Ko Lanta

We have just returned from a week in Thailand. Originally we just intended to go to Singapore but the smoke from the fires in Indonesia convinced us to go further afield, however it turned out to be not far enough.

These photos are from the trip by boat from Krabi to Ko Lanta. We have had a few friends who are are on Fulbright scholarships researching Tigers in Sumatra and Orang-utans in Kalimantan who have been forced out by the smoke to the relatively clean air of Jakarta. ( A phrase I never thought I would say )

The smoke persisted for about three days in Ko Lanta then cleared up after a large  rainstorm. We stayed at a great resort called Pimalai near the south of Ko Lanta which is an island a bit south of Phuket. Ko Lanta is a much quieter place than Phuket which is just what we needed to escape the Jakarta bustle.

The 80 odd steps up to our room which we found taxing after over-eating at the scrumptious breakfast buffet.

Little golf carts were provided to drive you up the through the jungle to the upper pool and restaurants.

We used the kayaks, paddle boards and Hobie cats from the beach.

We did a four island tour by speedboat. The snorkelling was fairly ordinary compared to what we have been to in Indonesia. The best bit was going to Emerald Cave which was a cave you swam through to the interior of a island. It would be good if the million other people swimming through were not there.

We did another half day tour where we kayaked through the mangroves and then monkeys swam over to our kayaks and ate the pineapple the guide way prepared. This was fun, if disconcerting. Our guide kept telling us monkeys on one side of the river were good and didn't bite and monkeys on the other were bad. This was not very reassuring when you watched the monkeys confidently swim the river.

 We also hired a Taxi to take us down to the national park on the southern tip of Ko Lanta. This nice and deserted and we did a hot and sweaty but enjoyable hour and a half walk through the jungle.

Look no roads, no traffic and an eagle.

All in all this was a really good break. The food in Thailand was fantastic. It was a really nice but expensive at the resort so we often just walked to little places in the village and the end of the beach. I recommend the Drunken Sailor, the Why Not Bar and the Noon restaurant.