[As usual, I wrote this a few days ago so it’s a bit off time-wise…]
I am currently in a mini-bus on the way from the island of Koh Lanta (off the west coast of Thailand) to Krabi. From there, we’ll catch a plane to Bangkok. We’ve been here in Koh Lanta for four days and I absolutely don’t want to leave. Seriously, if you don’t hear from me for a few weeks, I’ve moved to Koh Lanta permanently.
On day one we took a boat from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi and then another from there to Koh Lanta. The total travel time was around 3 hours. The boat rides were both pretty fun, wet, and scenic. On the first boat, there were four bathrooms and I waited in line for one of them and when it was finally my turn, I found that it was actually a squat toilet! At least two of the others had traditional “American” toilets but I had just made the wrong choice by accident! So I just went ahead and used it to avoid having to wait again. When in Thailand!
When we got to Koh Lanta, we haggled for a taxi ride down to Bee Bee Bungalows, a place that was listed in my guide book, to look for lodging. When we arrived we asked if they had a hut for the night and luckily they did! In the following days I saw other backpackers get turned away because the place was full, even though it isn’t really peak season so most places have rooms available. It was a 600 baht per night bungalow (about $20 USD), up a set of rickety stairs so it felt like a tree house. We really loved our hut. It was the first place we’d stayed without a/c, but it wasn’t necessary since the ocean breeze cooled us at night.
On day two we explored the island by bike. We stopped when we saw a monkey school where they train macaque monkeys to retrieve coconuts from trees. They just let the monkeys climb all over you and sit on your head and do whatever they want. At one point I couldn’t get a baby monkey off of my head!!
After a couple hours of biking I went back to the bungalow to lounge and Dylan drove around more on his own.
On day three I lounged and socialized all day with the other travelers staying at Bee Bee’s, while Dylan explored the island more on his own. We went to a place called Mong Bar for drinks where they offer some “non-traditional” menu items. Dylan took a shot of whiskey mixed with cobra blood, among other weird concoctions.
I met some really cool folks at Bee Bee’s. Particularly, there were a few people doing year-long trips so I got a lot of info from them about the ups and downs of traveling for a year. One particularly interesting new friend was a leathery-skinned, guitar-strumming German ex-pat living in Tuscany who comes to Thailand every year for three months and supposedly owns a WWOOFing farm and has two wives. The people who worked at the bungalows were also really awesome—I can’t recommend it enough if you happen to be in Thailand or Koh Lanta. The owner An is super friendly and helpful and kind of a joker. The staff was great and fun, especially this dude who goes by Bung Boy—he’s this thin, lanky Thai dude with a huge puffy afro, a creepy Errol Flynn-style moustache, and funky style.
On day four we got involved with the Songkran festival in town. Songkran is the Thai new year and it is celebrated with massive water fights all over the country. On the first day of Songkran (traditionally it lasts 3 days), we rode in the back of a small pick-up truck with 11 other travelers and locals into town, and got drenched head to toe while groups of people stopped us periodically to dump buckets of ice cold water on us while we attempted to retaliate with squirt guns and buckets of water. Bung Boy led the charge and we had an amazing time. All the travelers agreed it was one of the most fun experiences EVER. It them morphed into a big party in the streets. Given the 90+ degree heat, being drenched with cold water was almost welcome!
All throughout our time on Koh Lanta, i enjoyed eating Tom Kah Gai soup nightly, playing volleyball with other travelers and locals once the sun started to go down a bit each night, swimming in the almost-too-hot ocean water, tanning, relaxing, and making friends with the other travelers.
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I want to come back to Thailand ASAP to explore other islands and spend more time in Koh Lanta.
Next stop: BANGKOK!
