The ticket to Koh Jum costs the same as the ticket to Koh Lanta, though Koh Jum is the halfway point. We're told the ferry leaves at 11AM, but they don't board us until 12PM, and then we don't leave until 12:30PM. We're on the ferry a little over an hour when we stop. Everyone who is headed to Koh Jum is called to the top of the deck.
Koh Jum is too undeveloped to have it's own pier, so each individual hotel sends a longtail to get their guests. We're in the middle of the ocean and we have to jump to the smaller boats for the next leg of the trip. The OonLee longtail is waiting for us, and we climb from boat to boat to get to it. It's a five minute ride to shore. The men on the boat tells us to leave our bags and head upstairs to the restaurant/reception area. Here we are greeted by Valerie, who gives us a cold towel and apple juice.
OonLee: http://kohjumoonleebungalows.com
Valerie, former last name Lee, is French and owns the villas with her husband, Oon, hence OonLee. Valerie has a thick French accent but speaks perfect English and Thai. She tells us which room we're staying in for the first night, and says she'll give us the lowdown about the island once we're settled in. We head up to our room to find our bags waiting for us. It should be noted that the steps are very steep to get to the villas, so the workers take our bags. Since we booked last minute, we needed to move villas each of the three days. The men took our things for us every time. (Loved this!)
Each villa is very unique so it was nice to get a sample of all the rooms. There are no keys to the villas but each room has a lockbox for valuables. OonLee is so secluded that theft isn't an issue. Every night we leave our doors open, rocked to sleep by the sounds of the jungle (while safely under a mosquito net).
After the briefing, we eat the first of many amazing meals. It turns out Oon is also a master chef, and he has invented Thai-French Fusion to die for. Furthermore, they just add the bill to your tab. Completely seamless.
We only have three days on Koh Jum, and that's more than enough. There is not a lot to do besides relax. There is one trek available to the top of Mount Pu (lol), but it's a mere hour ascent and we can't go on our own. Thailand has made it illegal to go into national forests without a guide. It would have cost us $100USD to pay a guide to go on the two-hour hike, so we skipped it.
Instead we walked from OonLee, which is at one end of the island, across the beaches to the other end. There's no easy way to do this. You must either traverse slippery coral or walk a trail farther into the jungle. On the coral my sandals break. The sandal graveyard we come upon shows me this is not a unique experience.We get to the rocky jungle road and we hail a taxi. We ask to go to the other end of the beach so we can walk back. Valerie already told us that the price is 50 Baht per person no matter the length of the ride. He tries to get us to pay 100 each, but mama didn't raise no sucker!
The beaches are nice at the south end, but nothing too noteworthy. We walk an hour until the sun sets. We go to a restaurant and ask them to call us a cab. The "taxi" that comes is a motorcycle with a rickety steel gazebo welded onto the side, and for 200 Baht (no negotiating this) he will take us. Well... he’ll try.
It’s crazy dark all of the sudden, and homeboy's headlights tinker on and off. At first we’re cruising on a sand/gravel mixed road. It’s not concrete but its smooth enough. Then we get to the very hilly, very rocky area of the road. Valerie had already told us that no taxi service goes as far as her road, so to be prepared to hike at night. This taxi driver was a champ, though, and was determined to get us home.
Said driver makes us sit in strategic areas in the cart to balance the weight- Ian in the middle back and me on the front left corner. When we passed other motos he had to go so far to the left (you drive on the left here) that jungle bushes were sweeping my back. I kept thinking about all the jungle snakes that we had learned about in Bangkok, and I expressed my terror to Ian by letting out short little maniacal laughs. The jungle trees stop brushing my back and I lean back, relieved... until I turn and see nothing but the ocean, and realize I'm looking down from the sheer edge of a fifty-foot cliff. Then I missed the jungle leaves brushing my back.
It was much like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, only the obstacles were real! At a few points, we were going uphill and it was clearly too steep for the motorcycle to take us with all our weight. We would try to rock our hips forward, giddyup-horsey style, to get momentum, but alas the driver had to pull over. In so many words he told Ian to get out and push! This happened a few times and even I had to get out to help (stepping shoeless in the jungle leaves, Lord help me)! Also, every time we stopped for a few seconds for Ian to pop out, a SWARM of bugs came for the motorcycle's headlights. In five seconds I could look down and see ten tropical monsters flocking my chest and arms. I was like GO! GO! GOOOOOO!
I'm just trying to hold it together. The driver kept looking at me and asking if I was OK. "Heh, Yeah, I'm OK! Haha!" We made it, and we vowed not to leave at night ever again.
The next two days we kayak to sandier beaches. Like in Ton Sai, the tide dictated the time at which we could have fun. It was frustrating to get to a beach where there was no sand or all rocks. The five feet of sand in the picture below was gone in 30 minutes:
The next two days we kayak to sandier beaches. Like in Ton Sai, the tide dictated the time at which we could have fun. It was frustrating to get to a beach where there was no sand or all rocks. The five feet of sand in the picture below was gone in 30 minutes:
Chillin by the bay with the tide out
Pulling away from OonLee:
As much as I enjoyed our relaxing time in Koh Jum, I would not recommend staying here. There are much better beaches in Thailand, and a single traveler especially would be disappointed with the lack of things to do. It's for honeymooners. However, if you want a private oasis and you truly need to relax, stay at the OonLee. They were wonderful, the bungalows were gorgeous and the food was perfect.
Pulling away from OonLee:
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