Ko Lanta

I arrived by ferry and was picked up by Reece in a tuk-tuk. It's funny how the tuk-tuks change depending on the region. In Cambodia, the tuk-tuk was basically a little wooden box haphazardly attached to the back of a motorbike. In Bangkok, tuk-tuks were more like cabs...with metal outlining the passenger portion, but still open-air. In Chiang Mai, they were not quite as enclosed as in Bangkok, but seemed more secure than the rudimentary ones of Cambodia. Now here, in Ko Lanta, they're getting fancy...the tuk-tuk passenger compartment is a booth like seat that swings around to the left side of the motor bike. In any case, I made it safely to my hotel which was only about 10 minutes away.

Right away I could tell Ko Lanta was different. Approaching the island by ferry you could see high trees bordering the white sand beaches and hills in the background. More rugged looking then Koh Phi Phi...

I arrived at the hotel and was shown to my bungalow. A thatched roof hut made of bamboo (what else?) and banana leaves...A hammock draped the entire front porch, padlocked door, full size bed with pink mosquito netting and a bathroom made of concrete, resembling what I would envision for a prison bathroom. I have a manual toilet here...must fill a bucket of water and pour it into the bowl to get it to flush, but at least it's not a squat toilet ;)

I changed into my bathing suit and headed for the beach...The beach stretched out about 2 miles in either direction...appropriately named "Long Beach" being the longest beach on Ko Lanta island. I spread out my sarong and settled in to read my book but the sun was unbearably hot! The water here was perfectly clear with gentle waves and much cooler than the bays at Koh Phi Phi. Still, even after going in it was much too hot to stay in the sun...

I ventured up to the "Cat Thai" restaurant...where there was a disproportionate amount of servers to customers. It was an open air establishment and I took a seat at the bar. Immediately was befriended by the English speaking staff. Enjoyed a fresh coconut adorned with a bright purple orchid and fruit salad for lunch. Met an old French guy on "holiday" who insisted he didn't know any English but then proceeded to talk my ear off...

After lunch I took a walk to the end of the beach...the trash from Koh Phi Phi is replaced here by shells of various colors, rocks, and broken pieces of coral. The beach is lined with restaurants and resorts, but doesn't have the party party party atmosphere of Koh Phi Phi. There are people around, but they're more civilized ;)

I headed back to my resort and fell asleep on the beach...woke up just in time to see the sun setting and turning the sky various shades of pink and purple.

Showered, changed and nestled myself into my hammock to read my book...this place is serene and peaceful, a striking contrast to Koh Phi Phi. And hammocks have got to be the greatest thing ever. They are so relaxing. I need one at home.

Well I'm going to grab some dinner and head down to the market. It just wouldn't be Thailand without a market!