Our week in Koh Lanta was perfect, and it is a place that has left an impression on me. Our time there was unforgettable and full of great memories, and that is what travelling is all about to me. Visiting Koh Lanta in 'Green Season' (wet season) made for a lack of tourists which meant a lack of atmosphere, but it's not something that bothers us as a lot of Thailand has been over run with tourist culture, which makes it hard to experience traditional Thai living. Koh Lanta is the first place since Chiang Mai where I feel like I am exploring a different world.
Most people don't know about Koh Lanta or heard of it, but it was recommend to Sam and I by multiple local people whilst in Chiang Mai. They said we would be able to see the true relaxed Thai culture, and that's exactly what we got. We hope to go back in high season as the island isn't over developed, only local restaurants are here. We just hope to see even more of what the island has to offer.
In Koh Lanta it is essential to have the means to explore, our favourite method is of course by moped. The roads aren't exactly the same as home, but they'll do! We spent our first couple of days exploring our local town Saladan, a small fishing village where restaurants built on stilts look over the ocean, and a traditional Thai village can be found. The food at the restaurants here is just delicious, fresh tasting and authentic. You don't have to ask for your food Thai style here, the heat blew my head off! They love a birds eye.
We also visited Lanta's Animal Welfare Centre which was set up by a lady from Norway who came to Koh Lanta in the era of dirt roads, over 10 years ago. She was shocked by the living condition of the local animals (mostly cats and dogs). She sold her house in Norway and moved to Koh Lanta to do something about it. The progress and what they have achieved here is incredible, I hope they will always get the support they need. All the workers including vets are volunteers, and they an have adoption programme available to people all over the world. Koh Lanta's Animal Welfare helps a majority of the Krabi Province, contributing to the local people as a veterinary service and 24/7 helpline. To reduce the population of stray animals they sterilize pets and strays. These services are completely voluntary and a god send to the country, it surprises me that they don't get support from Government. However they still need support to help build a new cat house, and an x-ray machine to end their commute to Trang, I am confident that they will continue to raise awareness and get support. We had a welcoming experience there taking the dogs for a walk nearly everyday and cuddling with the kittens.
We met Natalia and Amadeusz a couple from New York honeymooning in Phi Phi, and they decided to join us in Koh Lanta. We spent one day exploring the jungle on Koh Lanta, visiting the Bat Cave and Khlong Chuk Waterfall. This was one sweaty trek through the jungle but refreshingly rewarded at the end. We spent another day attempting some sea fishing and Massaman came along for the fun, but was as equally disappointed as us when we had nothing to BBQ that evening! Meeting them was a joy and we hope to visit them in New York (hopefully in the not too distant future). If I spoke about all the beautiful beaches and stunning view points in Koh Lanta I could be here for hours. There is so much to see from the Old Town, to nearby islands where you can take your moped on a long tail boat to explore.