It has been over a week now since our pile of relatives from Canada left and returned to their snow-covered homes. None of them were in a hurry to return after spending a couple of weeks in this warm paradise. Well, maybe not so much of a paradise if you are living in downtown Bangkok these days, but here in Chiangmia, life goes on as usual. While they were here, we headed south to Koh Lanta for a few days.
Koh Lanta is a 25 km-long island off the Andaman coast of Thailand, south of Phuket and Krabi. Renowned for its long beaches, quiet seclusion, and natural beauty both above and below the water, Koh Lanta is a beach lover’s and scuba diver’s paradise. We stayed at the Lanta Resort, which I will write about in a later post. It had its pros and cons but a good time was had by all as we wined, dined and enjoyed the warm water of the sea.
The closest town to the resort is Saladan, a small, quaint village that was about a ten-minute ride away by songtaow. While having lunch at a small oceanside cafe, we struck up a conversation with the owner. We mentioned our interest in kayaking in the area but told him we had only seen all day programs. We really only wanted to spend a morning or afternoon on this type of thing, not the entire day. After chatting with him for a few more minutes, he said he could put something together for us for a few hours for the equivalent of about $25 each. Sounded like a plan and we agreed to meet him at the resort the next morning.
Mr. Pharm showed up at 9:30 sharp the next morning and we all piled into the back of his pickup for the short journey to Saladan. Before we knew it, we were on a longboat headed out to sea. These boats are all over the place in Thailand. They have huge outboard engines with a propeller attached to a very long shaft that is held about 45 degrees to the surface of the water. We had two guides, neither of which spoke a word of English. The only thing we knew is that we were going to see monkeys and we would spend an hour kayaking somewhere! This was not a high-end tour!
About twenty minutes into the trip, one of the guides starting cutting up pineapple. At first we thought it was for us, but with a few charades and their broken English, they explained it was “for the monkeys”. Great! The last person I knew that brought fruit anywhere near monkeys was attacked, bitten and spent several visits at our nearby hospital while we were living in China. However, he had obviously done this before so we decided that it must be ok.
About ten minutes later, we approached the shoreline of a small island and he started whistling as if he was calling a dog. Before we knew it, one or two monkeys came running out of the forest. He threw some pineapple chunks onto the shore and continued his whistling. Within minutes, dozens of monkeys of all ages and sizes came scurrying out of the woods. Some were climbing the trees, others were swimming towards the boat looking for handouts.
Another longboat showed up and actually touched the shore. Within minutes, several monkeys jumped onto the boat and clamored from one end to the other. One jumped onto our boat and ran along the side, not paying any attention to my sister’s shrieks! But they were all harmless and were happy to be given all this free food!
After a few minutes, we headed back out into the open water and soon saw a stilted bamboo structure in the distance, sticking up out of the water. It was like something out of a movie! We docked against one of the sides and noticed three lonely kayaks on one of the many platforms that made up the structure. Yep, they were waiting for us! Other than the small group of lonely kayaks, there was a small kitchen and living quarters along with a spot where you could actually buy food and drinks. This was home to somebody.
Anyway, to make a long story short, we were herded into the three kayaks and sent on our way. The parting words were, “Just be back in an hour!” No life jackets, no guides….this was definitely the budget trip! As we kayaked around the area, we laughed as we saw other kayakers here and there, outfitted with shiny new kayaks and lifejackets, and a guide in the back seat.
After an hour or so, we headed back to the origin, dropped off the boats and jumped back in the longboat. We thought we were going somewhere else but ended up being returned to the restaurant where we started! Our four-hour tour was at least an hour short! We weren’t really complaining since the price was right but we still joked with Mr.Pharm when we returned about our short trip. He told us we should have told the “guides” that we were supposed to have a longer time. Hello! We thought that he and they had already worked that out. Anyway, he gave us free beers for our troubles!
As we were sitting there drinking our freebies, we looked out across the water to a beautiful, deserted sandy point in the distance. We had been looking at it during the two times we had been in the restaurant and thought how cool it would be to stand on the empty beach.
“I think we could swim across there, don’t you”, I asked my sister. When we were kids, we often swam across the lake in front of our cottage. And it was a lot further than what we were looking at now. After a little consideration, she decided that maybe it was probably not a good idea with all the boats and ferries going back and forth through the passage.
Then Mr. Pharm, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke up.
“No problem. That ferry you see going by now is the last one for the next few hours. You will be good to go for now.”
Fortunately, we decided not to swim but he did give us a kayak to make the trek across the water, as another freebie to make up for our shorter than expected tour. As the restaurant patrons looked on, Patti, Karen and I climbed into the kayak and headed out across the pass. Once again, no lifejackets!
We soon realized that swimming would not have been a good idea! As soon as we got into the open water, the wind picked up, found my body mass at the back of the kayak, and continually pushed the tail end to the right. With no keel, it was a hell of a job to keep it going straight. In addition, there was a nice current sweeping us along as well. Despite the obstacles, we made it across to the beach pretty quickly.
While we stood on the deserted beach, we looked back at the water and saw one boat after another plying their way through the passage. Yeah, right, no boats for the next few hours! We were so happy that we had decided not to swim!
After walking around the beach for a few minutes, we climbed back into our kayak and made the journey back to the other side of the water. Another day, another bunch of great experiences!
You have so many adventures !! The photos are spectacular – thanks for sharing !
Great Blog. Koh Lanta is on our list of beaches to visit in Thailand. How did they compare with Chiang Mai or other places you have visited in Thailand?
Thanks for stopping by! We have always like the beaches on Koh Lanta. Never crowded and, in general, less expensive than the more popular places such as Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. The more crowded the area, the more likely there will be scams and other problems (i.e. Phuket and Pattaya). Chiangmai is much more laid back than the south but that’s why we like it! Large city but still has a small-town feel when it comes to festivals and events. Not a huge thriving nightlife as there is in Bangkok but enough to keep us entertained on a regular basis. Add in the cultural events, the vibrant history, nearby parks, outdoor activities and friendly people, and you have a great place to live or visit!
Great post and great pics!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.