Sawatdee Khrab !

Apologies for the lack of posts recently but there hasn’t been much to report as we spent nine days chilling out in Good Days Resort on the island of Koh Lanta. This is a beachside bungalow resort with two swimming pools but, like most things on Koh Lanta, a rather unimpressive roadside presence. The nine days in the hotel were spent doing not very much - the main highlight was that Felix, my seven year old younger nephew, suddenly learnt how to swim without armbands and is now able to do a very impressive front crawl with good breathing technique. His first attempts consisted of swimming about a foot below the surface and coming up every now and again for gulps of air. He seemed quite happy with this but it was rather alarming to watch. Stage 2 was closer to the surface but only using his left arm in an impressively fast one armed windmill-like front crawl stroke, his right arm trailing by his side for some inexplicable reason. However, he’s now swimming faster than most of us in a more conventional two armed style !

On one of the days we stayed there I rented a moped for the princely sum of €6 (including a helmet and insurance, two concepts not understood by the first place I enquired) and did a complete tour of the island. Koh Lanta Yai (there is also a Koh Lanta Noi) is about 28kms long and has a permanent population of about 20,000. Most of the tourist activity is focused on the west coast as the island’s tourist season revolves around the (dry) north east season. In the monsoon south west season, most of the places on Thailand’s west coast in the Andaman Sea shut down and the tourist activity moves to resorts such as Koi Samui on the east coast. As you ride around the island, it’s easy to see how important a role tourism plays in the local economy and to understand how events such as the recent airport closures in Bangkok and the aftermath of the tsunami of 2004 must have devastated the local economy. It is almost as if the road has only one side to it, with every bar, restaurant and hotel having a beachfront presence which is far more attractive than the side facing the road. In addition to these, there are laundries, bakeries, cafés, motorbike rental places, to say nothing of the hundreds of stalls and shops selling DVDs, T-shirts, shorts, multicoloured crocs, etc. There are also more opticians than I have ever seen in one place with great deals in eye tests and designer frames (ask my sister for more details !).

Our daily lunchtime routine involved a visit to a lady we nicknamed Mrs. P, who ran a small stall on the beach selling Pad Thai with chicken, fried rice, pancakes with fillings and fresh fruit platters, all made up to order. Our bill for lunch (for five people including cold drinks) never exceeded 300 Baht (€6). In the evenings, dinner (starters, main courses and drinks) never cost more than €36 or €38 for the five of us and included some amazing fresh seafood, huge barbecued prawns, great curries, and more.

I’m writing this in the back of a bouncy minibus en route from Koh Lanta to Phuket airport, a journey of about four hours and two ferries which has already involved two unscheduled stops for tyre changes and puncture repairs so we have our fingers crossed that we make it in time. In Bangkok, we will have four full days to explore the sights, including a day trip to Wat Po, the reclining Buddha.

After two weeks in Thailand, my impression is of universally friendly people. Even when trying to sell you something, the people are 100% good natured, friendly, and welcoming and curious about where you have some from. There is no sense at all of tourism fatigue and even the tuktuk drivers who are not getting your business have time for a smile and a friendly “sawatdee khrab”.