Chalok Baan Kao turns out to be even more beautiful than Tanote Bay. The long-headlands on either side provide protection from the Bay of Thailand beyond making the waters of this sheltered bay flat and calm, the waves gently lapping up the beach. It is high tide when we arrive and the sea has all but engulfed the beach, but by late afternoon it has receded to reveal a stretch of soft white sand. The small village along this part of the coast has embraced just the right level of commercialisation. One or two shops, a few restaurants and bars (some of which stay open later than 10pm) interspersed with a range of accommodation, blending sympathetically with the lush environment of palm forests which cover the hillsides of this rugged little island. There is a laid back vibe – just the ambience we have been looking for.
We stop for lunch at The Big Fish Restaurant which has a veranda built over the beach and spend the whole afternoon here chatting and swimming. The restaurant is part of a beach-side complex and we enquire about rooms. They have two rooms with views of the sea for 700 Baht and may have two tomorrow at 500 Baht. A protracted discussion follows about the merits of moving here versus viewing the place Matt has seen in a more remote location with no beach (a bit of a no-brainer this one); should we try other places further along the beach; the cost (we face a penalty if we move from Black Tip early); the logistics of moving and so it goes on. Five months of travelling have left us just as indecisive as ever! Eventually we book two 700 Baht rooms.
As we start to think about gathering up our things, Matt discovers he has lost his bike key. A search ensues which includes one of the restaurant staff crawling into the space under the veranda to check whether it has fallen between the wooden slats and the hiring of snorkels in desperate and vain attempt to search the sea-bed. The latter cut short by the need to meet the taxi that is taking us back to Black Tip. The taxi driver agrees to take Matt to the bike hire shop to get another key and bring him back. But we return to find he’s been given the wrong replacement key.. We cannot delay our return any longer if we are to check out of Black Tip before their 6 pm deadline and we leave Matt surrounded by Thais trying to hot wire the bike . Later we learn that the hot-wiring came to nothing and the bike had to be transported back to the hire shop in a pick-up truck. Losing the key has been an expensive experience for Matt.
At Black Tip a discussion drags on about the 20% cancellation fee they claim is due, but which wasn’t part of the booking terms and was only communicated when we arrived. Eventually we agree to pay 10% after the office staff fail to find any mention of a cancellation fee on our booking confirmation or the website. To hold out for the remaining ｣7 was just too much aggravation.