Blogs from Ko Lipe, South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia

Not much blogging lately due to a succession of beach days. The snorkelling is so good here that I didn’t feel the need or summon the energy to go on any trips, although at 600B for a full day with lunch they are reported to be very good. On my second day I walked over to Sunrise Beach but was not impressed with it. There were a phenomenal number of long tails lined up as far as the eye could see and more rubbish washing up than I’d seen on other beaches. The beach is a more or less continuous line of resorts ranging from fancy to huts, with bars which looked like they would be really good fun in the evenings. After discounting staying around the Anda Resort for the day, I walked up the ... read more

Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas to all our readers. Hope the coming year brings you joy, happiness, and a lot of traveling obviously! This blog is also to congratulate Tiffany, who has reached her 100th dive on Christmas Day! Well done young lady! And for the divers around, no she did not dive naked...may not be the right idea for a 14 years old young lady! We don't want to run into troubles for the pleasure of it! Tiffany is on summer holidays since the second of December. Already a year at school in South Africa, and we are pretty happy how well she did there! So Summer holidays for her means...Christmas! She spent first few days at home in Bangkok, than went for few days in Vietnam to see how Leslie online ... read more

I'm a little late on my blogging, so the February holidays for Leslie are already two weeks behind us. 2016 and 2017, and actually all the coming years will be a little special for us, and for me. Tiffany has now been for the last two months happily studying in her new boarding school in South Africa. She is back home for few weeks in a few days time and I can't wait to pick her up at the airport! Little girl is growing up up...fast! So why the next few years will they be very special? Well, simple, from now, I will continue to go around the world, but from time to time it will be only with Tiffany and from time to time, it will be only with Leslie....from time to time we'll be ... read more

"You have the dream job, I wish my office had a view like yours! How do you get a job like this?" This is the question that I hear everyday since I have been working in Thailand and I don't get tired of answering it at all. I am lucky and I do have a great job. Looking back, I realize that this is not my first "dream job". I have almost always worked in hospitality or food and beverage which has given me opportunity to work in some pretty unique places. I have also lived and worked in a lighthouse bed and breakfast in California, managed small inns in North Carolina and cooked in restaurants in New Orleans. Cliff has also had a few "dream jobs" of his own, from Captain of ferries, yachts and ... read more

So this being our only full day on the island we had a few things planned. First off was to relax ( after the pretty hectic journey to get here!) and secondly was to search out the sea gypsy people that are native to Ko Lipe ( this being the main reason to come here in the first place.) So with the hotel situated on the beach we were in the sea by mid morning. The sea being a beautiful colour and so clear that you could see the many fish that would swim close to the shore. The midday heat being so intense on the beach it was so relaxing to be in the water, so after doing nothing for a few hours we decided to hire a kayak. Paddling a little further out to ... read more

As I write this we are back in the same spot, off Sunset Beach, Koh Lipe, where I left off last time. This afternoon we walked across the island, down Walking Street and along the beach to check out of Thailand at the immigration office. The official in charge today was very welcoming, inviting us into his air-conditioned cabin, offering us chilled bottled water as we filled out the paper work. Back down the beach we had lunch at Cafe Lipe again. They tend to cater to the healthier side of eating, not even serving Coke or burgers, so I am no sure why we keep going back but the masaman curry with roti bread, and banana shakes are very tasty. This was our last meal in Thailand for a while. We got some groceries and ... read more