Final days in Thailand
We arrived in Bangkok the afternoon of the 7th. A city I quite liked 15 years ago but now feel less favourable towards. A city that is far too hot, poor air quality and so much fecking concrete.
Anyhoo after checking into our charming tiny AirBnB we made our way to a kooky craft beer bar for some drinks and free popcorn. That evening we were meeting our German friend Klotz who has been living in Thailand the last 5 years. I had honestly forgotten that she lived there and was delighted when she saw my social media and reached out to me. We had a great evening eating good food and catching up. She is very happy there and is even building a house that I would love to visit one day. The next day we wilted in the heat, had unbelievable sushi and went to a wonderful home brew bar. Oh and ended the night at a fabulous speak easy with the best cocktails of the trip. On the 9th we went to the airport to catch our flight to Krabi. We had a totally chaotic flight experience going to and from Krabi and I can safely say I would like to never ever fly VietJet again. We finally made it to our beautiful hotel in Ko Lanta about 3 hours later than we anticipated.
For our last 5 days we were going off the drink in this beautiful island my colleagues at the hotel had suggested. Ko Lanta is predominately Muslim, is known for a much slower pace and we could not have loved our 5 days there more. Our first full day we hung out at Beautiful Beach and got dinner somewhere nearby. We decided that evening we would rent a scooter for 3 days so we could see more of the island. This allowed us the next day to make our way all the way to the southern end of the island. First though we had a wonderful brunch at the wonderfully named Tuesday Morning: Small Talk & Chill Out Cafe. After feeding our hungry tummies we arrived at the only National Park on the island. A short but intense hike later we arrived at a nearly deserted beach. It was quite windy but there was no way we were not getting in the water after the humid hike. As usual I stayed in the water much longer than hubby. The waves were perfect as was the view. Definitely one of my favourite memories of the trip. Later when we got back to our bike long story short a Swede had crashed into it whilst we were hiking. She has excellent karma on her side because she not only paid to fix our bike but also rented us a new one and paid our rental place for the days lost in business. We were very lucky. That evening we enjoyed the sunset at the beach and got wonderful head massages after dinner. The next day we realized we had totally screwed up our flights home and a few hours of panic later we rebooked our flights back just in case we did not make the connection in a few days. It ended up being pricey mistake but not as expensive as missing a flight and the one we were meant to be on was not only delayed but also diverted through Istanbul! Anyoo back to island time we we hopped on our scooter and made our way to the opposite side of the island. But first fresh fruit and delicious coffee near the hotel. We visited the old port and city centre. It was a bit touristy but still very nice and relaxing. Later we made our way to a few places to visit including the oldest tree on the island, coffee with a view and just generally enjoying the beauty of that side of the island which is almost all locals. Ko Lanta is definitely not for everyone but we could not have loved the pace and beauty more. Unfortunately the afternoon ended a bit poorly when we blew the tire on our bike and had to wait around to solve it with the mechanic. We were so lucky to have it happen though just as we were coming back into the centre and not during our longest stretch of 10K. That evening we had dinner on the beach and got massages. We were up early the next day to take a day trip to 3 different islands. It was no Cook Islands day trip but it was still really lovely even if the ride out there was a little wetter than we expected! The snorkeling was quite good at most spots. The island we spent the most time at hubby took me on a "short" hike around the island that was very steep and had breathtaking views from the top. I did mildly panic when I wasn't sure we would make it back to the boat in time! We did make it back and after the best dinner of our time in Thailand got massages because why not! Also not drinking in Ko Lanta is easy as can be with all the divine fresh fruit juices. The next day we slept in and hung out all day at our beautiful hotel pool before being picked up by our transfer to the airport. Our flight back to Bangkok was as comically bad as the one we took to Krabi. Nonetheless I could not have loved Ko Lanta more and I would be delighted to return one day. Especially before the new bridge eventually gets built. Our last full day in Bangkok we got intense 2 hour massages, winced at the mass consumerism of the ridiculous malls and had to wear masks because the air quality was so bad. I might not have loved Singapore but at least they have trees and parks. Bangkok is truly just concrete. Thank goodness they have excellent public transit! Like Singapore I would stop over again over night for delicious food but otherwise I have no real desire to revisit.
And then just like that our 35 magical days in South East Asia drew to a close. A truly beguiling region of the world. Also I don't know how I got so lucky to marry Irish Ski Bunny. He truly always is by my side and makes my wildest adventurous dreams come true. A 40th birthday trip to remember for the rest of my days. And one that I learned so much more about myself and the world around us. Travel really is my life passion that gives so much to me.
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