My Holiday
April 2010 I went for a ten days holiday to Thailand and the village Khao Lak. The village lies about 60 km north of Phuket. Khao Lak was one of the coastal areas of Thailand hardest hit by the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Most of the coastal landscape, i.e., beaches, resorts and vegetation, was destroyed by the tsunami.My residence was the Khao Lak Sunset hotel from where I went for my daily dives at the Andaman Sea. There I dived at the famous Similan Islands. The Similan Islands is a group of islands in the Andaman Sea off the coast of, and part of, Phang Nga Province, southern Thailand. It is a national park which was established in 1982. Similan Islands National Park was established after a one-year exploration by the forestry department. The park is an archipelago consisting of nine islands named Ko Bon, Ko Bayu, Ko Similan, Ko Payu, Ko Miang (two adjoining islands), Ko Payan, Ko Payang, and Ko Huyong. Recently, the park was expanded to include two remote islands named Ko Bon and Ko Tachai. The Similans are situated 70 kilometres from Phang Nga town. "Similan" is a Yawi word which means "nine". Similan is one of the most famous diving sites in Thailand, and is noted as one of the top ten dive destinations in the world according to the National Geographic Society.
Location
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as is a country located at the center of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea, part of the Indian ocean, and the southern extremity of Burma. The Similan Islands is a group of islands in the Andaman Sea off the coast of, and part of, Phang Nga Province, southern Thailand. It is a national park which was established in 1982.Geography
The province is located on the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and includes many islands of the Phang Nga Bay. The most famous one is the so-called James Bond Island, a needle formed limestone rock in the sea, which featured in the 1974 movie The Man with the Golden Gun. The Ao Phang-Nga (Phang-Nga Bay) National Park was established in 1981 to protect the many fascinating islands. The Similian Islands National Marine Park can be easily reached and lies 55 km due west of Khao Lak. These islands are world renowned among diving enthusiasts for amazing underwater siteseeing at depths down to 30m.Language
The official language of Thailand is Thai, a Kradai language closely related to Lao, Shan in Burma, and numerous smaller languages spoken in an arc from Hainan and Yunnan south to the Chinese border. It is the principal language of education and government and spoken throughout the country. English is a mandatory school subject, but the number of fluent speakers remains very low, especially outside the cities.Climate
The local climate is tropical and characterized by monsoons. There is a rainy, warm, and cloudy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November to mid March. The local climate is tropical and characterized by monsoons.Diving conditions
You can dive Thailand all year round. The best conditions exist from November to April, with whale sharks visiting from February to May, and manta rays all year round. Late May to October brings monsoon winds and surface swells to the Andaman Sea, making some remote sites, such as Richelieu Rock and Hin Daeng, inaccessible and reducing visibility in general by about 30% at the open dive sites. October can also see heavy rains in the Andaman Sea. Great for: Small animals, underwater photography, snorkeling, visibility, dive value-for-money and advanced divers Not so Great for: Non-diving activities Depth: 5 - >40m Visibility: 20 - 40m Currents: Moderate Surface Conditions: Calm Water Temperature: 26 - 29°C Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced local climate is tropical and characterized by monsoons.Time difference
+7 hrs GMT
