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Published: January 10th 2009
Longtail boats
Basically, car engines mounted on gimbles with bloody great prop shafts sticking out the back. Dangerous as hell!Ross:
The change of minibuses in Hat Yai found us being chauffered by a young wannabe F1 driver with little respect for the lives of any of his passengers, including a heavily pregnant Thai lady in the passenger seat. Fortunately, after endless shared glances and raised eyebrows between our fellow passengers and several death-defying overtaking manoeuvres later, plus a short off-road diversion, we arrived alive in Krabi. The minibus driver dropped us at a family tour agency just around the corner from the night market. We were swiftly ushered inside by Lek, a Thai guy with a friendly smile and limited English. After much deliberation we finally agreed to take him up on the offer of a guesthouse in Krabi for the night, as well as two single tickets to Koh Lanta by bus/ferry and a night at the Blue Andaman resort upon our arrival the following day, all for a grand total of 28 GBP.
Like Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Beach' we'd heard of all the tourist traps and had been frantically scouring the net for a quieter alternative to the rowdiness of Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. A dredded (dred-locked, not dreaded) earth-mother on our van from
Limestone rock formations
As seen from the river in Krabi Penang had been raving about an island called Koh Jum however, the mention of diesel generators (and her rather smelly hair-do) gave us nasty flashbacks of some of the Fijian islands. Not wishing to spend our Christmas dinner in darkness, we wanted somewhere with at least a semi-reliable electricity network. Plus, if they haven't got electricity, they're unlikely to have internet, a prerequisite for contacting the loved ones (yes, you!) over the Christmas period. As such, we decided to stick with our earlier choice of Koh Lanta. To be honest we didn't know a fat lot about the place however, it sounded like it hadn't been completely obliterated by over-development, but equally wasn't still stuck in the dark ages. One very good internet guide that we used was www.travelfish.org. We decided (with a little help from Lek) that we'd book one night on the island, scout out the place and find somewhere we were really happy with for Christmas. Back to Krabi...
Lek, whose Christmas had clearly come early due to the expanding grin on his face, waved us off in the guesthouse's free taxi pick-up. Upon arrival at 'P Guesthouse', about five minutes around the corner, Lek miraculously
'Two-rows'
A favourite means of transport in Thailand seemed to appear out of nowhere! Strange, that...
P Guesthouse is a perfectly adequate establishment on a quiet backwater just up the hill from the main pier in Krabi, with a nice little adjoining eatery and free WiFi. After dumping our bags, we quickly tucked into our first Thai food of the trip, a tasty green curry and coconut soup. After a mildly confusing conversation with Lek after dinner about how he was pregnant with three children; a boy, a girl and a ladyboy, we made our excuses and crashed in front of the telly with a good episode of CSI and a not-so-good Japanese special of the 'Ellen' show.
Our pick-up for Koh Lanta on Friday 19th December was at 1pm so we got up lazily, posted a few bits and bobs to family at the post office and took a walk around Krabi. First off, we headed down to the river to see the longtail boats, swarms of small crabs (all with one pincer greatly outsizing the other - possible 'Krabi' link here?) and gazed out across the water at the mangroves. Heading upstream a little way we took a left towards the main street.
Krabi isn't a quaint place but more of a functional town. We heard reports that it had been over-commercialised due to tourism but it's not, in fact we saw very few tourists. Instead it seems to be somewhere people use as a base for travelling to the islands and resorts along the west coast, as well as a supply town for businesses based at these resorts. The high street does have both a McDonald's and KFC but most of the tourism is contained to Ao Nang Beach, someway further along the coast.
Apart from the elaborate lampposts and traffic light stands, the highlight of Krabi town centre has to be it's brand spanking new Buddhist temple. Set back on the hill, the approach up the white stairway, lined with red mythical beasts of the dragon variety, is truly spectacular, with the pristine white temple towering above. It's probably not the most impressive sight you'll see in Thailand, but for us on our first day it was still pretty special (although Pol abstained from trekking up the steps and savoured the view from the bottom)
With 1pm fast approaching we wound our way back to the guesthouse, picked up
our bags and nervously boarded yet another minivan for our three-hour journey to Koh Lanta.
The journey involved two short vehicle-ferry crossings and, apart from Pol's undersized bladder, was fairly uneventful. Upon arrival in Saladan, on the northernmost tip of the island, we transferred to a second minibus straight to the Blue Andaman resort.
Prior to arrival we had put a few e-mails out regarding Open Water scuba diving courses and a few dive centres had replied offering diving and accommodation packages but again we wanted to check these options out fully before committing, rather than ending up stuck somewhere dingy where Santa would struggle to find us.
Upon arrival at the Blue Andaman resort we were allocated a very big room with air-con but set well back from the beach. We were also a bit concerned about the distance of the resort from Saladan town. So, after dumping our bags, we had a quick snack in the 'Sound Shack' bar before hopping on a tuk-tuk to Funky Fish on Long Beach, one of the resorts recommended by Blue Planet dive centre. Although the Funky Fish bamboo bungalows were very cheap, they weren't quite what we were
looking for either, especially for a potential seven-night stay, but the general area felt right, so we spent a good couple of hours wandering along Long Beach, enquiring about accommodation. Most of the places were offering very basic bamboo huts for about 500 Baht (10 quid) but for anything slightly more upmarket we were looking more in the region of 800 Baht (I know this sounds a bit stingy but it's been a long trip and Asia was meant to be bringing the budget back in line...). Availability didn't seem to be a problem, apparently due to the drop in tourism as a result of the Bangkok airport fiasco, but a lot of places were holding out on their prices, expecting things to recover over Christmas.
Eventually, we found a little guesthouse about 30 yards from the beach, run by an elderly Chinese couple, that had been recommended by two girls we'd bumped into in Penang. The rooms were sizeable, modern and clean although lacked air-con and other creature comforts such as a TV. Initially, the owner's unwillingness to budge on the price left us wandering off feeling slightly perplexed given how quiet everywhere was, until we stumbled upon
the Lanta Diver's Long Beach office. We had a lovely little chat with a very friendly guy called Neil from Wolverhampton who was living at Best House Guesthouse whilst working for the dive centre. He couldn't speak highly enough of the place so, after returning somewhat sheepishly, we signed up for a seven night stay at 500 Baht a night. After celebrating with a beer and a Thai snack at 'Somewhere Else', a little restaurant on the beach, we returned to Blue Andaman for the night, pleased as punch to have secured some decent digs for Christmas, and relieved to be escaping the increasingly chavvy looking clientele at the 'Sound Shack'...
The next morning we were picked up promptly from the Blue Andaman resort by the Best House pick-up. Once we'd off-loaded at Best House we wandered down to see Neil and I signed up for the Open Water scuba diving course, whilst Polly put her name down to join me on Christmas day for a couple of fun dives. We also signed up for a Christmas dinner of turkey with all the trimmings at a little cafe called 'Out to Lunch', run by a lady from London. Neil
then arranged a lift for us to the main Lanta Divers office in Saladan, where we paid up and got kitted out with suitable diving gear.
The Open Water course is the basic scuba diving qualification to allow you to dive to a maximum depth of 18m with a 'buddy'. The course runs over four days, with two confined water dives (in a swimming pool or shallow bay), a couple of classroom theory sessions, followed by two dives in open water to 12 metres and two dives to 18 metres. Fortunately, I'd managed to get my hands on a copy of the PADI Open Water manual from a book exchange in Kuala Lumpur so had already been swatting up.
The course wasn't due to start until 22nd December so after scrounging a lift back to Long Beach, we spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach and floating in the sea. The water temperature was perfect but occasionally a little uncomfortable due to a strain of plankton that had washed up and was causing very minor skin irritations. Polly finally indulged in a long-awaited Thai oil massage that afternoon at our local beach-side massage hut. We
then wandered up to a Muslim restaurant on the main road called 'Da's Kitchen', for a very tasty fish curry.
When we finally turned in that night we were slightly frustrated by the volume of the music from a nearby bar (Oh, how the tables have turned!). Keen to nip things in the bud, I scouted out the other side of the building and found that it was much quieter, so the next morning the management gave us the pick of rooms, and with help from the cleaning staff, helped us relocate. This included moving our double bed because all the rooms on the other side of the corridor were twin beds. What an accommodating bunch of people!
After switching rooms on the Sunday morning we had another leisurely day, spending a little bit of time exploring Saladan and having another mouth-watering Thai lunch at 'Catfish' on the pier, before heading back to the beach to catch some afternoon sunshine. Pol probably had another Thai massage and we probably both enjoyed a couple of sun-downers, the exact details escape me...
On 22nd December, the day had finally arrived for me to start my diving course. After a
Elaborate bird tables
These are actually Buddhist shrines. The Thai folk leave all sorts of goodies out for the Buddhist gods, inlcuding fizzy pop and sweets... quick coffee, I was picked up at 7.30am by the Lanta Diver's pick-up and driven to Saladan to meet my instructor, Rohan, from Pembrokeshire and fellow students, Cath and Jess, both South African but studying in London. We wasted no time getting the first couple of theory modules under our belts before spending the afternoon in a nearby swimming pool, learning the basic underwater scuba procedures. Pol, in the meantime, enjoyed a jog along the beach, followed by another massage on the beach, topped off with a bit of reading...on the beach! We ended the day with overpriced Thai fish and chicken curries at a posh place a bit further down the beach, but with a small firework display to make up for it.
The second day of the course was much the same as the first, albeit reversed. We spent the morning in the pool honing our buoyancy techniques before completing the theory sections and multiple-choice exam in the afternoon, broken up with a cheap and tasty Thai lunch on the pier. Pol jumped on a tuk-tuk into Saladan for a Pad Thai lunch and treated herself to some local jewellery and a bottle of plonk to have
with Christmas dinner, before meeting me at Lanta Divers after an early finish. We topped the evening off with a celebratory sundowner and dinner at our now-favourite eatery, 'Somewhere Else'.
Christmas Eve was crunch time in terms of diving. The dive boat took us out to Koh Ha, a group of steep limestone pinnacles descending almost vertically down to the ocean floor. Rohan briefed us all fully on the way out but I was feeling a little apprehensive. I'd done a bit of reading up about air pockets in dental fillings and had convinced myself that my one filled tooth was going to implode (due to a previous painful experience whilst doing a taster dive in Turkey some years ago). After descending to 6m or so at the start of the first dive there clearly was nothing to worry about. We repeated the standard procedures on the bottom before heading off to explore the reef and it's marine life. Rohan made us all feel extremely comfortable underwater and went about his instructor duties very professionally. The second dive after lunch was even more enjoyable and gave us plenty of time to enjoy the underwater world. The professionalism and organisation
on and off the boat was brilliant , as were the endless free snacks, tea, coffee, cooked breakfast and Thai lunch.
Polly, in the meantime was doing a course of her own. She'd enrolled on a one day Thai cookery class and was learning to rustle up a few local treats (under the watchful eye of her Snoop Dogg look-a-like tutor) such as coconut milk soup, spicy beef salad, chicken massaman curry, red seafood curry and chicken with hot basil leaves. She found it a bit hot and sweaty slaving over a wok all day, but came away with a personalised cook book detailing all the dishes she'd made, as well as plenty of leftovers which were keenly devoured back at our guesthouse. That evening we settled in for a few Christmas Eve beverages at a nearby beach bar with Fil & Nicola, a couple from Nottingham who I'd met on the dive boat that day and were staying at Best House. Some hours, and numerous in-depth conversations later, we turned in for the night.
Christmas Day started early with another 7.30am pick-up (this time for both of us) followed by a two-hour boat trip to Koh Bida.
A mini gecko
This little fella had set up camp in my rucksack For the first dive of the day Polly went off with a group of qualified divers whilst I finished off the last few bits from the course but she joined us for our second dive after lunch. With all the assessments out of the way, Rohan spent most of the time finding interesting marine life for us to have a gander at, the most impressive of which was a pregnant two-metre long leopard shark that seemed quite unphased by us lot gawping at it as it went about its day. After finally getting signed off as a diver, we headed back to shower and rest before the evenings festivities. A marathon Skype session took us up to our 8pm Christmas dinner slot. We were joined at dinner by a couple from North London, Maria and Leon, and after devouring our food (including turkey, beef, roast potatoes, sausage wrapped in bacon, pork stuffing, yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, green beans, carrots, cabbage, gravy, horseradish sauce, mustard, cranberry sauce - but no bread sauce!) we hooked up with fellow newly-qualified divers, Cath & Jess, instructor Rohan, Fil & Nic, and a few others for a big Christmas knees-up with another couple of hundred
Best House Guesthouse
A peaceful Christmas haven people at the adjacent Ozone Bar. I think we went to bed at about 4am...
Surprisingly we were up before 1pm the next day, and eventually made it into Saladan (on a bargain 60 Baht tuk-tuk) for lunch, to book our return journey to Krabi and an onward ticket to Koh Tao. After not doing much else we settled for a supper of pizza at Mr Wee's back on Long Beach, then home to bed for a quiet bit of reading. We both woke up some hours later in the middle of the night with our books on our faces...
On Saturday 27th, after a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas week on Koh Lanta, we sadly packed up our things, said our farewells and awaited our minivan to take us back to Krabi, via the ferries.
Long Beach, Koh Lanta really is a prime spot for unwinding, although it's still possible to bust some moves at the weekend (or over Christmas and the New Year) at a few select establishments, assuming you don't mind the sand dance floors. It's very easy to while away a day or three in a hammock with a book without too many disturbances. It
seems to be more of a favourite with the Scandanavians than the Brits and there's certainly no Club 18-30s feel about the place, compared with the likes of Koh Tao. We were undoubtedly lucky that the place was relatively empty when we arrived, though it was certainly getting busier by the time we left, probably a result of the Bangkok Airport incidents earlier in December and the last minute changes to the Thai visa-exemptions.
We would also highly recommended Lanta Divers to anyone considering diving from Koh Lanta. On the surface, they came across as a very professional dive centre. They are a Scandanavian outfit but provide instruction in most languages. Although the dive sites are much further away and the diving is more expensive than on the east coast, the increased visibility, diversity of marine life and fully inclusive boat trips more than make up for it.
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