Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [601]
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LEGEND OF THE TRANG ISLANDS
Long ago a young fisherman fell in love with a beautiful girl from a wealthy Chinese merchant family. Her parents lived on the shores of Trang, and when the fisherman and the beautiful girl married, he moved in with her family. The fisherman never talked about his own family because they were poor fisherfolk and he was afraid that his wife would be embarrassed. After his wife pleaded to meet her in-laws, the fisherman finally agreed, and they packed their essential belongings into a small boat for the journey up the coast – a rope, a plank, a liquor bottle, her pearl and his ring. As they paddled up to the fisherman’s village, he became fearful once more and turned the boat around. The fisherman’s parents were waiting for their son on the beach, and when they saw him turn his boat around his mother cursed them out of sadness and anger. Hours later an epic storm tore through Trang, ravaging the fisherman’s boat and killing the two young lovers. In the morning, all that was left were their humble belongings floating on the calm sea: the rope (cheu), the plank (kradan), the liquor bottle (ngai), the pearl (muk) and the ring (wan).
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Good snorkelling opportunities lie offshore and the archipelago’s star attraction, Tham Morakot (Emerald Cave), hides at the northern end of the island. This cave is a beautiful limestone tunnel that leads 80m to a mint-green sea lagoon. You have to swim through here at high tide, part of the way in pitch blackness, to a small concealed white-sand beach surrounded by lofty limestone, with a chimney that lets in a piercing shaft of light around midday. Boats can enter at low tide and the cave features on most tour itineraries; it can get pretty crowded in high season, and during the busiest month can reek of urine.
Between Ko Muk and Ko Ngai are the small karst islets of Ko Cheuk and Ko Waen, which have good snorkelling and small sandy beaches.
SLEEPING
The following places are a short walk north from the pier on a shallow beach.
Mookies (tents 200B) These aren’t bungalows, they’re ‘tent-alows’! The Australian owner Brian claims to sell the coldest beer in Thailand and checks his stock regularly to ensure that he stays true to his claim. It’s open year-round and is always a fun place to grab a meal or a drink.
Ko Mook Resort (in Trang 0 7520 3303; 45 Th Praram VI; bungalows 500-1000B) These comfortable huts are excellent value and lie concealed in a thick garden covered with wild-looking ferns. The design here is unadorned and the tropical isolation is perfect for those searching for a romantic getaway. There’s a free daily boat to Hat Farang and snorkelling can be arranged for 350B.
Charlie Beach Resort (0 7520 3281-3; www.kohmook.com; bungalows 1000-4000B; ) This place has a bit of an ego – it tried to change the name of the beach from Hat Farang to Hat Charlie. There’s a bunch of different bungalow options, ranging from basic shacks to swish air-con deals with little decorations and big porches. It’s starting to get a little crowded, but the beach here is lovely. Staff can organise snorkelling tours to Tham Morakot and other islands for around 1000B. It’s open year-round.
Sivalai (08 9723 3355; www.komooksivalai.com; bungalows 5500-9000B) If you’re coming from the mainland, you’ll spot Sivalai long before you dock on Ko Muk – it guards an enviable position on a spear-shaped peninsula lavished with white sand. Like many of the resorts in the Trang Islands, it seems a bit overpriced for what you get (gardens need to be tended to), but it still ranks high on our list.
GETTING