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Published: December 28th 2010
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We took the speed boat from Phi Phi and got to sunbath on the top deck the whole way as we enjoyed another day of beautiful sunshine. After an hour and a half we arrived at Koh Lanta pier and jumped in our free transport to our hotel right on Klong Nin Beach, which was apparently the nicest beach on the island according to the tour operator. It didn't quite live up to its billing but was nice enough for a sunbathe. We also went in the sea briefly to jump into the surprising large waves which were crashing close to the shore. There wasn't much life around our hotel, so we literally just soaked up the sun for a few hours had some tea at the hotel and had a quiet night in. As the sun went down the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down for the rest of the night.
By morning the sun was shining again, so because of our remote location we decided to get another motorbike to do some exploring around the island. No sooner had we set off on our Barbie style pink bike, than a couple of macaque monkeys came running
across the road in front of us, to join their friends. We decided to find a waterfall which we'd spotted on the map, we found the sign post, parked the bike up and went up the hill in search of it. 15 minutes later, the only waterfalls in sight were the ones running down our backs! No sign of what we'd come to see. We past some Europeans coming back the other way who'd gone even further to find it but had failed, so we decided to give up as well.
We moved on and found a lovely secluded beach and settled there for a couple of hours. The only place to get a bite to eat, was from a local lady who was barbecuing chicken wings on the rocks. Jay tried to ascertain from the woman what the prices were and if there was anything else on the menu. She pointed at the salad, a mix of chillies, cucumber, tomato, ginger peelings and garlic. It all looked pretty good apart from the ants which were enjoying it too. She asked what he wanted and he said throw all of it in. After waiting what seemed like an eternity
for the chicken to be ready he bought the salad and BBQ wing back to Jo and we tucked in. It was absolutely delicious, so much so that Jo sent Jay back for another portion!
After a brief swim in the sea, we moved on and found another quiet beach where Jo spotted an impressive shell. Unfortunately it still had a half dead slimey sea creature dwelling in it. We put it upright in the sun and left it by a big log so could find it later and see if it left its home for pastures new.
We went off in search of a picturesque waterfall and Tiger Cave, stopping on the way to take a few photos of a beautiful shallow beach we had spotted from the road. As Jay hopped of and disappeared through the trees, Jo waited on the bike and after a couple of minutes an Asian Bob Marley lookalike appeared from a little hut to ask Jo if she fancied a “Smoke”. Luckily Jay returned soon after to save her from the overly friendly dread-locked stranger and we sped off on our way. After about half an hour or so we turned
off at the signposted junction which turned from a concrete road to a rocky, sandy and muddy track. Not ideal for novice motor bikers like us but we bounced up the bumpy dirt track unscathed nevertheless. On the way up we were bypassed by a friendly elephant being taken for as stroll and eventually arrived at a little bar where we could go no further. We parked our bike up and walked to the next sign for the waterfall, but it appeared to be pointing into a river. We were a bit confused but eventually discovered a hidden entrance through the forest and set off on our impromptu and very steep trek. After about ten minutes we came to a clearing with two ways to go. Luckily two woman came passed and told us that one way was to Tiger Cave and the other to the fall. We headed to the cave first and tried to disturb some little sleeping bats, by throwing stones near to where they were hanging. That soon got a few of them moving and flying about for our entertainment. After that we had another spot of luck, as a tour group arrived at the cave.
The guide asked his party if they wanted to see a big spider, they agreed and we tagged along. We were led into a dark opening within the cave by the guide who used his torch to highlight two enormous spiders sitting above our heads. The largest of the two's total size with its leg span must have been around a foot long!
Next, we headed upstream to the waterfall which was very tranquil. We were also lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a small rainbow through the flowing water and took some snaps before motoring off to find another beach for sunset. We ended up at an attractive private beach by walking through a posh hotel and took in the stunning surroundings before heading back towards Klong Nin. We'd not been on the road for long when we found a cool little bar on the edge off a cliff overlooking the sunset, so we stopped off for a drink and were soon enticed into their larger brand new restaurant down below, which had literally just opened and was made almost entirely from Bamboo. Some sweet and sour prawns, a spicy chicken curry and an apple crumble later,
we were back on the road. By this time it was pitch black but we still decided to stop off at the beach where we left the shell. We found what looked like the right location but because it was so dark we couldn't see the shell so Jo brought the bike down onto the sand to use the headlight. It paid off and Jay found the shell just as he was about to give up. However, it wasn't the wisest decision as we struggled for 10 minutes to push the sunken bike out of the sand.
The next morning the weather had taken a turn for the worse and it was hammering down. We got up early for our 7am departure to Penang, took forever to check out, then ran to the minibus with our raincoats on.
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