As I write this blog we are lying in hammocks on the beach just a stones throw from the sea, the only sounds we can hear are the waves crashing and the occasional bird tweeting....bliss!
Now that I've set the scene I shall get on - on Wednesday we got picked up from Krabi in a minibus filled with nuns and were driven to Lanta. Davie was far too tall for the bus so every time we hit a bump in the road, which was frequent, he hit his head on the roof so he was very relieved when we arrived at our resort. The resort was called Twin Bay and was, as the name suggests, in the middle of two bays. Our bungalow had aircon and we therefore classed it as luxury compared to fan rooms we had previously stayed in.
That afternoon we thought a spot of sunbathing was in order so we donned our swimwear and suncream and headed out to the beach. After an hour my thighs and Davie's back were lobster pink opps! In an attempt to cool our tingling skin we took refuge in the sea and went for a swim.
That evening we wandered along Khlong Dao beach to explore our surroundings but as we are in the low season many of the bars and restaurants were closed. In some respects this was a blessing because it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
Thursday morning we decided to hire a scooter and explore the island. We decided it would be safest for Davie to drive and me to sit on the back as passenger. I'm not going to lie, I was absolutely s***ting myself! For the first 10 minutes I was clinging on to Davie like my life depended on it but as he got into his stride I started to relax and enjoy it much more!
Eventually we managed to navigate ourselves to Lanta's old town, Ban Ko Lanta. We parked up and had a nosey about. The town is mostly split between the left and right handside of the pier, one side caters for tourists and locals with shops and restaurants but the other side seemed to be mostly houses with the occasional shop (we stopped off for some much needed icecream). We fell in love with the wooden stilt houses which looked out to the sea on one side and out to a forest on the other side. We seen one for sale for 800,000 baht and almost bought it there and then! The plan was for Davie to become a fisherman and I'd set up shop making homemade icecream for tourists - what a life ay!
The Thai children here, as well as most places we've been to, are very friendly. They come running over shouting "hello!" and waving with a big smile. So cute!
Back at the carpark we decided it would be a safe enough place for me to have a go on the scooter. It was loads easier than I was expecting and I even managed to turn without putting my feet down! I was so proud of myself! I didn't feel competent enough to drive us on the open road though so Davie took up his role as chief driver.
Back at the resort we had another sunbathe and swim, this time with factor 50 on!
That evening we hopped back on the scooter and drove to the next beach along, Phra Ae (Long beach) to try and find some accommodation for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. We found a lovely little beachfront place which offers wooden bungalows (huts) for 300 baht a night -bargain!
So to celebrate finding a gem of a place we went out for a couple of beers last night and came across a nice chilled out reggie bar where we whiled away the evening talking about our future as a fisherman and icecream maker!
This morning we jumped in a taxi (scooter with a sidecar) and checked in to our new residence "Somewhere Else" and that brings us full circle to us lounging around in hammocks!