It probably took me longer to repack my panniers than getting to my next accommodation on Island no. 2, Ko Yao Noi. When arriving at the Chong Lard Pier yesterday I had already negotiated the price, as approaching the ferry / longtail boat on your own with a fully loaded bicycle may encourage the boatmen to charge international cargo rates.... Not this time though as my skipper from the Sakai tribe ( the only people with really curly hair) recognized me and the 150 Baht (4 €) offer was still the deal. Perfectly ok as I was the only customer and although it is only a 10 minute ride to the other side it still requires the loading (which they do for you!) the diesel and the time that you "occupy" the boat by yourself.
I instantly knew that Yao Noi is more my sort of destination than Yao Yai. Still very tidal beaches on the east coast but the island still comes across more like an independent traveller destination than yesterday´s destination: A nice mixture of high-end resorts (2000+ Baht), fancy resorts (1000+B), good resorts (700+ Baht) and budget bungalows around 500 Baht or even less.
The west coast is no real option for staying so I only rolled once along the east coast up to the Tha Khao Pier, where I will have to leave from when I go back to the mainland. Plenty of accommodation choices as I said, so what to go for? Knowing that a lot of fellow cyclists are travelling on a budget I was on the search for something decent and inexpensive, which means no more than 500 Baht in Southern Thailand. Well, to me it does. If you cycle the Isaan Province up in the Northeast you will obviously get a lot more for 500 Baht but on the islands down here it is certainly a different story.
However, on my way up to the pier I had already made up my mind to be more on the southern end of the three eastern bays for a reason that sounds a bit weird. I believe I can identify a place that prepares "real" Thai food by sight and nothing I saw on my informative ride up looked like a restaurant I would appreciate. And one thing is absolutely sure: Before I eat "aharn Thai" which has been blanded down to meet Caucasian tongues for three times the money. I much rather take advantage of some of the European food on offer. If it is authentic of course. And by the reviews on google maps the Ciao Bella was supposed to meet this request. Actually it exceeded my expectations when I went down later for a lunch pasta. Umberto from the island of Elba has been here for 24 years now but he certainly hasn´t lost his pasta skills. Not cheap but well worth it for the combination of Italian food and Thai prime location.
Before I forget to tell you about the place I picked for my two nights here: I checked out a few places but the lovely Muslim couple at the Pyramid Bungalows were by far the most welcoming. That´s always one of the keys for my decisions. Nice people usually run nice places. The fan bungalows were initially offered to me for 500 Baht which I would have happily paid if the windows would have had fly sheets. As they hadn´t I apologized and turned round to leave. The elderly lady wouldn´t have that and assured me there were hardly any bugs around but she still would leave me any of her bungalows for 300 Baht. Not only a great offer but I would have felt almost rude if I would still have left. The lady was right, no bites on the first evening/night and the location is not bad at all. See below. If I should come back to the island I would still look into another option.
The Sabai Corner Restaurant and Bungalows could well be one of the best places on the island. Highly attractive bush setting right on the water with the bungalows being allotted along a slope and I couldn´t believe they only want between 500 and 700 Baht for them. The restaurant looks great too, a bit pricey but I am somehow convinced you will get value for your bucks.
Bottom line: I really enjoyed my time on Ko Yao Noi. Not ideal from the beaching perspective but an overall charming atmosphere off the beaten track with good and inexpensive accommodation and some very acceptable food options. Mind you I basically only had pasta and pizza at Umberto´s place...
At last couple of stops on Yao Yai. The first one on the tidal "dry docks"....
Windmills and water buffaloes on the west coast. The loop around the island is 22 km long and apart from the nasty climb at the very northern end most enjoyable.
