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I don't know how to describe this island -- tropical paradise, beach lovers' utopia, or scuba divers' heaven? I guess it's all that and more! Chewang (beach) was a bit too crowded for me, so after staying for a night I shifted to Lamai (beach), which is less crowded, more serene and placid for the senses. I managed to find a cottage as close as possible to the beach for less than $20 and I guess that is cheap considering the fact that I visited in February, the peak tourist season for all of Thailand. A word of caution though -- the locals tend to rip you off. I hopped in on a tuk-tuk for less than a kilometer and when I got off the driver demanded an exorbitant sum and forced me into paying up. On another occasion while visiting this waterfall I fell off my bicycle and bruised myself. The locals, realising that I couldn't ride, offered to drop me back to my cottage in their pick-up for a price! There's always a devil or two in paradise, isn't there? And yes, there are some excellent scuba diving opportunities for both amateurs and professionals with phenomenal underwater visibility. — Dr. Maajed J. Wani
