Long Beach, Ko Lanta

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What day is it? I always have to think about this for a few seconds before I figure it out. It's Wednesday, March 1.

Where am I (I'm a lot better with this question!)? I'm on the island of Ko Lanta in Thailand.

I've been to quite a few islands during my travels but they differ dramatically. Ko Lanta is a fairly large island in the Andaman Sea that lies southeast of Phuket and south of Krabi. While the heavily touristed islands of Phuket and Koh Samui have long since gone upmarket (most of the rustic beach bungalow operations replaced by mega-resorts), Ko Lanta still retains much of its backpacker charm while offering some modern conveniences. The resorts are changing though, and the prices rising as the facilities improve. Many of the older resorts have remodeled, or added new, more modern bungalows (concrete bungalows with air conditioning). This results in a large range of accomodation and price options, even within one resort. Add to that the modern high-end resorts with spa facilities and swimming pools that are appearing, and there are a lot of options for all visitors.

So where am I staying? Lanta Palm Beach Resort, which sits on one of the more popular beaches, Long Beach. There are budget options here, but I have to admit, I'm going soft. I'm staying in one of Lanta Palm Beach Resorts' nicest bungalows, a fairly modern and new concrete bungalow with air conditioning, hot water, TV and a refrigerator. The cost is $38, including breakfast. I like my A/C. 😊 I stayed at Sayang Resort last night for $30 but my A/C wasn't working so I upgraded after checking out a few other places along the beach.

How did I start at Sayang Resort? Well, I was looking through my Lonely Planet Travel Guide while in Krabi and made a call (with my Thai moblie phone) to reserve my first night in Ko Lanta at a place that looked pretty good. The thing is, I wasn't trying to call Sayang Resort. I thought I was calling the resort that was listed above it in my travel guide. Oops. I wouldn't discover this until later. I was told that a representative of the resort named Batt would be on the ferry, and I had to find him in order to get transportation to the resort. Well, Batt found me by walking through the boat with a sign that had my name on it (misspelled of course). Once I arrived in Ko Lanta, I got in a truck with several other people and found myself at Sayang. I was slightly confused by all this but checked out the rooms and found it to be a pretty decent place. They also have a good restaurant on the beach.

I haven't explored much of the island yet. It appears there is one primary road that covers the perimeter of the island (similar to Koh Samui). I'll have to check it out, possibly tomorrow. Long Beach is on the west side of the island. The sand is decent here and the ocean calm. It doesn't compare to Koh Lipe in terms of natural beauty but the area does have a good vibe with plenty of restaurants, bars, internet cafes (2 baht per minute is standard; $3 per hour; unfortunately, the connections are fairly unreliable), and places to lounge on the beach.

I ate lunch and dinner at Mr. Wee's today, a comfortable spot on the beach near my resort. Prices are generally 80 baht ($2) for Thai food, but they specialize in pizza actually. I haven't tried the pizza yet (I may!), but it's approximately 140 baht ($3.50) for most of the varieties (many with fish on them). I've stuck with the Thai food so far, and liked my chicken with cashew nuts and yellow curry with fish.

I really need to get some pictures up of these internet places. The current internet spot I'm using is located on the beach with four fairly new computers (Windows XP). Their connection is through a satellite dish.

Ok, I think that's enough for tonight.

Look! There goes Dave!

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Photos

Sunset
Long Beach, Ko Lanta

Lanta Palm Beach Resort
The inside of my bungalow ($38 with breakfast).

Long Beach
a view of Long Beach, Ko Lanta

Comments

[Glenn]

Great spot!
David, Really enjoying your trip. Maybe we could take a collection for you to stay longer so we could continue our vicarious journey!! Your phtography continues to amaze me and gets better and better. Also noted no more sicky, yeah! I really like this location you are at now-modern but quaint-best of both. Keep in touch-Glenn ;->)