The pick up arrived to take us to the ferry, the 'old bag' thrown in the back, sporting a new center parting as she stupidly allowed her husband to re-restyle her mop that morning!
The ferry was heaving, the fortunate made it inside the air conditioned area leaving the remaining (us included) sizzling in the midday sun. Matt and I made for the front of the boat and recreated the famous scene from Titanic...more of a crumpled couple of idiots really! I had a slight mishap on the metal steps down to the front, my foot slipped on a lower rung, twisting my leg and damaging the top of my foot. Now many of you will be wandering how many beers were involved...none just pure clumsiness. Disembarking at Ko Lanta, limping and clutching my scalp, as the newly parted hair style had left virgin skin open to the sun, I was feeling far from glamorous...what a numpty!
View of Ko Pu, next to Ko Jum which is our next destination if I can drag Matt away from Lanta.
View from a restaurant near our first accommodation, a clean room but overwhelming mildew smelling sweat bucket of a room which we vacated after a couple of days. The beach (Long beach) whilst looked idyllic was swamped with jellyfish gently swaying at the shore line, apparently the clear ones were pretty harmless but just watch out for the pink ones...poor buggers who are colour blind don't stand a chance!
Sunsets a plenty here
We moved to accommodation further from the party end of the beach and many of the bars. After a few sleepless nights, lying there sweating and listening to arguments backed by rock ballads we decided if you can't join 'em then move. The beach is indeed stunning, stretches of white empty sand but not an ounce of shade in sight with sun brollies band apparently. Not being able to swim, due to jellyfish, and lack of shade made it pretty difficult to last for more than an hour before either hobbling (for me) down the beach to the bars or back to our room...and I'm not expecting sympathy from all freezing your nuts off in the UK!
A day round the island on a moped and would be rude not to stop for a coconut shake en route.
Far end of the beach, enjoying some Aussie hospitality at the Koala bar. Matt was gutted that the pizza oven hadn't reached the desired temperature yet and had to make do with a HUGE burger.
All in all lots of chilling, sunbathing, hiding from the sun and eating. After visiting other parts of Asia, and Ko Lanta in 2010 it was quite an eye opener to return. For me, whilst Ko Lanta is indeed beautiful it also feels like it is in the middle of a massive shift to a different type of traveller. Many businesses lie dormant, either half built or a dinosaur of their time, preserved but deserted, only tourist ghosts remain. The days where budget backpackers ruled are numbered and a very different beast has taken control. I get the feeling that the locals are reeling somewhat from the change, prices are elevated making the problem worse as the tourist expectation is not met. I find it hard to distinguish between what is Thai and what is western. Curries are all toned down to the point where I'm asking for 'falang medium' to prevent being presented with a scented stew type concoction which leaves you wanting. TripAdvisor, Hostelworld etc., whilst wonderful tools are probably contributing to this demise, making it easier for tourists to feedback on price, areas lacking the western 'comforts' or 'desires' and bending the shape of Thai offerings. Don't get me wrong, we have befitted hugely from review sites but I feel it has caught the Thais unawares.
Tomorrow we head to Ko Jum, remote and a bungalow set within a 'jungle-side' setting, comes complete with monkeys, rats and plenty of bitey things. Will this be paradise or our biggest nightmare...
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