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Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, and Phuket
What can I say about Island life in Thailand that many of you don’t know. It’s definitely exotic, it tastes delicious, the waters warm, the people are friendly, and there is no wondering why tourists flock to these destinations, it can be as relaxing as you want it to be OR as ruckus as you want it to be, simply put it’s THAILAND.
Ko Lanta,
A prime example of Choosing your pace: Showing up here after an all day trek, via, boat, bus, taxi, ferry, auto rickshaw, Marty and I were ready for a cocktail, and after walking a solid 50 yards down the beach came across a decent sized beach party. A loud typical thai night in the bars, Chang Beers going down like water (because they kind of resemble it), followed by a quick stumble home to your $25 (split two ways) a night ocean front beach bungalow can be more representative of the rowdy side of Thailand.
Where the following day of sleeping on the beach from sun up to sun down, a relaxing dinner after a stroll down the beach consisting of MONSTER Thai Tiger Prawns, more reminiscent of lobster tails than shrimp, on a silent moon light beach, can be an example of relaxing Thailand. You Choose your speed in this amazing country. Ko Lanta being no exception. “Somewhere Else” was a fantastic place to stay, prime ocean front property, day beds to relax on all day and night, and a friendly staff, this was my warm welcome to Thailand.
Ko Phi Phi (also known as “The Beach”)
This place has to be heaven on earth, IF you visited it 10 years ago. I could only imagine a desolate island, minimal tourists, even fewer locals, just crystal clear water, huge lush hills springing out of the ocean in the middle of no where. A remote location similar to the concept of the movie “the beach,” a place to relax, a place to be thankful for having the chance to go and see, a place to take in the absolutely beautiful things that the earth has to offer.
Not to say that it is not beautiful now, but it has become a revolving door, with Ferries coming from all over the place, dumping travelers off, picking travelers up, dropping off supplies, but unfortunately not taking all the waste with them. It still is an absolutely stunning place, the water is just as clear as it was 10 years ago I would assume and the hills are probably equally as green. I kind of wish I got to see these picturesque tranquil beaches before they got bombarded with tourism, it truly is a fairy tale location, what was once filled with “Swiss Family Robison” style bungalows, is now a bit of westernized tourist trap, packing in 1000’s of tourists alike from the Thais them selves to the overpopulating euro-trash mostly ranging in ages from 16 to 25, and YES there is more than one 7/11 on the island.
With this said, it is still a place to go, a place to see, a place to snorkel at, cliff jump at, or rent a “long tail” boat for the day (driver included) for a mere $36 split with as few or as many people as you can jam in the boat at, it is well worth the trip. The parties at night are fantastic, doing double-dutch with a flaming jump rope is an experience, attempting a limbo under a flaming bar has been known to singe the hair on your head or possibly torch your goatee, buying Changs in the store and walking into a Mui Thai kickboxing bar is always a trip. Ko Phi Phi is a great place to party. On the flip side, just like Lanta, going to Long Beach, and sleeping on the sand (although it may produce 100’s of sand fly bites) can be one of the most relaxing days of your life. The water is clear and warm and the scenery is nothing shy of heavenly, a remarkable place to visit.
Phuket:
This is a great place to visit but it can be tricky to get the real taste and flavor of the island, as many travelers head straight to Patong which is filled with the stereotypical Thailand shenanigans that you expect to see in the perverse streets of the much larger seedier Bangkok. Young and old everyone is partying in Patong. Me and marty steered way clear of this area and stayed in the much more local town “Phuket Town” as it’s called. A great place to stay, very local, cool little night market with some decent food, during the day you can get anything food related as long as it’s locally grown or caught. The bars at night were sleepy, but that was only because I didn’t know my way around. My second trip to Phuket town led me to a huge “house party” like bar, which literally represented a house “Timber Shed” with a band rockin’ out Thai Jams, a place i never would have found with out the help of a local.
What can I say about Island life in Thailand that many of you don’t know. It’s definitely exotic, it tastes delicious, the waters warm, the people are friendly, and there is no wondering why tourists flock to these destinations, it can be as relaxing as you want it to be OR as ruckus as you want it to be, simply put it’s THAILAND.
Ko Lanta,
A prime example of Choosing your pace: Showing up here after an all day trek, via, boat, bus, taxi, ferry, auto rickshaw, Marty and I were ready for a cocktail, and after walking a solid 50 yards down the beach came across a decent sized beach party. A loud typical thai night in the bars, Chang Beers going down like water (because they kind of resemble it), followed by a quick stumble home to your $25 (split two ways) a night ocean front beach bungalow can be more representative of the rowdy side of Thailand.
Where the following day of sleeping on the beach from sun up to sun down, a relaxing dinner after a stroll down the beach consisting of MONSTER Thai Tiger Prawns, more reminiscent of lobster tails than shrimp, on a silent moon light beach, can be an example of relaxing Thailand. You Choose your speed in this amazing country. Ko Lanta being no exception. “Somewhere Else” was a fantastic place to stay, prime ocean front property, day beds to relax on all day and night, and a friendly staff, this was my warm welcome to Thailand.
Ko Phi Phi (also known as “The Beach”)
This place has to be heaven on earth, IF you visited it 10 years ago. I could only imagine a desolate island, minimal tourists, even fewer locals, just crystal clear water, huge lush hills springing out of the ocean in the middle of no where. A remote location similar to the concept of the movie “the beach,” a place to relax, a place to be thankful for having the chance to go and see, a place to take in the absolutely beautiful things that the earth has to offer.
Not to say that it is not beautiful now, but it has become a revolving door, with Ferries coming from all over the place, dumping travelers off, picking travelers up, dropping off supplies, but unfortunately not taking all the waste with them. It still is an absolutely stunning place, the water is just as clear as it was 10 years ago I would assume and the hills are probably equally as green. I kind of wish I got to see these picturesque tranquil beaches before they got bombarded with tourism, it truly is a fairy tale location, what was once filled with “Swiss Family Robison” style bungalows, is now a bit of westernized tourist trap, packing in 1000’s of tourists alike from the Thais them selves to the overpopulating euro-trash mostly ranging in ages from 16 to 25, and YES there is more than one 7/11 on the island.
With this said, it is still a place to go, a place to see, a place to snorkel at, cliff jump at, or rent a “long tail” boat for the day (driver included) for a mere $36 split with as few or as many people as you can jam in the boat at, it is well worth the trip. The parties at night are fantastic, doing double-dutch with a flaming jump rope is an experience, attempting a limbo under a flaming bar has been known to singe the hair on your head or possibly torch your goatee, buying Changs in the store and walking into a Mui Thai kickboxing bar is always a trip. Ko Phi Phi is a great place to party. On the flip side, just like Lanta, going to Long Beach, and sleeping on the sand (although it may produce 100’s of sand fly bites) can be one of the most relaxing days of your life. The water is clear and warm and the scenery is nothing shy of heavenly, a remarkable place to visit.
Phuket:
This is a great place to visit but it can be tricky to get the real taste and flavor of the island, as many travelers head straight to Patong which is filled with the stereotypical Thailand shenanigans that you expect to see in the perverse streets of the much larger seedier Bangkok. Young and old everyone is partying in Patong. Me and marty steered way clear of this area and stayed in the much more local town “Phuket Town” as it’s called. A great place to stay, very local, cool little night market with some decent food, during the day you can get anything food related as long as it’s locally grown or caught. The bars at night were sleepy, but that was only because I didn’t know my way around. My second trip to Phuket town led me to a huge “house party” like bar, which literally represented a house “Timber Shed” with a band rockin’ out Thai Jams, a place i never would have found with out the help of a local.
Now being on the Island of Phuket for nearly a month, living with a friend (Chef Jan Hollister) at his home and in the resort of Sala Phuket has been an amazing experience. Getting to see the Island like a local is something virtually no tourists get to see. Going to the local stores, local bars, eating street food in markets, even down to simply going to work. It has opened my eyes a bit wider to Thai life, both the good and the bad. While it’s great to escape the massive amounts of b.s. that goes on in the states, it’s funny to see how even in Thailand where rules seem to be made and broken by anyone with money, they still have their own crap to deal with. I guess the bullshit of life happens every where, in some places it just seems to stink a little bit less.
No matter where I go next, if my trip ends tomorrow, or continues on for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget my stay here in Phuket, it has been a real privilege to meet a guy like Jan who has taken me in, let me stay in his home, work in his kitchen, live with him in his day to day life. I can't begin to thank him enough, seeing phuket through local eyes in and having a real local experience is something i only dreamed about. Spending Christmas and New Years with Jan and his staff was as close to family as i could have got 1000's of miles away from home. As i can see the end of my stay here in Phuket getting closer by the day, i'm a bit sad to move on, to leave the people who have made my trip and my life here in Thailand that much better, but as i have experienced so many times in the past 4 month of my journey, a new adventure is always waiting right around the next corner. Phuket..... I can't wait to return.
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