18/2/25
The morning started with a strong breeze. A welcome treat. It made the mosquitos slightly less treacherous. We ate an early breakfast before packing up and readying the bikes. The black Surly needed the handlebars adjusting, we hadn’t put them back on in the same place, and we were hoping an adjustment to the front mudguard on the green would relieve the rumbling Frankie could feel.
We weren’t going to ‘cycle’ down the hill and instead put the bikes and bags in a pickup with a young backpacking couple from Oxford. They accepted their misfortune and kindly helped steady the bikes. It was interesting to hear that they disliked party scene of the town as well. It was already sweltering hot as we reloaded the bikes and walked them to the pier.
It was only 10:30 and the Lanta Petpailin ferry left at 11:30. Online it said they had a flexible luggage policy. We paid a 200baht freight fee for the bikes and were allowed to embark immediately. Plenty of people were already on board the light blue ferry. The ramp was so narrow that we had to take all the bags off to get them in between the railings. Then lift the bikes down a short set of stairs to the back of the boat. The boat didn’t leave till 12. We had to wait for another boat from Phuket. Frequently another ferry arrived or left the harbour and the warm air was mixed with a toxic, acrid smoke.
The boat felt unsafe. It was rammed with people. Luggage blocked the rear exit and the lifejackets were stacked in a pile. Probably better than trying to attach them to the rickety seats that were falling apart. We sat in front of one of the fans. We were arriving at the hottest part of the day and it was about 32C. There wasn’t much we could do about that.
As always we had to wait a while to get the bikes off. We are the lowest priority. As we took our bikes out of the port the taxi sellers seemed disappointed to see them. Everyone else was getting in the back of a taxi truck. We started to ride down the 4245. The road that stretches the length of Koh Lanta. The surface was variable, concrete mostly. We came across some very dusty roadworks too.
The Sun was beating down on us intensely. This was not a smart time to be cycling. We soon stopped to cover ourselves in suncream. The lack of shade was concerning. Why they don’t have trees next to their roads is a real puzzle. Streams of scooters went past us. All tourists. Hiring a scooter in Koh Lanta is like a rite of passage. The road undulated but nothing really hilly. We felt quite strong having not ridden for so long. Or maybe despite?
We turned off about 12km later. The place we were staying was away from the sea on a side road. So far the whole place had been set up for tourism. Our accommodation was a place in the jungle. Something far more simple than we’d had so far. Importantly there was no air conditioning.
Khem met us when we arrived. We were extremely sweaty once we’d stopped. We tried to find some wind. In the shared kitchen there was no air. On the listing it had been advertised as a place where yoga and meditation take place. But Khem didn’t look like the yoga type. She took the details from our passports and another man called ‘Est’ made us coffee. He appeared to work there.
Khem kind of showed us around, but didn’t really explain anything. She gave Frankie a papaya to chop up. It looked a little worse for wear. Shortly afterwards her husband ‘Sam’ arrived. He sat down and talked to us, in semi-good English, slowly weaving the conversation towards meditation. He had a face that had all the trappings of being spiritual and wise. We weren’t able to communicate fluidly and he didn’t want to speak Thai to our phone so we could translate.
A younger couple arrived back who were also staying. The man was a mix of Argentinian and Italian, and the lady was French. It was a bit awkward as Sam wanted to continue showing us his book where guests seem to have drawn things under his supervision, but we were more interested in talking to the other couple.
We ended up chatting to them for a while. They’d been here long enough to give us the lowdown. We got the impression that the costs associated with being in such a touristy place bothered them as well. Apparently, there was even a charge to go for a walk in the national park in the south of the island. Scooters seemed mandatory and there wasn’t much else to do but go to the beach and drink. We had hoped for a different vibe here. Maybe it was different 10 years ago.
After it got dark we walked to the nearest part of the town. There seemed to be shops all the way down the coast. It was about ten minutes. There were a few restaurants and markets. We bought some very overpriced fruit. It’s not really too expensive but we were definitely paying far more than the locals possibly could be. The woman seemed to be making the prices up on the spot. Food should cost more than it does all over the world. But prices should be transparent.
We strolled back, the light breeze outside was refreshing. We relished the cold shower. Our lodgings were open to the jungle and the sounds were wonderful. We sat at the wooden table and chairs and ate some fruit and nuts. We were trying not to eat too much in the evening because it makes you hot. After managing to find the entrance, we climbed into our mosquito net covered bed. There were two fans. Their blast reduced by the tightly nit mesh. It felt like it might a manageable night.