Blogs from Ko Lanta, South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 2

So having stayed here for 2 nights so that I could visit the sea gypsy village to the south of the town, it didn’t work out like that, the reason being that instead of being just after the pier as I had imagined it was an hours’ walk, so that was the end of that! I was awake at 3.30 am thanks to the cockerels. When I counted them later there are at least 14 living opposite amongst the abandoned car parts, bikes and other rubbish. That’s about 14 too many, IMHO. When I left this morning the family were working on their fish catch, descaling and gutting. The scales on the white snapper were huge, the size of 10p pieces, and they were pushing them down a hole in the concrete, presumably (hopefully) for the ... read more

Basically, my days have been get up at 7.30, breakfast and buy a picnic lunch, go to the beach and stay there all day. Having been here before and after an overview of the other (rockier) beaches further south, Long Beach is just perfect for relaxing, swimming and reading a book. The best I ever is 8am, not too hot, people doing yoga type things, so peaceful. Although there are mainly backpacker type huts here, some rather wonky on their legs and with shared bathrooms, the average age of tourist is around retirement age and Swedish, with a few intrepid parents and babies. The Aleena Minimarket is the best social space to meet people as you can just get a cheap beer from inside and sit there all night chatting, always someone to engage with. And ... read more

After a few days of doing not a lot, besides people watching on the beach, snorkelling, watching sunsets and trying out different restaurants, we are truly chilled to the core. (But in a good way, not in the way you might be back home in Britain) So, it was time to go and do some exploring. We set off on a long walk to find some sandy bays and coves further afield. Setting off in the cool of the early morning was quite easy but as we returned in the late afternoon the sun was high in the sky and beat down relentlessly. Half way back we stopped off at Mad Bull bar, a place we'd discovered last time we were here that served ice cold beer and a huge plate of cheesy chips with crispy ... read more

After an early morning flight from Bangkok to Krabi then a two hour minibus ride we arrived on the gorgeous island of Ko Lanta. It's the third time we've been here. So why do we keep coming back? You may well ask. The world is a big place and we intend to go and explore more of it very soon but for now its great to take some time out in a place we know so well and love. We rolled up to the reception of Best House and the owner came out. She instantly recognised us from three years ago and greeted us warmly. She knew about the booking but hadn't put a name to the face. We dropped our gear in the room and went to the mini mart to buy cold water. The ... read more

Despite being super tired after the animal rescue experience, I managed to stay awake long enough to go to the Thai boxing stadium (grand word, in this case) at the end of the road. This was achieved by eating cake and drinking fresh limeade. I think some places make the farangs buy the VIP seats right in front of the ring, but I managed to get a cheaper one for the tiers. Still a farang price, 800b. It was very uncomfortable sitting on the shonky planks with huge gaps in them. It was supposed to start at 9 but was about 45 mins late, by which time I was regretting it. I could see some young boys warming up on the other side and there was an Aussie guy giving the English commentary and explaining the ... read more