Thailand: Exploring Ko Lipe & Ko Lanta Islands

Departing the island of Langkawi by ferry in Malaysia we set off for the only country we’d previously visited in SE Asia back in 2013 and a perennial favorite for many: Thailand! Land of the Smiley People. This may have been our second trip through Thailand. But this trip is very different. In 2013, our issue was time. Back then we’d been insane enough to try and tour Thailand in 10-days… this was of course back in the days where we were working towards our careers and 10 days was the most amount of time off we were could get out of work. But, not this time around!!

We kicked things off on the southernmost island of Ko Lipe, which is a three-hour ferry ride from Langkawi. It’s amazing to watch the terrain begin changing as you move from Malay into Thai waters. The limestone rock cliffs on the islands get substantially more impressive, the Andaman Sea grows more iridescent, and you can almost smell the irresistible Pad Thai and Tom Yum wafting off the mainland beckoning us in.

Ko Lipe

Our first gaze of Ko Lipe. Our ferry pulled into a sea dock and we had to be then transferred by longtail boat to the shore. We couldn’t help but wince every time the Thai workers lifted somebody’s behemoth roller bag from the ferry down to the longtail boat. It looked like OHSA’s worst nightmare as the boat bobbed in the waves. This being high season, in a country that is now unfortunately quite saturated by tourism, there were a LOT of people, even in this more out-of-the-way island.

The boat we took ashore, as well as the makeshift plastic pier.

First time receiving a passport stamp while standing in sand. After this, we got to throw away 400 baht ($12) on a national park fee for a park on a a neighboring island which we weren’t even going to. We weren’t happy, and weren’t the only ones.

We walked 12 minutes to our accommodation called “Time to Chill House” which was a jungle bungalow tucked away from the crowds of the beach for $31.81/night which, quite frankly, is a bit over our usual self-imposed limit of $25/night. But, as mentioned, it’s high season right now in this part of the world, and the bargains are harder to come by. We were greeted by our very first Thai hippie who definitely fit the name of his place as he showed us our queen bed junglelow with an en-suite bathroom, which featured lots of holes for skeeters, frogs, spiders and other creepy crawlers to surprise us on the potty.

The place definitely had great potential with a chill vibe. Bungalows were everywhere, including even more overpriced luxury options (in which no one ever stayed in), bean bag chairs flopped throughout, hulking resident cats (more on that later), lots of Indian-style tables, scattered tiki huts, and also overpriced food and beers on demand. We were one of very few guests. They just seemed to be missing a little something something.

As soon as we left our accommodation, however, it was time to dive head first into our unquestionably favorite world cuisine. And we were thrilled that even on the islands finding fresh, delectable Thai concoctions at a reasonable price ($1-$3) was very attainable.

Chicken satay (Greg’s fav)
Papaya salad (Mandy’s fav)
Spiced vegetable coconut soup
Spicy basil with tofu
Pad Thai

Mandy relaxing at Time to Chill House. Unfortunately she did this a lot more than she preferred in Thailand. After doing regular yoga practice for weeks following her class, she managed to hurt her hip which made sitting difficult and long ferry and bus rides particularly grueling.

There is more to Ko Lipe than just pretty beaches. Traditional Thai villages line the interior. All the locals were kind, but not very interested in us. Clearly they are very used to seeing the whities!

There are no shortages of stunning scenes to capture in Ko Lipe. Although it was busy, it wasn’t as overly saturated as we originally thought once you got away from the main beach. The water was super inviting, calm and clear. And…there were very few hawkers on the beach!

You haven’t really been to Thailand until you ride in a quintessential longtail boat. This type of watercraft is native to SE Asia and uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and easy power source. They are still used regularly by the local population as cargo, fishing and transport vessels, as well as the classic tourist trips. An average boat with guide costs 900-2000 baht ($28-$63) to rent for the day. We just took pictures.

Bulow Beach, the northernmost beach. So idyllic.

We had a little bit of an adventure trying to go from Bulow to a vegan restaurant on the other side called Benny’s on the Beach, not really paying attention to the fact that google showed Bulow ending before the next beach began. We ended up wading hip to chest deep into the waters for about 50 feet, precious electronics held high over head to avoid catastrophe. We both got minor cuts on our feet from the sea rocks, but thank goodness, the iPhone remained unscathed? Here is where we reached the other side.

And where we enjoyed three overpriced tapas plates for $8. But the view was absolutely priceless.

The next day we decided to purposely submerge in the water and rent a kayak to take out to a smaller island for some snorkeling. It was $9 an hour including snorkel/mask, which we thought was very reasonable.

I think when we’re kayaking is the only time our selfies turn out well enough to share ?

What amazingly clear water. Disturbingly, however, there was very little sea life. Most of the coral beneath has been dead for a very long time.

Sunrise Beach

In a typical local Thai eatery, you will always find three essentials: plastic chairs, plastic tablecloths and divinely fresh ingredients. If they don’t have an ingredient, they’ll literally run down the street to the market to get it. It’s rare to hear the words “it’s finished” in the Land of Thai. This spicy tofu and basil cost 50 Bhat ($1.60) and was superb. We had it alongside a delicious coffee shake (similar to a Starbucks Frappuccino) for 30 baht ($1.)

Have we mentioned the jumbo cats everywhere? Another feature which seems prevalent in this part of SE Asia is that all the cats are lacking full tails! They only have stumpy bobs or little kinked half tails. One legend says that the Buddha said that “nothing on this Earth is perfect, and that cats were the exception to that.” So their tails were broken so that they would no longer be the perfect creature. But in fact, it’s purely genetics.

A couple of tasty omelets and toast at a local cafe was $5.14 around the corner. We also made our own coffee and tea using pre-bought supplies at our bungalow using our trusty electric coil before we left for breakfast.

Greg provides free advertising for the tourism board. We’re good for that huh?

One of the many jolly kebab sellers which Greg visited frequently. They had all kinds of meat including chicken, beef and various types of seafood. All for 10 baht each. ($.31)

The only way for us to enjoy a beer! 7-11 and straight to the beach! Still about 40 baht for a small Chang. ($1.25) Couldn’t ask for a better place to watch the sunset!!

Of course the restaurants offered these comfy seats, which also seemed to be everywhere on Ko Lipe, including our front porch!

A Chang-slurping sunset.

The main walking drag of Ko Lipe is not-so creatively called “Walking Street” and features every type of picture menu, key-chain selling and all-you-can-eat establishments a tourist could ask for.

Leaving on the ferry, one of the staff members loads our little, compact round-the-world backpacks amongst the two-week vacation roller bags. We chuckle…every time.

Ko Lanta

After three days on Ko Lipe we fled in fear of blowing our monthly budget to the island of Ko Lanta. This took us three hours by a very bumpy (aka tortuous for Mandy’s old lady hip) speedboat. The worst part is the torture cost a whopping $83. Usually when we experience such fun, we’re at least saving money. Oh no siree, not this time ?

The island of Ko Lanta is a Thai island particularly popular for scuba divers. It’s also known for coral-fringed beaches, mangroves, limestone outcrops and rainforests.

Ko Lanta is not too developed and not too crowded, especially after you get away from the main beaches near the ferry terminal. After Ko Lipe, it is also a much bigger island…with lots of…ahem…pleasure to be found.

We chose a place about 30 minutes away from the main drag which required a ridiculously pricy 400 baht ride ($13) on a somewhat sketchily constructed, yet adorable, motorcycle side car which seemed very popular in the islands. Our chariot was driven by a lady who decked hers in particularly girlie-style with a pink motorbike and sleek blue and white side carriage. All she needed was a bobble head Hello Kitty on the front for a complete look.

We were greeted by Sao at our guesthouse, Mada Lanta Mai Keaw, who teasingly scolded us for not using her driver (aka her husband) who drove a real car. (In fact she had quoted us the same price which we thought was astronomical!) She quickly won us over with her beaming Thai smile grazing her face.

We not only loved Sao, we loved our little bungalow at Mada Lanta Mai Keaw. It had a very inviting hammock, the most comfy bed we’ve slept on in awhile, and a very quiet and peaceful atmosphere. And at $18/night, it was a steal after our overpriced accommodation in Ko Lipe. We wished we could have stayed longer than three nights.

For dinner the first night, we stopped at a shack nearby called “Homemade Food” which consisted of a patchwork of various building materials formed into a roof and walls, some random tables and chairs puzzled together, and the most delectable chicken satay and curry dish whipped up by an authentic Thai mama. ($4.50 total) Mandy ordered her dish with shrimp and the Thai mama was highly entertaining because we heard her in the kitchen yelling “shit, shit, shit!” (Yes, in English.) Turns out, the shrimp she was planning to serve us was very outdated even though it was sold to her son that morning. It’s a criminal sin in Thailand to serve something not fresh so rather than using it anyhow, she emerged from the kitchen apologizing profusely that the shrimp was not fit for serving. So yes, even the shack on the side of the road has incredibly high food preparation standards in Thailand.

The best way to scoot around Ko Lanta is unquestionably by motorbike, so we didn’t think twice about spending 200 baht ($6) on a 24-hour rental. Gas “stations” which consisted of locals selling petrol in glass bottles, were easy to come-by and sprinkled every few meters on the side of the road. Here we are filling up. Cost? 40 baht ($1.25.)

Fit to be dorks. Safety first!

We spent half a day perusing Old Town Lanta, which was originally a sea gypsy settlement.

Over the decades it transformed into a beautifully preserved village influenced by trade and a distinct Chinese influence.

Original wooden houses.

Today, its charm is enhanced by many shops, restaurants and homes built on stilts above the sea level. It was a wonderful place to waste some hours.

And get distracted by darling jellyfish chandeliers.

Some other tourist go so distracted they forgot their kid in the back of a tuk tuk.

You can see we definitely weren’t the only visitors!

Ambling out onto the pier, we loved seeing the locals in action including an authentic exercise dance class using Thai fingernail dance ornaments (google it).

We also saw a load of people attempting to get on the bow of a longtail boat on very choppy waters. The only thing that kept the boat from drifting as they made the leap from the dock was a scrawny Thai guy attempting to hold the boat in place. Both seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

Another favorite thing about Thailand is the abundance of fruit shake and smoothie concoctions. And all for a little over a buck!

Mandy chooses mango.

The sunset from the pier.

We spent the next day beach hopping on our motorbike, getting too much equator-baked sun, luxuriating in the crystal clear, warm Andaman Sea waters, and stopping for food breaks.

Greg’s gotten pretty good driving these thanks to being thrown in the fire during his Asia training period in India. Nothing like left-side driving, cows doing “it” in the road and chicken obstacles to teach you well.