time for R&R. It was and idyllic place with hammocks strung under palapa roofs by the shore.

View from the hammock

We managed to rouse ourselves for a swim when it got too hot and food when we got too hungry.

"A" is master of the grill

On our third day, we were rejuvenated enough to paddle a kayak to the next bay. It was a beautiful hot sunny day. The heat of the sun loosened our paddling muscles as the kayak skimmed through fhe glassy water of the bay. We rounded the point to spot a deserted strand where we beached the kayak under a palm tree. I dove in the water to cool off but the water was at least 90 degrees and not too refreshing. I floated for awhile in the womb like warmth and finally dragged myself onto the sand when a cooling breeze came up. Meanwhile, Deb had gone beach combing and soon came up the beach with some new "treasures" she had found. I noticed I was being chewed on by some small black flying insects so we jumped into the kayak for the paddle back.

We got back in time to catch "A" making a seafood lunch for some of the other guests and we were able to convince him to make enough for us. After a few beers and a nap in the heat of the afternoon we grabbed the snorkeling gear and swam along the rocks to the west of our bungalow. There was a surprising number and variety of fish as well as some nice patches of coral.

The next morning we paddled the kayak across the bay to another snorkeling spot that "A" had told us about. There were even more fish and better coral than the day before. We saw some fish I had never seen before including a cuttlefish which has to rank as one of the most bizarre creatures in the sea.

When we returned to the bungalow, "A" told us he wasn't cooking but invited us to go to dinner at a friends. After several cocktails on the deck he told us to wade back across the estuary and he would pick us up to take us to dinner. It was now dark and the tide was in so we took a kayak across the narrow channel of the estuary and walked up a jungle path to find A and his friend with two motos. It was a beautiful tropical night with just a crescent of a moon in the western sky as we raced through the jungle to dinner. A wanted to treat us to a traditional Thai hot pot dinner. The hot pot is a device that consists of a ceramic bowl of charcoal topped by a pot that is a grill in the center surrounded by a moat. Broth is placed in the moat and a cornucopia of vegetables are cooked in the moat. The grill is used for cooking a variety of marinated meat, chicken and seafood. The combination of soup and barbecue was one of our best meals in Thailand.

Deb, Richard and A

After dinner we zipped back through the jungle. Just as I was noticing flashes in the trees, A stopped the moto and told us that the flashes were fireflys. It was a magical moment in the jungle listening to the buzzing of night insects while watching the fireflys flick on and off. We finished our trip through the jungle and got back to our kayak. By this time after several cocktails and beer with dinner neither I nor Deb were any too sober. We had a slight mishap when landing the kayak. As Deb stepped out of the kayak she grabbed at a stacked stone pillar as the boat was pushed away from the shore. She did the splits between the shore and boat and a rock toppled off the pillar and bounced off her head. Fortunately she was not knocked out nor did she fall in the water as I quickly paddled the boat closer to shore. We managed to get ashore without further mishap although Deb had a tremendous lump on her head and a headache to match. We passed out watching a firefly that had followed us home blink on and off on the ceiling of our bungalow.


The next morning we reluctantly left the island by slow boat bound for Bangkok, Korea and home.

If you are going to Thailand and want to stay in a rustic tropical paradise contact us and we will tell you how to find "A" and his nature resort.