Our long boat was jam-packed with locals heading to the mainland. We were half-way back and there was some problem with the steering. We had to jump ship into another rescue boat and take that one to the mainland. Good start. We arrived at our destination of Koh Lanta and were swarmed by accommodation touts. Lou held her own in taking on 5 at once whilst Jonty made them line up and “sshh!” We chose a resort set up on a cliff facing a cracking beach that had pretty big waves. It didn’t take long for Jonty to be in amongst it body surfing the waves. Lou attempted to join him, but struggled to hold onto her bikini against the current. We spent the majority of our time on the beach, but had one exciting excursion to some caves. We hired out a moped (the only way to get around the island) and Jonty, the driver, expertly took us through mud slides. Lou had her eyes closed for most of the trip.
The cave guides are a local family based at the entrance. We were given a 1920s style flashlight and climbed up the side of a waterfall to the cave entrance. There were 4 different rooms within the cave, all interlinked. The guide was excellent and showed us exactly where to place our feet. The only time we felt slightly nervous was when we had to cross a make-shift bamboo stick bridge that hovered over a 30ft drop. At the base of the furthest cave was an underground lake which was refreshingly cool. We hadn’t quite appreciated how stiflingly hot it would be underground. To exit the cave we had to contort ourselves through a series of awkwardly shaped rocks and were then greeted by a thousand bats hanging from the ceiling. A thoroughly muddy, but enjoyable day. We decided to complete our day of activity with a traditional Thai massage and were pummelled for an hour. Not at all relaxing and completely painful! It was character building.
The next island was Koh Phi Phi. A busy, touristy island that manages to retain some charm. The setting is superb. Mountains either end of two interlinked beaches/sand bar. The sea was green and clear and you could walk out waist-deep for a long way. Great for aerobee. We hiked up to the viewpoint at the top of one mountain which gave us a memorable vista. We also discovered a tasty restaurant where everything came ‘on rice’ for a pound. The sad thing about Phi Phi is that there is litter everywhere. It was severely affected by the sunami and has building works going on in all available spaces. They could really make it something special but it seems to be every man for himself at the moment.
We moved onto Railay beach near Krabi. Lou was in shock when the boat pulled into a muddy, rubbly beach with vegetation everywhere and couldn’t quite understand how Jonty had remembered it as being one of his favourite places. But as we crossed to the other side she was amazed at the huge limestone rocks that cascaded out of the sea and protect the bay. It was indeed picturesque and our favourite beach by far. Pure white, soft sand, sunny days and a cool sea to swim in. A good find. We wished we’d stayed longer.
We decided it was time to hit the east coast islands and headed off for Koh Phangan. Up until now, we have had brilliant weather. However, after 2 nice days and a resort with a swimming pool to lounge by, the weather turned. Dreadfully. Solid rain for 3 days, we have never seen so much rain. It was interesting to witness for a day, but then came the need to leave and dry off. Tomorrow we head to Bangkok.
