In the morning I was still undecided whether I would aim directly for Hat Pakmeng - one of the must stops for me when I am cycling along this coast - or whether I would have a stopover on Koh Lanta, quite a touristy island. In the end the weather forecast made the decision for me. Heavy showers forecasted for the mainland over the next few days but Koh Lanta is supposed to stay a bit drier. Sounds a bit weird if you see how close to the shore the island is but I have heard before about such sort of microclimate before. Even if it should be wet on Koh Lanta too the conditions there are perfect for some less sunny days. The beach is not ideal for swimming as it is very shallow and tidal but that´s perfect for some running on the beach which I love doing in the mornings. So Koh Lanta it shall be!
When I departed from Krabi the sky looked very grey indeed and it was the coolest day I have had at 27 degrees Celsius. The dull conditions didn´t bother me too much as there is absolutely nothing along the way you would want to see in the sunshine. Neither along Hway 4 itself nor on the 25 km on the #4206 taking you down to the first ferry. Well I thought it would be the first of two ferries but 8 years since my last visit is a very long time in South East Asia! When I got down to the ticket booth at the end of the #4206 I was positively surprised to hear they were only asking for 25 Baht instead of the 28 I had paid in 2010. Not that 3 Baht really matter but prices nowadays go up not down, don´t they? What I didn´t know at that stage and only learned while cycling the 8 kilometers on the first Koh Lanta island is the fact there is now a bridge between the smaller Koh Lanta Noi and the main island, Koh Lanta Yai. A shame really, I like car ferry rides and that double cruise made you very conscious you were going to be on an island.
Never mind, the first sailing was still good enough and one advantage of the bridge is certainly the time gaining factor. As I knew exactly where I was going to stay I was in the sea for my first swim just after 2 pm. In 2010 I had cycled up and down the whole island but decided I like Klong Dao Beach in the very northwest best. Then I stayed at the Lanta Scenic Resort but couldn´t even find it anymore within the incredible amount of new upmarket resorts. What I did find was the sign for the "Hans´ Restaurant and Bungalows", run for 25 years by German Hans and his Thai wife. His place right on the beach is now surrounded by several flash and expensive resorts too and even Hans has upgraded his bungalows. Interior design and price that is. But I am happy to pay 700 Baht for mine despite it only having fan and cold water. It seems to be one of the very few remaining individual accommodations amongst all those package places. So I will be here for two nights and other than my morning runs I do love walking along the beach with all its colourfulrestaurants and bars after dark. Some other exercise than just cycling for a change.
Take that, rest of Thailand! Usually they paint the cycle tracks on the very left but the local motorists couldn´t care less about the little bicycle logos then and use it as parking lane. Reliably! That´s the way to do it. Made for an extremely quick and fast exit of Krabi up to the junction with Hway 4
The Mook Anda Reggae Bar next to the Hans´ Restaurant. I guess this is one of the reasons I do certainly prefer Koh Lanta over Phuket for instance. The visitors here are package tourists mostly from Northern Europe who want to have a good time over their two or three weeks. The whole setup of Koh Lanta meets the demand for cliche beach holiday with chairs in the sand, colourful illumination and bars. I like that too as you are surrounded by happy holidaymakers with the downside that you have to pay at least double than in Thailand-proper.
MIKE
6 years ago