Adventure Day: Secret Beach and Town Trek

Nov 26, 2022 - Saturday

Today we hopped on the scooters nice and early and headed north to a secret beach Graham was keen to find. The map took us up to Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park and the Khao Non-Nak Nature Trail. We stopped at a drinks cart close to our destination and had a Thai milk tea and a green soda for Graham.

We started up the trail, but Graham wasn't keen on reaching the viewpoints. He was determined to find us a secret and quiet beach. Instead after about a kilometre hike up and back down we ducked into the jungle. We crossed a little creek and followed an old disused nature trail down for a ways before reaching a clear cut. We crossed the logging and got onto a road which paralleled the shore line. After a short walk we came across a little old but used trail which we figured would take us down to the beach. Sure enough we popped right down onto a sandy beach all to our selves. Too bad the tide was so high though, there wasn't much of a beach to hang out on. It would be epic if the tide was a little lower. We didn't stay too long before climbing back up to the main nature trail, hopping on our scooters and setting off back to Ao Nang. 

We had a quick swim and headed out for a lunch, by this point we were starting to get quite hungry. We went to Kung's Authentic Thai food right by the beach. We were the only people in the restaurant and its mouth watering to know all the good sizzling and smells coming from the kitchen are for you. We ate way too much as usual, but it was just all too good to stop. With full bellies we headed back to the villas for another mandatory swim and veg time.

As Graham headed towards his early afternoon siesta, I decided to head out for a walk. I wanted to walk the rest of the beach in Ao Nang, we hadn't done the north end yet. I set off, it was nice walking through town, you see much more and get a feel of the place rather then the fast paced scooters. I walked the beach for a bit, then decided to get out of the sun and walked the ocean-side path through the palms and trees. The beach went from popular tourist spots to a much more chill and local vibe. There was families setting up their picnic blankets and baskets settling in for a Saturday evening meal while watching the ocean waves roll gently in. It was nice to see so many local families enjoying the beach and having a good time together. I kept walking to the north end of the Nopharat Thara Beach, the tide was nice and low so I was able to walk out to a couple of the islands just off shore. The beach here was soft, fluffy and beautiful. The angle was just like tribune, a long very gently sloped beach where people were enjoying the ocean way out but still only in a couple feet of water. I headed around the point and towards the marina where there were lots of boats coming back from far off island trips. I joined the crowds leaving the marina and headed back through town. I knew if I stayed on the main road it would send me back to our small road the villa was located off of. The town was lively and I came across a big night market getting set up near our villa. It was a lively hub of hustle and bustle activity. I picked up a nice cool water bottle to help me up the last hill to the villa but I didn't need it, Graham was watching my location and came down to pick me up. It was a nice reprieve, I had kept up a quick pace since the beach to be back before sunset. 

Sploosh, back into the pool again for the sunset swim and ice cold Chang beer. We were still a little full from dinner so we decided to go the the night market for a light dinner. There were two big rows set up for cooked food and the other two bulk ingredients of everything you could ever want to cook some Thai food. Fish, chicken, fresh veg and herbs. It was an interesting combination of smells wafting around. We settled first on some squid balls with seaweed and sauce on top, followed by a couple deep-fried chicken thighs and drums and a theist quenching fresh clementine and soda water drink. We got some fresh pad Thai and donuts to go and enjoy back at the villa. The chocolate, Nutella filled donuts were amazing and the best dessert yet. We settled in for the night, knowing tomorrow was a big scooter mission.