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

I've just come across this blog now we're home and have good wi fi. I realised I never published it. So a bit out of order I'll publish it now. Also I had problems loading photos onto the blog " sailing to Phi Phiisland" I've now resolved the problem and have added more if you want to jump forward two blogs you'll find them. It's still my favourite island scenic-wise so well worth a look. ------------- +++++ ------- ++++++ --------- ++++++---------- Ko Lanta is one of Thailand's biggest islands but unlike Phuket, which has been over developed, Lanta has remained like ' Old Thailand' . Because of the size, to see it all you need transport. We hired a small car for one day. There's only really one road that goes down to the national park ... read more

One of the things we love about this part of the world are the warm evenings. On Ko Lanta, if you want it, there's always something going on. We'd heard there was a Food and Music Festival being held on Beautiful Beach so decided to take a trip there one evening. As we walked past the mini mart and up the dust street to the main road a tuk tuk driver called out- "where you go? Tuk tuk? " We told him the music festival and he looked clueless, all the same he gestured us to get in. When we got onto the main road he asked us to point which way then got out his phone and brought up Google maps. We pointed to Beautiful beach and he seemed to know it, but I got ... read more

Three and a half days after leaving home we're now on Ko Lanta. Three flights, three taxis and one minivan. We've been dreaming of returning for the last three years so happy to be back finally. As we're planning to stay for a few weeks were taking things quite slowly. It's just so nice to be experiencing warm, or should I say hot, weather. No putting on layers of clothing before leaving home. Here we just slide our feet into flip flops and go. Everyone walks around with a smile on their face as if they've not a care in the world. It's very infectious. So now it's time to chill out. Firstly we wake up to the sound of some nearby chickens clucking away around 6.30am, as they quieten down there's a bird with a ... read more

I had a pretty sleepless night due to the local cockerels, dogs, cicadas and geckos tag teaming all night all around me, one would stop and then some other sort of argument would strike up. I had to be ready for 7.30 so no chance of breakfast and I did not feel my best. I’d paid Yai 250bt for the boat to the mainland and a can transfer to Trang bus station where I had to find my next van. I hadn’t researched this much/at all so wasn’t feeling too confident but googled a bit on the first van and it looked doable, as Yai had said. He drove me along the pier to the halfway point where there were 2 shonky looking contraptions and he told me which guy wold be the van driver, he ... read more

Arrived alive, family and friends! So I had booked a speedboat from Koh Lanta to Koh Mook with hotel pickup and for some reason (I think I was trying to find out the arrival time) I made the mistake of looking at Tripadvisor yesterday. The reviews from this month, let alone 4 years ago, were terrible. The worst had the boat hit a mudbank and the passengers were stuck there for hours and hours, some even calling their embassies for help and having to wade through mud with their bags to extortionist boatmen in longtails, the crew having abandoned ship and left them. It made for a scary read! I wondered about changing my plan and not bothering with Koh Muk, losing £80 and going to Ao Nang or staying where I was. As it was ... read more