We are back to being a twosome after our family flew back home to Canada, and we fled Phuket to the quieter shores of Khao Lak - about an hour north of northern Phuket. This area was heavily devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and locals and volunteers have worked hard over the years here to restore the community.

The Khao Lak area is very laidback and a bit sleepy, and we loved the vibe! Our place was right in the heart of Bang Niang Beach, but very quiet. Our guesthouse owner was incredibly generous, and insisted on driving us to 2 out of the way beaches so she could share with us where the locals like to go. Khao Lak is a world away from Phuket, which is shocking considering how geographically close they are.

Our big trip here was a brave speed boat ride 60 km off the coast deep into the Andaman Sea (not a small feat for our water weary sea legs) to visit the Surin Islands. We hemmed and hawed for a couple of days about whether or not to go due to the inconsistent weather conditions, before finally giving in on the last day, and we are so thankful we did! It is a stunning area with perhaps the most crystal clear waters we have ever encountered, and we had the opportunity to try snorkelling in 3 different locations. The elusive turtle still evades us, but we did see a school of squid (!), some purple sea urchins, and a few new species of fish. Once at the island we learned that you can in fact camp at this National Park and this seems like an adventure worth returning for. Absolute heaven on earth. And to top it all off - smooth boat journeys in both directions. Thank you, weather gods!