Koh Lanta is an interesting island. At one stage, it feels completely tribal and third world, but on the other stage, it is incredibly friendly, with a myriad of restaurants catering to a variety of tourists.
In my previous post, I mentioned that we got there via an ultra fast, speed boat. Next time, I will opt for the slower boat, allowing me to relax, have a beer, and enjoy lunch without having to deal with anyone who might feel nauseous and puke all over the ship! This boat was meant to be 1.5 hours, but both journeys averaged at about 2+ hours; not good enough.
Upon arriving at the port, we were informed that we had to contribute 1 or 2 pounds in the local currency as a tourist tax. While this didn’t bother me much, it would have been nice to have known this in advance.
This highlights another issue I have with such places – the lack of communication between private and public entities. You would’ve thought that when we boarded the boat in Phuket, someone (the tour operator, the port?) would have said something? They didn’t.
After disembarking, we hired a very cheap tuk-tuk taxi to take us to our hotel. The ride was only 10 minutes long, and the operator took pride in providing a safe journey and helping us with our baggage.
Once we reached our room, we headed straight to the beach. It was interesting to find that there was literally no one there, which we later realized was due to the intense heat and humidity; it was about 35 with stifling humidity.
Regarding restaurants, there was a huge variety within a 10 to 20-minute walk along the wide beach. We explored different types of cuisine, including Thai and British food. One night, we even enjoyed a fire breather show, which was complimentary with our meal, though we made sure to tip him for his performance.
Curious Bystander 