In a few seconds everything changed.

An abrupt announcement over the loudspeakers.

The strangely peaceful sound of many hundreds of people drawing breath in a collective gasp.

And then…

Total panic.

I spend a lot of time on this site talking about just how incredible South East Asia is.

This is my easily my favourite part of the world.  Most of the time the scenery is stunning, the people are friendly, the culture is fascinating and the food … oh the food.

But, now and again, I find somewhere that I just can’t stand.

I don’t expect everywhere to appeal to me, and nor should it.  What I’m looking for in a destination is not the same thing as a family on a two week vacation or a bunch of guys on their gap year.

That said, after a year or so travelling in this region, I’ve spent time in a few different tourist traps that have almost no redeeming features whatsoever for me.

These are those places.

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I’m a budget traveller.  It’s pretty much a lifestyle choice these days – I’ve been a backpacker for close to 15 years now.

With this designation comes a number of stereotypes that I apparently need to live by.

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Waking up early one morning on Koh Yao Noi to the usual symphony of crickets, geckos, birds and other assorted wildlife outside my window, I happened to pull back the curtain to see what the day had in store.

This gorgeous sunrise, apparently.

Not a bad way to start the day…

After the painful kayaking experience of a couple of days earlier, the option of using motorised transport to explore more of Phang Nga Bay seemed a much more appealing option.

We walked out through the low-tide mudflats to our longtail around 8:30am, the sun already high in the sky and making its presence felt.  While far from new, the two most important aspects of the boat seemed in good working order: the engine and the shade canopy.  Even better, only one of them failed during our time on board…

Within half an hour of leaving Koh Yao Nao we had arrived at Koh Hong, a small island protected by national park status.  Unlike other parts of Thailand (Phi Phi Lei, I’m looking at you), this actually meant something here – the beaches and bays were as pristine as I have ever seen despite the amount of boat and human traffic in the area each day.

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