Koh Lanta, Thailand: Neverland (November 2013)

White sand beaches stretching for miles, cruising around island roads on a motorbike and a cold local beer on the beach, this is how most people imagine southern Thailand, and it’s spot on. After an eventful experience getting out of Bangkok with the mobs of protesters, we arrived on Koh Lanta a little later than expected, but not too late for our first Thai beach sunset.

We stayed at Twin Bay Resort located on the northern part of Long Beach. It was nice being on the main beach, but not in the thick of it, infinity pool and clean, air-conditioned bungalows. Koh Lanta is very low-key, no part of the island is hectic and over crowded. We had heard it was a good place for couples, which I do agree with, but it’s also a good place if you just want a break, a little bit of peace and quiet. Our friend who met up with us in Bangkok only had a week of vacation in Thailand so we wanted to make it the most well rounded experience we could. We got the big city out of the way, so next stop was the chill beach.

After a day of lounging, we decided to rent motorbikes in order to see the rest of the island. Our first stop was lunch. The town area is very small, not many shops, but plenty of waterfront restaurants to choose from. We grabbed a leisurely delicious seafood lunch with a spectacular view, then hit the open road.

Riding motorbikes around Pai was very different than Koh Lanta. The island roads were flat, wide and far less busy than up north. One of the very helpful staff members at our hotel told us about waterfalls on the southern part of the island. I’m not sure if we found the ones he was referring too, but after a bit of a hike, we did find some water falling down a cliff. We hadn’t done much hiking until now, and of course we were well prepared in our flipflops! It was a bit rough in patches, but overall a fun experience and no toes were lost in the process of exploring caves, trekking through creeks and showering in the falls.

I don’t know what it is about that island, but it made me feel young and free. The temperature and picturesque views were perfect, with the motorbikes being our only mode of transportation. It was rebellious and yet oddly safe at the same time, safe in the sense of confidence, feeling as if you could spend the rest of your life only knowing those couple roads.  As much as I love knowing that feeling will always exist on Koh Lanta, it was time to move on. We spent the rest of our time on the island motorbiking, beaching and cocktailing, but we were in the mood for a little more of an active social scene. Next stop: Koh Phi Phi!!