Phuket Island in the south of Thailand has become a very popular beach destination. It is as beautiful as always, but the number of tourists is a bit much for us, so we’re only overnighting on the way in, and then driving to the north.
So, we drove about 2 hours north to Khao Lak Beach
We stayed in this ultramodern apartment 
The sun sets over the Andaman Sea 
There are several national parks nearby, so we drove to one and hiked to a waterfall
Lush green Thailand 
Many suspension bridges 
You can camp here for a fee 
Another day, we joined an all-day trip out to the Surin Islands to snorkel.
The water is warm and clear 
There is a village of ‘sea gypsies’ on one of the islands. 
Practical houses elevated above high waters 
The girl on the right is from Myanmar 
Giant clam
Leaving Khao Lak, we headed southeast to Khao Sok National Park.
We spent the night in a floating tent on the Khao Sok lake/reservoir, and hiked to a cave. It was wonderful.