Trip to Coral Island: Breaking our routine of morning walks on the beach, we instead boarded a transport van for a very crowded and very uncomfortable trip across Phuket Island to Chalong Bay. Once there, we peeled ourselves out of the van, checked in, grabbed a life vest, and boarded the speedboat for the half hour trip to Coral Island. Also known as Hey Island, Coral Island is a small island located off the southern coast of Phuket and sports a sandy white beach and crystal clear waters. The seas were a bit rough and the speedboat bounced around for the duration of the trip, Peep being the only one on board even attempting to get some sleep as we slammed into wave after wave. Once on the island, the group separated according to activity. While most opted to spend the day playing on the beach, Peep and I were a bit more adventurous and chose to go scuba diving.
Scuba Diving: After stashing our beach gear in a locker, we headed over to the scuba diving hut and met our instructor. Unlike in the U.S., we were not required to be scuba certified to dive, so we sat through a short orientation after attesting that we did not have any of the listed medical conditions that would preclude us from diving. Once we were all geared up, we walked the short distance across the beach and into the water, where our scuba dive began.
The Dive: The instructor started with me and I acclimated myself with the process quite quickly. Then he turned his attention to Peep. While I stayed below and observed the fish that had gathered around, Peep struggled to get comfortable using the breathing apparatus. A short while later a second instructor joined our group and became my dive partner, allowing me to explore more of the ocean floor while Peep remained closer to shore. Despite her difficulties, Peep was able to spend enough time underwater to marvel at the fish swarming around her, eagerly seeking out the handfuls of bread given to her by her instructor. The dive ended all too quickly for me, and we had to return our gear before spending the remainder of the morning swimming in the ocean. Lunch was included with our package, so a little before noon we headed over to the Hey Island Restaurant for a Thai buffet.
Afternoon Sun: While on Coral Island, we saw none of the clouds and rain we were getting in Patong. Therefore, we basked in the sun as we strolled up and down the beach following our lunch. At one end of the beach was a resort where vacationers could spend the night just steps from the sand and surf. The other end of the beach transformed into a rocky coastline, where we saw several fishermen angling for the big catch. The beach itself appeared to be divided between the resort and several tour companies, each offering their own activities. After taking several pictures along the rocky coast, we headed back to our part of the beach, where we spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing in lounge chairs under the shade of some coconut trees, watching the seemingly endless line of parasailers come and go, taking off and landing mostly on the beach, but sometimes in the water. Parasailing, along with snorkeling, seemed to be the most popular activity on the beach, although many people just liked to swim while wearing their life vests from the boat ride.
Heading Back: After a much calmer speedboat trip back to Phuket island, we boarded a different van for a much more comfortable trip back to our hotel. Our time in Phuket now coming to an end, we prepared for our trip back to Savannakhet the remainder of the evening. While waiting in the airport the next morning for our flight to start boarding, we again ran into John's friends from Idaho, who were on their way to Singapore for a couple of days. The flights taking us back to Laos were smooth and uneventful. After landing, it was a short stop at Peep's work before arriving back at our house, ending our extended time away.