Laid Back and Mellow In Koh Lanta

It was a long journey south to the island of Koh Lanta—2 flights, 2 ferries and a 2 hour drive. We arrived in the dark to Lanta Miama resort on Klong Nin beach and were immediately enchanted with the setting of our beach-front cabin and the facilities of the resort. Dinner was right on the beach, and the staff of both the bar and restaurant were very attentive. We knew right away that it was going to be a perfect ending to our trip.

Klong Nin Beach (our beach) on Koh Lanta

 For 4 (!!) days we did…well, nothing! We got up in the morning when we felt like it, ate when hungry, read books, swam in either the bathtub-warm ocean or infinity pool, had a few cheap relaxing massages, and watched some beautiful sunsets sipping Mai Tais or Mojitos. It was heaven to finally relax and go with the flow as our trip had been so extremely busy. 

Sunset from the porch of our cabin

 After a few days however, I was feeling a little antsy, my nature being that of someone who needs to be active and be planning adventures. So on day 5 we decided to rent a scooter and check out Old Lanta town on the other side of the island.

It was a lot of fun zipping along the quiet roads past local homes and funky bars to the laid-back Old Town and later to the National Park on the southern tip of the island. The Park has a beautiful swimming beach, a hiking trail that we followed for a short distance, and a ton of monkeys checking us out.

Monkey lady at the National Park

 Driving the small motorbike brought out the “Easy Rider” in Len – I actually had to remind him that he was really on a scooter and to slow down on the straight stretches! He did get a reality check, however, when the scooter could not make it up a steep hill with both of us on it. I had to get off while he gunned it up to nearly the top and we got a good push to get our speed up from some young guys hanging around the roadside!

Notice the grin!

We also decided to book a snorkelling day trip to 4 nearby islands. A van picked us up and drove to a small village where we hopped into a longboat for a trip across the bay to 3 snorkelling sites. As luck would have it (and because we booked the “budget” -- aka cheap—tour), the engine in our boat conked out halfway to the first island and we had to flag down another boat to get towed! Thai men are pretty handy though and got the engine running again while we were snorkelling.

Longboat and island enroute to snorkelling sites

The highlight of the trip was the spectacular Emerald Cave. I had no idea what this was all about, so when we pull up and anchor near some rocks, and directed to don a life-jacket and jump into the water, I was worried. In a line, following the guide who had a flashlight, we were led through an opening into a cave tunnel. We swam in the dark for about 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on the tiny beam of light head. Terrified, I hung on to the straps on Len’s lifejacket as my life flashed before my eyes. Suddenly the tunnel ended and a huge opening loomed ahead. We stepped out of the water into sunshine and jungle. We were in a space surrounded by walls but open at the top. The walls were covered with lush green plants and the water lapped onto a pure white sand beach. Was this heaven…or a set straight out of a movie (Blue Lagoon?) It was breathtakingly beautiful! Worth the stress getting in there—but of course we had to get out…

One of many beautiful sunsets seen from the bar at our resort

Due to the fact that I am writing about this experience, all ends well with the tour and it was a great last day in Koh Lanta. To top it all off, that evening there was a live reggae band in the bar next to our hotel, so we enjoyed one last drink (or was it 2) on the beach, listening to the cool vibe of island music. 

So ends our amazing trip to Myanmar and Thailand. I am actually home as I finish this post, fighting jet-lag and post-trip “blues”. As I think about and relive our experiences I think there is one more post to make… so stay tuned…

Waiting for sunset with Mai Tais