A traveller's reflection: 2014 Ride to Koh Lipe: 01 Sunrise to Sunset Ride to a beautiful island

"Don't compare your progress with that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance..."

Day 01 - Thursday, 30 Jan 2014

(KL - Padang Besar - Pak Bara - Koh Lipe)

We met with the rest of the gang at Sungai Buluh R&R around midnight. There were supposed to be 12 bikes altogether but 2 couples could not join us at the last minute. We started our ride around 1:30 am, refueling at Simpang Pulai and stopped at Hutan Kampung Toll Plaza for subuh prayers.

(Midnight rendezvous at the R&R)

It was still early in the morning when we reached Changloon and settled insurance and money exchange. We headed towards Padang Besar and stopped at a roadside warong for a heavy breakfast.

(Bikes lining up in Padang Besar)

(Syed, Syawal and Taufik waiting for their orders)

Although it was a public holiday, the Immigration and Custom clearance was fast as there were not many people. By 9:00 am we started riding towards Pak Bara where we would take the ferry to Koh Lipe.

(Smooth border clearance)

(Waiting for the rest to settle custom declarations)

The trunk road from Padang Besar led us towards Hatyai first before we took the junction to Satun. If we had entered Thailand through Wang Kelian, we would have saved some time as the route led direct to Pak Bara.

(Riding the trunk road towards Hatyai)

(A long way to reach Pak Bara)

(Heading towards Satun)

(Signage to the right route)

By the time we reached Pak Bara the gang had split into 3 groups. At the Ferry Terminal we settled the ferry tickets and paid for the hotel booking while waiting for the rest to arrive. The ferry ticket was b800 return per person and the hotel room was b2000 per night. There was no refund for the booking of rooms for the two couples who had canceled the trip so the rest had to bear the cost of the extra rooms.

(Pak Bara Pier)

(Travel and tour operators at Pak Bara)

We parked our motorbikes at a secured parking area for a fee of b100 per night. We were running a little late to board the 11:30 am ferry but were lucky that the ferry operator waited for us. If we missed it, the next ferry to Koh Lipe was scheduled at 3:00 pm. The journey took almost 2 hours. The water was a little choppy so we slept all the way to avoid being sea-sick.

(2-hour ferry ride from Pak Bara Pier)

(Arriving at Koh Lipe shore line)

(On the transit barge waiting for the long-tail boat)

(Happy faces, all smiles)

Before reaching Koh Lipe, we had to transit on a stationary open barge and waited for a long-tail boat to take us ashore for a fee of b70 per person.

We checked in the Varin Beach Resort situated on one of the three beaches of Koh Lipe. Koh Lipe has three main beaches - Sunset Beach, Sunrise Beach and Pattaya Beach. Accommodation varies from grass huts to air-conditioned bungalows and can be found scattered on these beaches.

(A long-tail boat to transport passengers)

(Beautiful corals off the shore)

(Crystal clear water, good for snorkeling)

We had a late lunch of seafood fried rice from the hotel cafe before taking a rest in the room. As we had not slept since yesterday, we had a long resting nap in the air-conditioned room and woke up late, just missing the beautiful sunset.

(A welcoming drink, waiting to check-in)

(Snorkeling and diving instruments for rent)

(Our lodging for the night)

Some of the gang skipped napping and walked around the island. It is possible to walk around the entire island in a little over an hour on a small concrete road. There was no cars on the island but there were a few motorbikes but none was for rent. Long-tail boats will take you from any point on the island to any other point on the island for only b50.

(Planning to explore the island at night)

(Koh Lipe Walking Streets)

(The crowd at the Walking Street)

(Plenty of boutique shops and eateries)

As we were staying only a night on the island we missed the opportunity to scuba dive and snorkel around Koh Lipe and its neighboring islands. The calm, clear water makes Koh Lipe ideal for snorkeling and there are large varieties of fishes around the coral just a few meters deep, straight off all of the beaches.

(Munawar and Rose waiting for their dinner)

(The three stooges, still undecided where to eat)

(Plenty of finger food to choose from)

(Foreign ice-cream vendors)

At night we joined the crowd and visited Koh Lipe Walking Street. The street is about a kilometer long and vibrant with lights and live music. There were many coffee-houses, Internet cafes and souvenir shops along the main street. There were also many seafood restaurants and plenty of Muslim restaurants serving rice and local dishes or western cuisine.