Michael and I took a flight down to Krabi and were hoping to catch a ferry out to Ko Phi Phi, but we found out that the last ferry left Krabi an hour before we landed. We had two options: stay in Krabi and take the first ferry in the morning or take a minibus to Ko Lanta. We decided to head straight for Lanta - even though the day was a waste, we could wake up on a beautiful beach. The minibus ride was long and tedious (we had to wait for 2 ferries) and since we expected to be in Phi Phi we didnt have accomodations and just went with a recommendation from the minibus driver. We first drove through the main town on Lanta 
and it defintely had a Tijuana vibe. Luckily the place we were staying in was out of town ... far out of town. We had no idea how large Ko Lanta was until we drove the entire length of it to get to our hotel. It was dark and late when we finally arrived and the The bungalows we were staying in (Moonshine Bungalows) was an absolute crap hole. I'm all for rustic bungalows, but this place was a dump and the staff were super rude (so un-Thai like). The next morning we were awoken by the morning call to prayer. We didn't realize it at that time, but 
Southern Thailand has a very large Muslim community and there was a mosque not far from where we were staying. We switched to another hotel just down the beach and set out exploring the island. Um - not impressed. I was expecting crystal clear water, great snorkelling, white sand beaches. We found murky water (althrough a pretty blue color) and lots of resorts (even on the southern/more secluded end where we were staying). On the northern end of the island, swimming is impossible during low tide because there are too many rocks. Alas, it was a beach and it was warm and since we've heard such rave reviews from many people about Lanta we decided to stick it out another day or two. We filled our days with kayaking, sunbathing, reading, snorkelling (kind of) and exploring the island on scooters. The road leading to our resort was unpaved and very very dirty. I took a spill on my motorbike going down the hill and was covered head to toe in dirt (Michael has that picture, but I attached a picture of my skinned knee ... or what people in Thailand call "the thailand tatoo").
and it defintely had a Tijuana vibe. Luckily the place we were staying in was out of town ... far out of town. We had no idea how large Ko Lanta was until we drove the entire length of it to get to our hotel. It was dark and late when we finally arrived and the The bungalows we were staying in (Moonshine Bungalows) was an absolute crap hole. I'm all for rustic bungalows, but this place was a dump and the staff were super rude (so un-Thai like). The next morning we were awoken by the morning call to prayer. We didn't realize it at that time, but Southern Thailand has a very large Muslim community and there was a mosque not far from where we were staying. We switched to another hotel just down the beach and set out exploring the island. Um - not impressed. I was expecting crystal clear water, great snorkelling, white sand beaches. We found murky water (althrough a pretty blue color) and lots of resorts (even on the southern/more secluded end where we were staying). On the northern end of the island, swimming is impossible during low tide because there are too many rocks. Alas, it was a beach and it was warm and since we've heard such rave reviews from many people about Lanta we decided to stick it out another day or two. We filled our days with kayaking, sunbathing, reading, snorkelling (kind of) and exploring the island on scooters. The road leading to our resort was unpaved and very very dirty. I took a spill on my motorbike going down the hill and was covered head to toe in dirt (Michael has that picture, but I attached a picture of my skinned knee ... or what people in Thailand call "the thailand tatoo"). After 2 nights we headed to Ko Phi Phi, which is about an hour ferry ride from Ko Lanta. Although the island was equally as touristy, the water and scenery were picturesque and it had mroe of an island feel. We stayed in a bungalow complex on a private beach called Viking Bungalow and our view from the beach/bungalow was of the island where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. To get to our bungalow we had to climb up a steep dirt/rock path with a rope as a handle. The bathrooms were shared bathrooms and the showers were outdoors ... in short, it was perfect. We were eaten alive every day and night (even though Michael meticulously inspected the mosquito net every night), but it was nothing a little tiger balm couldn't take care of. I'm running short on time so Ill sum up Ko Phi Phi with the following outline of activities:
- kayaking to shark point reef, tying the kayak up and snorkeling (Michael spotted 2 black tip reef sharks)
- thai massages
- Scuba diving at Phi Phi Don (where they filmed the Beach) ... a sea turtle almost nibbled my fin and we saw poisonous lion fish and a leopard shark!
- eating outdoors every night on the beach (tons of mango sticky rice - my favorite dessert)
Alas, the island hopping must end. Michael and I jumped on a plane and headed for Chiang Mai (in Northern Thailand).
1 comment:
How come there are more pics of randoms on here than of me . . . ? I'm just sayin' . . .
Post a Comment