Similan islands

Another early wake up followed by a bus ride followed this time by speed boat. Direction: Similan islands, a group of islands a bit north from Phuket.
After 1h40 cruise at full speed we reached the islands.
It's simply beautiful. Paradise island as you dream it. Sky is blue, sun is shining, water is turquoise, sand on the beach is white. Paradise I'm telling you.
The day was similar to a bus guided tour except this time you go from one island to the next one. On and off the boat. That's actually pretty cool. Each time you stop it's either to relax on the beach, go to a view point or snorkel. Hopping from one island to the other by boat is much more fun than by bus.
Snorkeling was not exceptional according to Alice, advanced scuba diver, but decent to the eyes of the novice (me!)
I had the chance to see a collection of fish that I usually see in an aquarium. I will have to look afterwards their names as apart from those Alice showed me, my knowledge in terms of fish species is very limited.
I really enjoyed behind there, watching them in their daily routine. Of course we found Nemo, or at least a couple of clown fish on top of their anemone.
While I enjoyed snorkeling, I have to say that the hassle of the equipment and the breathing are not my cup of tea. I see myself doing it every now and then. As much as it was magic to see the fish in their natural environment, it's too much effort for me.
By the way I've also seen a turtle. yep I was swimming right next to one. Of course the rule is to watch only and not touch not to disturb or damage. Sadly some tourists had to touch the turtle and even tried to feed it. Unbelievable!
No wonder the corals are dying.
Once again it was a long day. Once again it was worth it. I've seen landscape and fish to keep me dreaming until my next vacation :)