Sala Dan, Ko Lanta

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Welcome to my blog. I'm sitting in the open-aired lobby of my guesthouse, typing away on their only computer while the owners/staff keep bringing me things. What do I mean? Well, there are bananas, slices of watermelon and bottled water in front of me. I didn't order any of it...but I like it!

This guesthouse, Lanta M.P. Seaview Guesthouse, is a small operation consisting of 8 rooms located at the end of the "big" village, Sala Dan, on Ko Lanta. The guesthouse opened in September of 2005 and is very clean, nicely decorated, with a friendly staff (although they don't speak much English). The cost at this time of year is very reasonable for A/C, hot water, mini-frig, and a good view (700 baht; $18). I just stumbled on it by walking through the village. I doubt it's in any guidebooks. I did a little search through google and found their website ( M.P. Seaview website ). You may need to brush up on your Thai to decipher it though (it's all in Thai). I recommend the place.

What's Sala Dan like? Well, the village has some charm and although it's the biggest village on the island, it's small. It primarily consists of two streets. The street along the water has most of the restaurants, while the street extending inland has most of the banks, convenience stores, and travel agencies. The village gets a fair amount of business during the day when the boats arrive/depart but is fairly slow at night.

Speaking of restaurants, I'm making my way through most of them in this village. The specialty, as you might expect, is seafood (fish, squid, and prawns especially). Although crab and lobster are on most of the menus, I haven't actually seen them in the days catch (usually visible in the front of the restaurant). Most of the restaurants are housed in buildings that extend into the water on piers. The seating areas are positioned furthest from the shore, and open-aired. It makes for a really cool atmosphere, although there is little to differentiate one restaurant from the next. In one section, there are literally 4 restaurants side by side. Can't say which is my favorite restaurant yet. The quality of the food seems to be similar. I like the tables at Rimnum Seafood, and the staff at Saladan Seafood. Maybe a verdict will come by tomorrow? Maybe?

It's about dinner time, and I'm ready to eat!

So what's in store for tomorrow? Well, I'm leaving Ko Lanta in the afternoon on a mini-bus to Krabi. Where am I going to end up? Not really sure. 😊

Thanks for reading...

Look! There goes Dave!

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Photos

View from my room
looking out the window from my room (#6) at the Lanta M.P. Seaview Guesthouse.

Is Coke it?
the endorsements for Coke are overwhelming. Where did Pepsi go? This is the intersection of the two main streets in Sala Dan.

Longtail boats in Sala Dan
Longtail boats at the end of a couple of the restaurants in Sala Dan, Ko Lanta.

Sala Dan
approaching "restaurant row" of Sala Dan

Lanta M.P. Seaview Guesthouse
Room #6.