The Aerie Traditional Cache

The cache is located on the island of Koh Wua Ta Lap in the truly amazing Mu Koh Ang Thong Marine National Park (more at Wikipedia).

Wildlife

On the way to the box you are quite likely to run into the cache guardians. Since they are on a strictly vegan diet plan, even the massive human presence on the island hasn't managed to turn them into the begging, thieving pest often seen where monkeys are overexposed to tourists. Quite the opposite: If you take a moment to approach them slowly and calmly, the won't take much notice and you'll be able to observe them feed, sleep, play, delouse each other etc.

Otters, bats, hornbills, lizards of all kinds, turtles and many other species are known to be around and can be seen with some luck.

If you have the time, visit the National Park Vistor Center, where you can see a whale skeleton along with other, partly bizarre exhibits and pictures from the park's history.

Overnight stay

As anyone can imagine, the place is much more magic without the tourist crowds. If you can see yourself alone on the beach, listening to nothing but the gentle surf and the animal sounds, chasing crabs at night or meeting the extensive family of spectangled langurs, consider an overnight stay. The government-run bungalows have seen better days but are clean. They start from 800 Baht. You can also bring or rent a tent. The Thai food from the restaurant, which also serves the 40 park employees, is fine. In the evening you may witness the rangers golfing on the lawn :)

Practical considerations

• Count roughly an hour for the hike up and down again (less for sportive cachers, more for monkey lovers). Many round trips from Koh Samui or Koh Phangan will give you 1.5 hours on the island, so the hike may eat up most of that.
• The trail can be physically demanding: It climbs 212 meters over a distance of 500 meters. There's a rope most of the way and it's there for a reason.
• As of 2018, the box is not as difficult to find anymore as it used to be. The hint is still valid though.
• Please exercise stealth when looking for and when handling the box, or it will soon be gone! Don't be too disappointed if you can't find it because there might be too many people around.
• Please log honestly and please place the box back exactly where you found it. Do let me know of any mishaps! I rely on your logs to know when service is needed.
• Bring a bottle of water (really! see logs)
• Wear real shoes

Current cache condition:

I've replaced this cache a couple of times. It used to be a rather large container, attached magnetically to the platform from below. First for the wooden platform (twice), then for the concrete one. Currently there is a micro that I'd like to thank @Trebbi for. I plan on viting soon and install even a large there, but who knows what will actually happen.

Other nearby caches

While you're here you can combine this cache with the the GC2CD96 (Bua Boke Limestone Cave Earthcache). Many tours also cover GCE5E8 (Ang Thong Marine Park Virtual).