So we did come to Ko Lanta by ferry … but not the ferry we expected!
Rather than delivering us to the passenger ferry port for a leisurely 2hr crossing, there was a mix up somewhere in communication and we were taken by minibus on the land route, around 90km, complete with two very short ferry crossings. Well he drove like a madman, obviously not an owner/driver for all the care he took of the suspension!
Banana Garden Home on Hat Khlong Dao or family beach, has some rustic wooden bungalows at the back of the beach, with a restaurant in front. More beautiful fine sand extends round the wide bay with a collection of low rise bungalows and villas behind.
When Joanna saw the number of scooters whizzing around Ko Lanta, she was eager to give it a try so we hired a couple of bikes, a pink Scoopy scooter for Joanna and a larger one for Chris and me to share and which to Chris’s delight was delivered in red! Joanna had a little practice, up and down the dirt road outside the bungalows with Chris holding on the back and running along beside! Finally we thought she was ready to go it alone and we were off!
We took the road to the other side of the island and Joanna was doing very well, but had a little scare on one corner, so we went down a side road for a bit more practise. When Chris came to restart his bike … nothing happened!
Fortunately it wasn’t tourist error, the battery was dead, so after a couple of phone calls and a 30 minute wait we had a new battery and hit the road again. We didn’t need fuel, but said pass a service station!
We passed three forlorn looking elephants chained to stumps at the side of the road to lure tourists in to the Elephant Camp. The baby elephant was separated from the adults and looked particularly unhappy and we felt quite upset by them.
We reached Ban Si Raya, or Lanta Old Town which retains its historic charm with wooden homes and shops, many on stilted jetties over the sea. We looked through souvenir shops and had lunch overlooking the sea.
We headed back, but Chris and Joanna took their scooters for an extra spin once they dropped me off!
Another day we took a tuk-tuk to Ban Sala Dan, the main town at the north of the island, took a turn round the shops and had lunch overlooking the sea again!
Life is pretty low key here with one of the biggest events of the day being the sunset which puts on an amazing show daily. Everyone comes to watch and take pictures.
The Indian bar is the place to go for a sundowner with a front row deckchair.
Sometimes the bubble man entertains the children, having them running after shining bubbles, soon to disappear.
Then the sun makes its final descent into the sea …
Just after the sun disappears, twinkly lights start to appear all round the bay as restaurants arrange tables on the sand for dinner, lit by candles …
… and we amused ourselves watching hermit crabs.
Later, the nightly Fire Show at The Indian has young men twirling flaming batons, or balls on ropes to the delight of the audience.
Our most exciting day was our boat trip to the nearest of the Trang islands where went snorkelling. With just 12 of us on the boat it was far more comfortable than a speedboat. The fish were amazing, really iridescent and colourful, swimming between the coral. Joanna fed them with some pineapple and was a little alarmed by the huge shoal that engulfed her. The water was clear and still and really we just had to float on the top and look. It certainly made up for our experience in Krabi.
We also stopped at the Emerald Cave on Ko Mook which we swam through, around 80m with 10m in the dark. We emerged in a hong with an inland beach, open to the sky with a spectacular natural limestone chimney.
Once back on land, Joanna enjoyed the ride in the back of a ute which is illegal in Australia but quite normal here.
Tired, salty and sticky from suncream, we return to find there is no water or power at Banana Garden Home. We were told thirty minutes, but everything happens on Thai time so we went for sundowners and to watch yet another sunset … and although the power was back, the water wasn’t. We’d been left a huge tub of water outside and decided the best policy was a bit of diy showering … the most appreciated shower of the trip!
We’ve decided to return to Krabi tomorrow and spend our last night there … so we’ll see if we can get on that ferry!
Off Travelling Together 