Ko Similan Islands Similan Island

not so funny thing was that all the "demonstrators" where school children who where manipulated by teachers who were in front and the back of the about 100 kids telling them via megaphone what to scream. Its a little bit

The islands and coasts of the countries in the Andaman Sea, Thailand and Myanmar are telling the story of colonial times, not in Thailand but in Myanmar. This great natural environment at several archipelagos of the Similan Islands, Surin Islands, Tarutao archipelago further south and the Myeik or Mergui archipelago in Myanmar to the north is one of the very few places on earth still preserving some kind of pristine environment.

The name Andaman

probably come from the Indian monkey god "Hanuman" and indicates the other countries bordering this part of the Indian Ocean. The Andaman Islands are still an awesome area on planet earth, including the Indian pert of it there are still hundreds endemic species. There are pretty sea snakes, lizards plus salt water crocodiles (in the Indian part) and other species which have not been categorized and documented yet.

Currently (2011) the underwater area is most interesting, every year thousands of tourists come every year for scuba diving, usually via liveaboard out of Phuket. More and more people from Bangladesh are migrating to the islands vie the so called “boat people” process to get away from their totally overpopulated country.
The indigenous inhabitants of the Myanmar and Thailand Andaman Sea are the Salone (Myanmar) and Moken (Thailand) which are the same. The people on the Andaman Islands are living from fishing, caching small animals such as wild pigs and do some pearl diving which is less now because of pearl farming.

Similan Islands

strange sometimes out there, I don't know what they think they gain from, maybe they have nothing to do. The kids didn't even know what was written on the posters they held, because non of the kids spoke or understood English. I asked my girlfriend who was with me to ask the kids if they know what they are demonstrating for, they said, the teachers told them to come with them and they got a day off in school if they do a demonstration.

The great island vacation

Looking for a great place to go on island and scuba diving vacation? There is little that beats the Similan Islands just about 100 km north of Phuket and off Khao Lak.

People love the area around Khao Lak and the Similan islands with summer weather year round, great sunshine, clear emerald waters and wonderful beaches. The Similan Islands are one of the top scuba diving destinations of the world. They are are located in the Andaman Sea which Khao Lak is at the landside and Similan Islands are just a few km off the beaches. Speedboats start at the Tap Lamu pier and near the Khao Lak hotels. Another great daytrip could be done to the Khao Sok National Park which is about 100km to the north east.

Khao Lak and the islands are like a postcard shot and there is no populations on the islands except on the main Similan Island, which is Island No.8 is a small Thai style bungalow cluster. Its pristine, its somehow like a Robinson experience in this island world. Another archipelago is about 100 km further north, that are the Surin Islands. At the Surin islands is a colony of sea gypsies and there is accommodation, every day a ship leaves from the pier for the islands.

Many vacationers from northern Europe choose to go to Khao Lak and take one day trips to the Similan. Excursions to the island are offered every day out of Khao Lak and Phuket.  There are so many great ways to enjoy your vacation around this part of Thailand, the possibilities are endless. So if you are looking for a great way to visit the beautiful and exotic destinations during your vacations you are on the right place.

The Andaman Sea off Khao Lak stretching deep into the Indian Ocean consists of uncounted attractive islands. About 100 km north of the Similan Islands are the Surin Islands with a similar exotic environment and they are inhabited by the sea gypsies they call Moken in Thailand and Salon in Myanmar or Burma.

In the Mergui or Myeik Archipelago

in Myanmar are more than 800 pristine islands where no one set the foot on since British colonial times, this is all north of the equator.

The Islands of the Andaman Sea where the Similan Islands are part of have bee explored by the Portuguese colonialists and probably hundreds of years before by Arab and Indian seafarer. Phuket Island was even already mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy as Junk Ceylon in  157 AD. The islands of the Andaman Sea and the west coast of Thailand and Myanmar was badly damaged by the Tsunami. A undersea earthquake struck western Indonesia in the morning of the 26.Dec. 2004. The resulting Tsunami

Similan islands Tap Lamu pier dive ship Similan islands Tap Lamu pier 3 fish trawler

smashed into the west coast of Thailand and other countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Much was destroyed and thousands of People lost their life, it was the worst natures disaster in this areas history. Most of the infrastructure, the buildings, the hotels and beach resorts has quickly been restored in a quick recovery. Similan Island

The Myeik or Mergui Archipelago. Nestled between the southern coast of Myanmar and the Andaman Islands of India is an archipelago of around 800 islands. Beautiful tropical islands with turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, lush tropical vegetation in the island jungle, limestone and granite atolls with beautiful coral gardens. The ideal place for scuba diving and the hunting for Sea Gypsies, the Salone also called Moken in Thailand.

Here is the e-book on Sea Gypsies and the Andaman Sea. This about 800 pristine islands in the Myeik or Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar or Burma have been untouched

since British colonial  times. Surrounded by beautiful reefs this archipelago is full with an amazing marine underwater world. Colorful exotic fishes, sea

exploration, all this can only be done via liveaboard excursions out of Phuket Thailand. There is absolute nothing being done on tourism out of Myanmar. Almost all of this Islands in the Andaman Sea Mergui or Myeik Archipelago are inhabited. Only some Sea Gypsies live at the beach and on their houseboats. Most of this Andaman Islands are mostly palm fringed exotic locations were never anyone set foot on.