During my last few days in Thailand, I sit almost entirely alone on a mile-long stretch of beach in one of the most gorgeous places I have had the opportunity to visit. Resting in the shallow, stunningly blue water I think to myself, “This is paradise. This is paradise and I gave it to myself.” Experiences like this make solo travel worth it, I love the sheer joy and contentment that comes with independence.
Koh Yao Yai is a small, sparsely populated island only a half-hour ferry ride from the famous beaches of Phuket, Thailand. The largely Muslim island does not allow alcohol on most of the beaches making it an unpopular destination for my party animal fellow backpackers. While Phuket and the dozens of islands surrounding it are perfect for honeymooning couples and partygoers, there are some quiet spots that a tired solo traveler can make their home for a few nights.
I have been in Thailand now for a few weeks. I hopped from locale to locale sweltering in the sun, covered head to toe while I visited as many intricately constructed and designed temples as I could stand. Some take my breath away and I forget about the heat and the crowds for a moment to have a truly peaceful experience marveling at the beauty of hundreds of artisans, while other temples fall flat.
Despite the unique allure of each temple, after a while they start to blur together, and I am ready to see something new. In the past weeks I have hitchhiked for the first time, spent 14 straight hours on a train, switched hostels at 4 in the morning, and almost wrecked a motorcycle. All of it was exciting and exhilarating, but also exhausting. In other words, I am eager to spend a few days slowing down.
Backpack Hostel Kohyaoyai is an excellent place for my reprieve, in fact, it is the only hostel on the island. Only a few minutes’ walk from the beach and a couple more to the ferry harbor, it is ideally located. I spend my days walking up late, chatting with the other visitors over breakfast, taking new friends on a day of low-key adventure, watching the sunset from mountainous precipices, and of course, lounging on the beach.
No matter how much I have enjoyed the chance to take a deep breath and relax in Koh Yao Yai, I grow restless as the days go by (sue me, I’m a vagabond at heart). I am desperate to spend the day doing something active and for some reason kayaking for a few hours just did not do it for me.
I want to take a sailing trip, but a downside of solo travel, I have no one to split the cost with me and I am not prepared to shell out a few hundred dollars for it. While trying to decide whether to skip town and move on to the next port of call, I learn through Instagram that a few people I met in the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai, are now visiting the islands in the area.
I reach out to several people and assemble a group of four. Although we are all on different islands, by virtue of the ferry system, we can meet up on the neighboring island of Koh Yao Noi. I spend a few hours in the night before corresponding with everyone as we try to figure out the ferry schedule and what connections everyone will need to make and where they can find an ATM to pay Koh Yao Noi Sailing in cash. Finally, despite some hiccups and one ferry breaking down in the water half way to us, we all make it!
For less than $60 per person, we are treated to a private day trip visiting several caves and tiny unpopulated islands on a small catamaran manned by two crewmembers. Our first destination is a protected swimming area surrounded by tall and intimidating rock features carpeted with lush green vegetation. It reminds me of some of the cenotes, or sinkholes, in Mexico.
We are the first arrivals and swim in the crystal-clear water with small gray crabs and darting fish and climb up some of the rock features before any other sailing trips get to the area. Once the natural swimming pool is more crowded, we move on, sailing to an open-air bat cave. Not a one of us is prepared for the majesty of this cave. We are chatting and laughing as we enter and abruptly stop not wanting to disrupt the quiet inside. The absolute ethereal, other-worldly, natural beauty of this cave is difficult to describe, and photos do not do it justice. 
I have gone tubing in the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand that are lit up by thousands of neon blue bioluminescent worms, and this cave I do not even know the name of still tops the glowworms. We spent over an hour swimming in parts of the cave and quietly watching the large bats the length of our arms.
At our last destination, we lunched on a white sand beach savoring the day and friendships we had made. Letting my toes dip into the water, biting into slices of pineapple, and giggling at a joke of a newfound friend, a thought resurfaced, “this is paradise, and I gave it to myself.”
Find more of Maya’s photos from her adventure in Thailand and all 36 of the countries she has visited across 6 continents @BohemianRadical on Instagram
