Hat Jao Mai is a beachside national park in Trang province of southern Thailand. My friends knew of secluded beaches on the far side of the rocky peninsula you see in the second photo on the left. You can reach these beaches by boat but in Thailand boats are mainly owned by professional fishermen. For most people you either hire a boat or reach the beaches by a combination of walking and swimming. We donned buoyancy vests and took a long walk and swim around the peninsula stopping for a few hours to enjoy the beaches.

1 View of islands from the beach in Hat Jao Mai National Park

2 The rocky peninsula that we are to circumnavigate

3 Can you see the tiny specks in the water at the foot of the cliff? That's us. See also the caves at the foot of the cliff.

4 View from inside the cave

5 With some of the gang

Photos above

This area is home to a rare white storytelling seal. Rare storytelling seal, caves— there's got to be a story in this.

I took the top two photos. The others on this page were taken by Trirat Nuipirom using a waterproof disposable camera and scanned by me on a second rate scanner!