Ko Lanta "Daytrip" and Last Day in Paradise

Two days ago.....

At the moment we are on a two-hour ferry ride back to Railay beach. We left yesterday with all our luggage to travel by minibus/boat to another island called Ko Lanta. The trip itself was OK..about 3 hours. We got to our hotel called, Srilanta (www.srilanta.com). The atmosphere in the resort was very zen and the resort itself was quite beautiful. The beach at Lanta is very much like at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The waves are huge and there is quite an undertow. The sand was soft, but not as white and powdery as our other beach. There also isn't a lot to do there...a few cafes and bars on the beach, but the place seemed a bit deserted. We got up to our bungalow (which we had to hike through the garden to get to, and found that we were staying in what looked like a tree-house. It was very cute, with a little veranda out front with two chairs. The bathroom was open-air, but something about the place was just not right. I guess it was a bit too rustic for us. After leaving the room and then coming back we discovered a pile of what looked like bird-poop on the table...still not sure how that got there?? Anyways, we went for a walk on the beach and then got some dinner at a beachside cafe. While eating we were reminiscing about our beautiful room at Sunrise in Railay and how nice the sand and the water was there. Then we thought to ourselves, why don't we just go back!! We should probably broaden our horizons by venturing outside to see more of Thailand, but really we love our little place at Railay. So we called the resort, they had a room for us...no outdoor shower this time unfortunately...and we reserved a spot on the 8am ferry back to Krabi. So instead of saying to ourselves that we made a mistake by going to Lanta, we will call it a "daytrip". Next time we come, I would like to take the ferry to Lanta do go snorkelling for a day because it is supposed to be beautiful. In a few hours, we will be back on Prah Nang beach enjoying our pina colatas!!

ps. I haven't said much about the weather here...it tends to be a bit cloudy with periods of sun in the afternoon. The temperature is beautiful..always about 29 degrees. And so far the only rain we have had was one night when it was like a monsoon for a couple hours and we were already in bed! Basically, it is perfect weather, although I wouldn't complain about a few more sunny hours! Signing off for now.


Last Day in Paradise-Today!


Well, here I am under an umbrella beside the pool writing one of my last blog entries. The weather yesterday and today has been beautiful for almost the whole day. We decided for our last two days to take it easy here at the resort and just hang around. We alternate between laying on the beach and floating in the ocean and laying beside the pool. In between we usually eat, drink Singha beer and sleep! Quite a life.
Actually, yesterday, our friend Rit took us squid fishing in kayaks. The squid lure is a highly complex device (fishing line attached to a water bottle at one end and a brightly coloured lure at the other) which takes hours of practice (OK, maybe not that long!). We headed out about 3pm, Rit and I in one kayak and Mr. Squid (Chris) in another. It took a little while to get our first bite, but after that our bucket filled up very quickly. while we were out the weather changed and huge black clouds loomed above us. Before long the rain started to pour down. We paddled quickly and took shelter under one of the many limestone cliffs that juts out of the ocean. There wasn't much wind, so we decided to brave the rain and continue our quest for squid, which must like the rain because while it was pouring we caught some huge ones. Once the bucket was full (about 14 squid) we headed back to the resort where we handed over the bucket to the kitchen and ordered half deep-fried and half barbecued! (So nice not to actually have to clean and prepare the squid!) The only danger with squid fishing is that when they get aggitated, like when they are hooked onto a lure for example, they squirt black ink all over the place. At one point one hit me in the head and I thought that my hair would turn black. Fortunately, it all washes off skin easily and the only thing that was permanently inked was an old T-shirt! Lots of fun.

This morning we went back to our beach for one last time. It was perfect weather. The snorkelling was a little cloudy so we came back and just enjoyed our fresh pinapple (they cut it so that it is in sticks and easy to eat)! This afternoon, we may try to paddle out in the kayak and do some more snorkelling...but then again, we may just end up at the pool sipping our pineapple-coconut drinks with an orchid on top!


Tomorrow morning we leave here at about 8am. Long tail boat to the airport and then off to Bangkok for one last vacation day. We are planning on hitting the big market there either tomorrow afternoon or Sunday morning before we leave. It is supposed to be just enormous with over 100,000 stalls selling almost eerything you can imagine. So I may or may not have time to update any further. While the vacation has been absolutely paradise, I am also looking forward to getting home to friends and family and the rainy wet coast!!

The countdown is on....355 days until we return to Thailand and Railay Beach!!!

Coconut Soup and Koh Phi Phi

Tom Kha Talay (Seafood in Coconut Soup)

300 g of fresh seafood
5 slices of galagal (substitute thinly sliced fresh ginger)
2 cups coconut milk (not cream)
1 stem lemon grass sliced thinly on an angle (just use the bottom three inches and take off the thicker outside leaves)
5-6 hot chilis broken
2 tbsp tamarind juice (substitute lemon juice)
3-4 kaffir lime leaves torn into pieces
100 grams oyster mushrooms
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
cilantro

Instructions: Heat half the coconut milk and once boiling add the galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, seafood; Simmer over low heat; when seafood cooked add more coconut milk and stir until it boils; immediately remove from heat; season with fish sauce, lime juice and crushed chilis; garnish with corriander leaves! Must be served hot!

This is what Chris made, among other things, at the Krabi Thai Cookery Class!! It was fantastic and so I just wanted to share with you. We made a total of 7 dishes including delicious curries, soups and stirfrys! Can't wait to cook a feast for you when we get home because now, of course, we are experts! It was lots of fun...except that we were so full after eating everything that we couldn't eat for the rest of the day. We also wandered around Ao Nang and decided that we like Rai Lei beach much better, so we came home.


Yesterday we took a speedboat tour of the Phi Phi islands. The weather was a little cloudy, but we still got a lot of colour and the temperature of course is a steady 30 degrees. The boat picked us up at 9 and it took about 30 minutes to our first stop. We travelled to a number of stops where we got out of the boat for snorkelling and swimming. One location was Maya beach (where the movie was filmed), but it was so filled with boats and tourists that it was difficult to enjoy. The other stops were much more interesting with fewer people. They included: Monkey bay where we fed monkeys in the trees, Pileh bay, Viking Cave, Phi Phi Don (where we saw a lot of wreckage from the Tsunami) and several other locations. We got some great photos of the beautiful green/blue water and limestone cliffs. Snorkelling, we saw tons of fish and coral, but because the sun wasn't shining I'm not sure how many of the underwater photos will turn out. We have another underwater camera, however, and will try to take some more on a sunnier day! All in all, it was a great day. Last night we ventured over to the bar and nightclub area where we sat out and enjoyed a few tropical drinks. Very relaxing and great people watching! Today we might rent kayaks and go around the bay a bit here. Chris still wants to catch some squid! I am going to read and catch up on some suntanning and we might head over to that great beach again. That is it for now...back to the pool for me!!

Crystal Water and White Sand Beach

There is a reason why the movie with Leonardo diCaprio called "The Beach" was filmed right here. It is truely a tropical paradise! I will begin with describing how beautiful it is and how much fun we are having before I tell you a more typical "Sarah" story of what happened to me yesterday. We are staying the Sunrise Tropical Resort in Krabi (Rai Lei Beach East) and it is wonderful. We had only booked for two nights until we could see what it was liked and we just booked another 4 nights because it is so wonderful here. We have a very cute little bungalow with dark hardwood floors and decorated in Thai style. We have a small balcony out front with two comfy chairs (where I am sitting right now). It is hidden within a lush garden and I the pool is about 10 meters away. At the moment, Chris is napping...yes, he is so relaxed here that he is actually sleeping during the day! We ate at the resort restaurant last night and the food was fantastic...all seafood and fish in beautiful Thai-style curry. Everything is so fresh with lots of lime, cilantro, lemongrass and of course...chilis! Today for lunch we ate baracuda and shrimp! Today we walked over the other side of the peninsula (about a 10 minute walk) to Pra Nang beach which is absolutely stunning. The sand is so fine that it sticks to you like powder. Floating in the crystal blue water was heaven! We took it easy a bit today and just hung out around here.

OK, so how we actually go here is a bit of a story. First of all, the flight from Bangkok to Krabi was wonderful...business class! We arrived and took a taxi to the pier where the longtail boats leave from to take you to Rai lei beach...you can't get here by car. So off we go down to the end of the pier, with our luggage, and manage to find a boat to take us. It was low tide which is very important to keep in mind. As we were walking down the steps to the boat, in true fashion, I slip and slide down about three of the slime covered steps, nearly missing falling into the water. All the locals were very kind, although they were probably laughing...stupid tourist! I landed on my butt, but cut the back of my ankle and hand on the concrete. Made it into the boat as gracefully as one can do with white pants now covered in mud and blood dripping from my foot. It was about a 10 minute ride to our beach which was actually quite nice, although I didn't enjoy it that much as I was still a little shaky. As we approached the bay, I came to the realization that because it is low tide, the boats can't actually get to the shore. I see people in other boats starting to roll up their pants and take their shoes off. You have got to be joking is all I keep thinking. Sure enough, there is a platform that runs from the boats to the shore which would have been very helpful if it had actually been above water. So out we go. All Chris said was, "This is quaint" as he rolled up his kakhis and took off his shoes and socks! And we waded into shore. They took care of the luggage and I have no idea how it actually got there, but it seemed to be dry, so I guess the system works. Anyways, the tramatic start to the vacation has now faded from my memory and now I am just concentrating on relaxing and enjoying the sun...which is very hot!! Tomorrow we are off to a Thai Cooking School for a half-day course and then I think that Chris has convinced the activities coordinator here to set up a BBQ on the beach so that we can go to the fish market tomorrow for fresh squid and we will cook it up with some of the locals!! Another Chris food fantasy come true!! Miss you all and hope to hear from you soon. (Photos are really slow on this island internet...so you'll have to wait until I have a faster connection!!)

One Night in Bangkok....Actually, two nights

I left Vietnam without incident, and met up with Chris at the airport in Bangkok. It was so great to see him again!!! We made our way to Sukhumvit, the district where our hotel was located. The Majestic Grande is a lovely hotel...very modern, with beautiful decor and, of course, famous Thai hospitality. After getting checked in we decided to head towards the area near the Chao Praya (the big river). Walked around a bit downtown--the air pollution was unbelievable. The air was literally blue as the tuk tuks (motorcycles with a carriage on the back for passengers) passed. We were both a little hungary so we got a bite to eat and then decided to take a tuk tuk back to the hotel. The poor guy had no idea where to go and so we drove around lost for a bit before he got on the expressway. That was a rather scary experience. These vehicles are definately not made for fast travel and are relatively unstable as they only have three wheels. After we got off the expressway and realized that we were quite close to the hotel, we told him to pull over and decided to walk the rest of the way. The area around the hotel is quite touristy, but also very comfortable. Lots of Starbucks and western type stores. Back at the hotel, we went for a swim in the very posh pool with elephant fountains. Very refreshing...the weather here is hot and humid!

The next day we were up early and headed off to see some of the typical tourist sights: Wat Pho (a huge temple complex) and the Grande Palace. Both were incredibly beautiful and we got some great photos. After taking the ferry down the river, we came back to our district and went for a foot massage....heaven....even Chris really enjoyed it. Some people from the hotel who were sitting beside us at breakfast recommended this place and funny enough as we walked in we realized that they were there too! They do about 45 minutes on both legs and feet and then spend the last 15 minutes on your neck arms and back. We both felt like jelly afterwards. We then went into a tailor shop recommended by someone at the education fair in Vietnam and was measured up for two suits for me and 3 shirts for Chris. I'm not sure that the price is super cheap, but it is certainly less expensive than at home and custom made to fit. We had to go back at 9pm that night for a fitting and then the stuff will be ready for us when we get back to Bangkok on the 12th. Meanwhile, we headed over to a famous restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms where instead of afterdinner mints, they pass out a condom. A lot of the proceeds of the restaurant go towards health education and Tsunami relief efforts. The food was a feast of our favourite Thai dishes including prawn curry, sea bass, pad thai noodles, squid...mmmmm...all so yummy! Today we walked around a bit and now we are at the airport waiting to take a flight to Krabi...south! Can't wait to hit the beach. You can think of us tonight when we will be sitting at a restaurant on the beach drinking Singha beers under a starlit sky! I'll write more tomorrow if I can!