T R A V E L - Thailand In Photos and Words - Part 1

Fani and I returned from our 4-week taste of Thailand a few days ago. It was the first time there for both of us and we had a great time. Saw some stunning islands and beaches and discovered a true food-lovers wonderland. Below is a chronological summary of the highlights and a few photos to whet the appetite. Enjoy!

1. Bangkok - THIS is the food-lovers paradise. The quality of the street food is truly amazing. The variety, creativity, flavours, skills and cooking methods are mesmerizing. And addictive. I haven't seen anything like it anywhere else in the world. I honestly believe I could return to Thailand purely for the sole purpose of further exploring Bangkok's streetside eateries.

2. Krabi - A very chilled and charming town near the coast in southwest Thailand. We only spent one night here enroute to Koh Lanta, but we really liked it and I could have easily spent a couple more days there. Some great little cafes and restaurants here.

3. Koh Lanta - Wow, we really loved this place. For me I think it was probably my favourite destination of the trip. It's a beautiful island and sooo cruisy compared with some of the other islands which really bustle with tourists.

We stayed on the mid-west coast with the intention of exploring the whole island, but, aah, we got bitten by the lazy bones bug (Buggus lazeboneii), thus only managing to explore about a kilometre in either direction of our dwelling. Kinda the story of our trip actually! But it was fantastic, just so very relaxing and pleasant.

The beaches here are beautiful but don't consist of the pure white sand and crystal clear waters that Thailand is so well known for. There are also quite a few rocks in the ocean, separated by occasional patches of sand good for swimming and frolicking. And these two factors alone might just be the secret to Koh Lanta's magic. It keeps the tourists away!

We stayed at Lanta New Beach Bungalows, which is at the northernmost end of a 700m stretch of beachfront accommodation and, EASILY, the coolest beach bars and restaurants I've ever seen. That's a subjective opinion, but if you're the kind of cat that wishes they grew up in the treehouse of The Swiss Family Robinsons', or yearned to dine, drink and dance in a coastal ewok village, then look no further!

And the beauty of it is that there is basically no coastal development in either direction beyond that 700m stretch (with the exception of the stupendous "Krit Friendly Bar" to the south, which I'll elaborate on shortly), so you can just wander and explore, usually all on your lonesome coz most others seem reluctant to do the same :)

Krit Friendly Bar - What a bar, what a guy. Krit owns and runs this fantastic, very simple beach bar and restaurant at the southern end of Klang Kang Beach, approximately 1.5km south of where we stayed at Lanta New Beach Bungalows. Not only is Krit one of the nicest, most generous people you're ever likely to meet on your travels (complimentary pineapples and other fruits come thick and fast!), but the food is exceptional, the location superb, and the service second-to-none. And the beer is cold :) We dined and drank (the coconut shake is the best in the world) there twice, and I would almost go back to Thailand purely to kick back and soak up the serenity and scenery at Krit's Bar. The bar is only open during dry season (Nov-May), as Krit has a farm to tend to in northeast Thailand during the wet season.

Unfortunately we never got any photos of Krit's Bar, always forgot the camera, sorry, you'll just have to go see it for yourself! :D

More photos of Koh Lanta, plus the Koh Pi-Pi's and Koh Tao coming soon..:)