WE ARE sailing to some islands off Phuket's east coast when a white beach comes up on the horizon. It is a thin strip of sand, a few scrubby trees and rocks, not much more.
Has someone towed it into position, then pumped it up like a Hello Kitty balloon?
The brilliant ribbon of sand is covered in beach loungers, backed by a few thatched restaurants, yet looks in danger of being washed away at high tide.
This is Koh Kai Nai, one of the most unusual islands off Phuket. We are told it is a favorite among Japanese visitors. It has a surreal look, as if any minute it will possibly sink or start moving.
Our destination is Koh Yao Yai, on two feet and two wheels.
A party of bicycle riders from Kuraburi, in the neighboring province of Phang Nga, is on the ferry, too, having joined us on board at Bang Rong Pier.
The regular service takes more than an hour and passes the big new developments at Cape Yamu and Koh Rat, home to the Jumeirah project. It also passes the secluded Six Senses Hideaway.
All three brands have changed the attitudes of locals towards future developments on the east coast and the eastern islands. But that's another story.
On the island, we celebrate with the locals as they mark the opening of the high season on the two Koh Yaos, Yai and Noi, with a festival.
There are speeches and traditional dancing, with the audience equally engrossed by the performers and the lycra-clad visitors in strange helmets.
Then we head to the Elixir Resort, a local four-star with a good occupancy rate, and to the beach bungalows for lunch.
Yao Yai is larger but less developed than Yao Noi, with rubber as the main industry. The pace of life is certainly sedate.
Yao Yai has yet to welcome a 7-Eleven, unlike Yao Noi, where the first store has become a social gathering point, thanks to the air-conditioning.
We trip across the island in a local bus (seung tao) that must have been in service for 100 years, judging by the way the driver is forced back into first gear on even slight inclines.
Yao Noi, just a short boat ride away, is a sweet place, gradually building its own homestay business.
A night with a fishing and rice-growing family at low cost is a great way to absorb the local Muslim culture.
We came for the buffalo and rice festival earlier in the year, enjoying fabulous seafood on a timber verandah and being treated to a mud fight football match in the paddy fields.
We drop in at Koyao Island Resort and Spa, a four-star where a grassy swathe overlooks a beach and craggy Phang Nga seascape.
Occupancy rates remain at 100 percent, but it's a small place, with only 18 villas. Still, the more remote resorts always seem to do well.
Staff are in pink, there is no air-con or television in the villas, and it seems a delightful getaway.
The spa is outdoorsy and the whole place looks just great. It would be just a small fraction of the cost of the exclusive Hideaway next door.
We move on, to the large local market and fair that has sprung up by the sea. Speckled birds' eggs and other local delicacies are on sale, and a beach football tournament is in progress.
The bike riders are already there, giving their aching calves and thighs some respite.
We have to go already? No time for another sweet bun?
As we leave the sun is setting and the light fills the sky and the sea with memorable patterns.
Next year, we plan to return for the third annual festival. And in 2009, we will definitely be staying longer.
Phuketwan was treated to the trip by the Tourism Authority of Thailand
Has someone towed it into position, then pumped it up like a Hello Kitty balloon?
The brilliant ribbon of sand is covered in beach loungers, backed by a few thatched restaurants, yet looks in danger of being washed away at high tide.
This is Koh Kai Nai, one of the most unusual islands off Phuket. We are told it is a favorite among Japanese visitors. It has a surreal look, as if any minute it will possibly sink or start moving.
Our destination is Koh Yao Yai, on two feet and two wheels.
A party of bicycle riders from Kuraburi, in the neighboring province of Phang Nga, is on the ferry, too, having joined us on board at Bang Rong Pier.
The regular service takes more than an hour and passes the big new developments at Cape Yamu and Koh Rat, home to the Jumeirah project. It also passes the secluded Six Senses Hideaway.
All three brands have changed the attitudes of locals towards future developments on the east coast and the eastern islands. But that's another story.
On the island, we celebrate with the locals as they mark the opening of the high season on the two Koh Yaos, Yai and Noi, with a festival.
There are speeches and traditional dancing, with the audience equally engrossed by the performers and the lycra-clad visitors in strange helmets.
Then we head to the Elixir Resort, a local four-star with a good occupancy rate, and to the beach bungalows for lunch.
Yao Yai is larger but less developed than Yao Noi, with rubber as the main industry. The pace of life is certainly sedate.
Yao Yai has yet to welcome a 7-Eleven, unlike Yao Noi, where the first store has become a social gathering point, thanks to the air-conditioning.
We trip across the island in a local bus (seung tao) that must have been in service for 100 years, judging by the way the driver is forced back into first gear on even slight inclines.
Yao Noi, just a short boat ride away, is a sweet place, gradually building its own homestay business.
A night with a fishing and rice-growing family at low cost is a great way to absorb the local Muslim culture.
We came for the buffalo and rice festival earlier in the year, enjoying fabulous seafood on a timber verandah and being treated to a mud fight football match in the paddy fields.
We drop in at Koyao Island Resort and Spa, a four-star where a grassy swathe overlooks a beach and craggy Phang Nga seascape.
Occupancy rates remain at 100 percent, but it's a small place, with only 18 villas. Still, the more remote resorts always seem to do well.
Staff are in pink, there is no air-con or television in the villas, and it seems a delightful getaway.
The spa is outdoorsy and the whole place looks just great. It would be just a small fraction of the cost of the exclusive Hideaway next door.
We move on, to the large local market and fair that has sprung up by the sea. Speckled birds' eggs and other local delicacies are on sale, and a beach football tournament is in progress.
The bike riders are already there, giving their aching calves and thighs some respite.
We have to go already? No time for another sweet bun?
As we leave the sun is setting and the light fills the sky and the sea with memorable patterns.
Next year, we plan to return for the third annual festival. And in 2009, we will definitely be staying longer.
Phuketwan was treated to the trip by the Tourism Authority of Thailand
