Our travels have finally turned to relaxation vs. the stress of moving every two days, finding safe and reliable transportation and accommodation, planning out which sights or markets to visit and how to fit them all in (oh, how I've managed to bring my love of lists with me), trying to get enough sleep, what with all of the above and the 'must see' sunrises...
The Islands of Thailand: Ko Lanta
Since relaxation is the prime motive, we have decided to minimize our island hopping. We're currently stationed on Ko Lanta, on the Andaman Sea and are not disappointed. Perhaps this is because we had our expectations set relatively low? Seems the guidebooks and some people we've spoken to don't actually know what white sand is... End result is we're happy with our beach. It's a less busy beach on a less touristy island - exactly as planned. We somehow swung an amazing deal on a brick/concrete, secure bungalow, complete with en-suite washroom, on the beach. No, not for $6 a night (don't believe the rumours - tourism is in full swing here, plus, it's high season). 500 Baht, approximately $15.
We have been spending our days simply relaxing, reading, sunning ourselves, and... eating. We've been touring the island on our sweet, very new motorbike (our most powerful one yet!), checking out the other beaches and the Old Town, taking wrong turns and ending up on the other side of the island... noticing our flat rear tire and me sitting roadside at a gas station (a.k.a., someone's home) waiting for Marc to return from his very carefully made four km trip to the repair shop... and finally, discovering some incredible restaurants. Mealtime has probably been the highlight, oddly enough. Picture this, if you will: Being served delectable, not too pricey (cheap, by Western standards) dishes while kicked back, on cushions or bean bag chairs, in your own private open-faced bamboo hut, lanterns and torches providing atmospheric light at night, DJ spinning chilled tunes, the waves gently lapping at the shore... Marc and I, reading, chatting, relaxing... Pure Bliss, I say! Almost like a second honeymoon, no?
The low tide/high tide situation here is interesting and unlike anything I've seen before. While the water is swimmable 24/7, especially directly in front of our resort as there are so few rocks - lucky! - at random times during the day it's low tide. At high tide, all you see is water. At low tide, the beach is transformed and all of the black rocks hidden by the water are suddenly completely visible. It's incredible, as if we're on another beach entirely. It's a wild experience to watch the tide moving out. Yes, we've done it. Yes, while eating...!
On our first two nights, we were woken up at random hours by the strange chanting of a bird(?), gecko(?), some other unknown creature(?) that appears to be living in our bathroom wall. I'd really like to know what it is that makes such a sound... On that note, did you know geckoes make an almost birdlike chirping noise? News to us.
Unrelated side note: My mouse has been entertaining me (and Marc, as he's the one who noticed) by continuously changing colours. Funky.
Island Bonus #7: The lack of begging. Sweet, sweet relief!
Island Bonus #12: No real markets on the islands and beach areas, so far. Plus, too pricey so we wouldn't shop here anyway. Marc is thrilled...
Prior to Ko Lanta we were in Krabi, which is on the mainland but has plenty of beaches. We visited one beach area, Ao Nang, for dinner one night, and were shocked by the number of tourists (Scandinavians, mostly), the cost of our meal, the prices they were charging in the shops, and the sheer Western-ness of it all. Happy we hadn't chosen to stay there, we head back to our hotel! Instead of being typical holiday tourists hanging out on a crowded beach, we rented a little jeep. It didn't take Marc long to figure out the whole left-hand driving but those first few minutes were a bit tense! I thought I was going to have to pull out my 'Side!' call used many a time while driving in Australia and NZ! We visited the Emerald Lagoon, this incredible blue water filled hole, really, in the middle of nowhere. There were a few other tourists there but just before we left a group of young Thai boys came dive-bombing in, splashing and laughing. It was a great sight. We also went to these natural hot springs, where we dipped in the small pools formed by the rocks. Apparently 20 minutes is good for your health!
It Was All Yellow...: The King's 80th birthday was celebrated while we were in Krabi. Every Thai wore pale yellow to commemorate the event. Not so unusual, actually, as this is the first thing we noticed upon our arrival in Bangkok. What's with everyone wearing light yellow??
In a few days we're off to Ko Tao, a tiny island on the Gulf of Thailand. Our last beach on this trip! :(
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