The Pearl of Thailand, and following in Di Caprio’s steps

Heading south from Chiang Mai to Phuket

We loved our time in Chiang Mai. Our first visit and we were really impressed. Now, we were headed to a place that Time Magazine had just announced is in their “Top 50 Places in the World” list. Our second from this list, after visiting the beguiling Luang Prabang in Laos. Our short flight from Chiang Mai would have us landing in the pearl of Thailand.

Phuket is Thailand’s largest, and undoubtedly, most popular island. Who knew it was so popular with Russians escaping from the mess and turmoil that Putin has inflicted upon them? Russians visit Phuket in larger numbers than any other visiting visitors, and I read that many are now simply out staying their visas, and not returning to Russia. Their presence is felt in Phuket, from the menus that are translated from Thai into Russian, to the property signs that are enticing them to put down roots in Phuket.

Pool Life at T-Villa in Phuket

We didn’t plan to put down roots but we were staying on Phuket for six nights and we chose to stay at T-Villa. Only 10 minutes from Phuket Airport, we had a poolside villa and we were only a short walk from Nai Yang beach. It sounded like the perfect proposition. And so it proved to be. Lazy mornings at the beach. Chilled afternoons in the pool by the villa. And great evenings eating, barefoot, on the beach.  We have previously shared our love for Thai food and we were spoilt for choice. I even got a freshly prepared mango sticky rice. Oh my, it was so delicious.

We hired a scooter for a couple of days and headed down the busy, and smoggy, highway to Phuket old town, a ride of some 45 minutes. The town is in great shape. Some enterprising locals have revitalised many of the old shophouses and they now house excellent coffee shops and restaurants. The buildings are bright, colourful, and exude character. And, most importantly, serve great coffee.

Taking advantage of having the scooter we also explored some of the beaches that hug this wonderful coastline. Banana Beach was once a bit of a secret but the amount of scooters parked at the top of the hill told me that the cat was now firmly out of the bag. Nai Thon beach was a great place to park up and have lunch by the side of the ocean. Once we had made sense of the Russian menu.

The Boxing Day tsunami

It was hard to leave Phuket. It is a wonderful place to visit. But we had a minivan booked to take us a couple of hours up the coast. We left the island of Phuket and headed to the small town of Khao Lak. A town that has seen unimaginable disaster. On Boxing Day in 2004, an earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, caused a tsunami that affected many Indian Ocean countries. The full death count is estimated to be in the range of 250,000 lives. Khao Lak, a very small community, suffered immensely. Official estimates are that approximately 4000 people lost their lives. Unofficial estimates have the figure much higher, around 10,000, as there were many undocumented Burmese migrants who disappeared.

The community of Khao Lak has recovered and is once again thriving, with many beachside resorts catering for high numbers of tourists. We had a hotel by the beach, and once again we quickly settled into a slow pace of life. Leisurely morning breakfast and coffee, strolls along the beach, and then the days spent reading around the pool. I may have even experienced my first ever water slide, much to the surprise of an incredulous Victoria. I can’t recall having been on one in the past. Whilst it wasn’t the largest water slide in the world, it gave me great enjoyment. I felt 50 years old again.

Having fun with the locals

I also get great enjoyment from interacting with the locals. As a tourist in Asia you soon get used to the refrain of “where are you from?” When I replied that we live in Australia, all we got back, every time, was “G’day, mate, got any kangaroos?” Victoria, tiring of the fake Aussie accents, tried something new one day, wondering what the locals would reply if we said England. It may seem dated to our younger readers, but we got the reply of “lovely, jubbly.” Who knew Only Fools and Horses was so popular in Asia?

Krabi town was our next port of call. And it wasn’t as we expected, which often happens when travelling. I had images of a town like Chiang Mai in my mind. And we got somewhere a lot more like Vientiane, Laos. Krabi was not as vibrant as we expected. That said, after a few days exploring we did find things to love about it. And, something we definitely didn’t.

On a relaxing stroll through the mangrove forest we came across a group of small monkeys. They scattered, peacefully, when we were on the way in to the forest. This was probably their strategy. Because, when we tried to leave, things got nasty. It appears they had appointed a “bouncer” and this piece of work was determined not to let us pass. Now, I have heard these tales of unfriendly swans, and I am sure a big duck can be quite scary. But wait until you have faced off with a troop of snarling, teeth baring, monkeys, lunging at you. I had to use my water bottle as a sword to fight them off. There was no way out. We were trapped. Thankfully, we walked deeper into the forest and found a path, which took us through a small village, and back to the main road.

Much friendlier was the “9th House” guesthouse. A simple, clean place on the edge of town. Nearby we discovered Much & Mellow, serving some excellent coffee, and even better pain au chocolats. The Friday night markets provided us with some great fun, having a range of street food for dinner, and watching the local musicians whilst we sipped our cold beers. As with a lot of places around the world, Thailand has legalised cannabis, and it is hard to avoid the unmistakable whiff of people smoking joints. I am not sure whether it was the buzz off the happy hour beers, or from second hand cannabis smoke, but we had a great evening.

One of the highlights of any stay in Krabi is getting a long boat to Railay Beach. Only a 15 minute ride from the town of Ao Nang, Railay Beach is quite stunning, if somewhat crowded. A victim of its own success. 

Koh Phi Phi island, both of them

As we moved on we were to visit another such place. Phi Phi island is a small, dumbbell shaped island that is now overrun with development. So much so that the small island struggles to manage the waste of sewerage that so many visitors produce. We visited the island, Phi Phi Don, on a snorkelling trip and a quick walk around the island rubber stamped our decision not to stay on the island. The pungent stench of sewerage is pervasive. 

If it is good enough for Leo Di Caprio…

It was whilst being based on the island of Koh Lanta that we did the snorkelling trip. We got to visit the smaller of the Phi Phi islands, Lee. Lee is home to Maya Bay, made famous by the film, “The Beach”, starring Leo Di Caprio. At one time so overrun with tourists, it was closed down for a period and is open once again, under rather strict measures. Swimming in the bay is no longer allowed and is policed by over zealous guards tooting their shrill whistles continuously. Mooring the boat off the island did allow for Victoria to indulge in her great passion for snorkelling. Back on dry land, later in the day, she also got to indulge in another passion. She had a Thai massage, despite claiming beforehand she wouldn’t due to the pain they put you under. Bending you in two and cracking every knuckle in her body.

Koh Lanta is yet another great island and place to stay in Thailand. We had a rather rustic bungalow for four nights, managed by the very friendly Ron. The bungalows were set around a small pool and were located in a prime beachfront location. We settled into a rhythm rather easily. Morning walks, barefoot, along the beach. Breakfast. Then a spot of relaxing in the sun catching up on our books, or the latest podcasts we had downloaded. Life was tough for a while.

Koh Lipe, the Thai Maldives

Things continued in the same vein on the island of Koh Lipe, a 3 hour boat ride from Koh Lanta. We spent a little more on our accommodation, staying at the excellent Ananya resort. For the 83rd bed of the whole trip we thought we deserved some comfort. Koh Lipe is a tiny island. Referred to as the “Maldives of Thailand”. I haven’t been to the Maldives, but if it is anything like Koh Lipe, I am up for a visit.

For such a small island it certainly packs in bags of charm, and many great places to eat and drink. As with all the west coast of Thailand, one of the simple pleasures is getting a sundowner on the beach.

Koh Lipe was our last stop on what has been an outstanding trip through Thailand. You have probably gathered that we enjoyed slowing down. Long walks on the beach. And drinks watching the sunset. Believe me, Thailand is hard place to leave, emotionally.

Onto Malaysia, country number 22

Physically leaving was easier. Passing through passport control, literally a hut on the beach, we boarded the boat to Langkawi Island in Malaysia. From the makeshift jetty on the beach, all our bags got crammed on a long tail boat. It looked as though it would sink under the weight and me wondering whether we would ever see them again when we arrived in Malaysia