Koh Lanta Trip 05

"The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that..." - Norton Juster

(Our reliable Toyota Hi-Lux for the road trip)

Date: 10 Nov 23 (Friday)
Route: Hatyai - KL
Distance: 530km

We had our breakfast at Khalid Restaurant. The restaurant was full house this morning. Looks like the Malaysian tourists are spending their long deepavali weekend holidays in Hatyai.

We checked out early to avoid the crowd and drove towards the border. We made a brief stop at Danok before we cleared border immigration and custom checks.

After refuelling at Petronas Bukit Kayu Hitam, we drove direct to Restoran Ida Mee Udang at Sungai Dua for lunch. We performed our solat jamak Zohor/Asar at Perhentian Sebelah Taiping. At R&R Ulu Bernam we stopped for solat Maghrib/Isya and had a light dinner.

Reached our Bidara home around 9.30 pm. Alhamdulillah...

Koh Lanta Trip 04

“The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it...” - Albert Einstein

(Koh Lanta Ferry)

Date: 09 Nov 23 (Thursday)
Route: Koh Lanta - Hatyai
Distance: 250km
Hotel: Hatyai Golden Crown Hotel

Our last day in Koh Lanta we had set breakfast by the beach at View Thalay Seafront Restaurant. By 8.30 am we checked out and headed to the Khlong Mak Pier, with a brief stop at the morning market to buy our favorite pulut pagi.

 

(Breakfast by the beach)

(Simple but filling)

We bought ferry ticket for B130 and boarded the ferry to Hua Hin Pier. On the mainland, we stopped to buy the famous Koh Lanta ikan masin from one of the roadside stalls. We made another stop at PTT Khlong Phon for comfort break and bought tid-bits from 7-eleven.

(Crossing the Sri Lanta Bridge)

(Boarding the ferry to Hua Hin Pier)

We drove on a shorter alternative rural road to Patthalung via Trang. We googled for halal food outlet on our way to Hat Yai and found Musa Bangkok Restaurant in Tamot. Lunch was nasi goreng ikan masin with seafood, sup tulang, white rice and iced manao.

 

(A must stop to buy salted fish)

(A sumptuous lunch)

The journey from Patthalung to Hat Yai was slow due to several sections of the highway were undergoing major roadworks. Arrived at the Golden Crown Hotel, Hat Yai at late afternoon. The rest of the day was spent resting and napping.

At night we bought burgers and fries and had our dinner in the room.

Koh Lanta Trip 03

"You are strong when you know your weaknesses. You are beautiful when you appreciate your flaws. You are wise when you learn from your mistakes..."

(A ship wrecked at Lanta Old Town)

Date: 08 Nov 23 (Wednesday)
Route: Koh Lanta Free and easy
Distance: 50km
Hotel: Lanta Seafront Resort

Today we drove around the island and managed to visit more than a dozen mosques from our list of mosques in Koh Lanta. While we were mosques hunting, we also visited some of the attractions we found along the way.

Koh Lanta Old Town

Koh Lanta Old Town is located on Koh Lanta’s East coast. It was once the island’s main port for trade. Now Lanta Old Town is a charming place to visit which looks and feels like it’s stood still in time. Lanta Old Town was originally a sea gypsy settlement. Over the decades it transformed into a village influenced by trade. There are shops, restaurants and homes built on stilts. The Old Town has a distinct Chinese influence and very laid back. While still a fishing village for the locals, much of Old Town’s trade now comes through low-key tourism with gift shops selling local goods.

(Srikaya, now known as Koh Lanta Old Town)

(Main street of Koh Lanta Old Town)

(Chinese Shrine next to a restaurant)

(A Seafront Restaurant with a nice view of the ocean)

Lanta Old Town Pier

In front of the roundabout is the Old Town Pier which was used to bring goods to the island and export produce from the island. The Old Town is no longer a trading centre and the pier is now largely redundant except for a small number of tour boats that depart from this pier on tours around the small islands located off the east coast of Koh Lanta. Near the jetty , there is a big statue of a blue lobster, the mascot of Lanta Old Town. There is an old lighthouse and a wrecked ship nearby.

(A huge blue lobster statue at the pier)

(The pier is to accomodate tour boats)

(A ship wreck)

(An old lighthouse)

Pirate beach

From Lanta old town we drove south on a lonely road till we reached the end of the road where the Urak Lawoi settlement is located. The Urak Lawoi are one of several Astronesia ethnicities referred to as 'Sea Gypsies' or Chao Leh in Thai. They speak Malay language with Thai dialect. We followed a small side road and reached the Pirate Paradise Adventure Resort which looks abandoned. We could see some cars and motorbikes around the premises. There could be a group of people having a private party there. We did not manage to locate the 1000-year old tree, most probably it is located deep in the jungle.

(A secluded resort at the end of the road)

(Signage to the 1000 yeras old tree)

Sri Lanta Bridge

From Pirate Beach, we drove towards the Sri Lanta Bridge which connects the two largest islands in the Koh Lanta archipelago, Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi. Prior to the bridge’s construction the only way to cross between Koh Lanta Yai, which is the main tourist island, and Koh Lanta Noi, which is closest to the Thai mainland was by boat. There is a small lighthouse on the Koh Lanta Yai end of the bridge.

(Tour boats waiting for passengers under the bridge)

(A replica of a lighthouse)

Saladan pier and town centre

Saladan Pier is a busy area for ferries and is part of the main commercial town for Koh Lanta Yai located on the northern tip of the island. It is a small harbour town that is filled with quaint cafes and local souvenir shops. We saw groups of tourists arriving and departing from Saladan Pier. Ban Saladan main town has only two streets that make up the town. There are many wooden seafood restaurants that are built on stilts over the water, with great views of the beach on Koh Lanta Noi.

(New tourists arrivals at the pier)

It was already late afternoon when we completed a full round of the island. We ended up having a late lunch of nasi goreng at the View Talay Seafront Restaurant. For dinner, we had oat cookies and nescafe.

(Calm sea in the afternoon)

Koh Lanta Trip 02

"A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot and realise how blessed you are for what you have..." - David A wolf

(Tranquility at its best)

Date: 07 Nov 23 (Tuesday)
Route: Hatyai - Koh Lanta
Distance: 250 km
Hotel: Lanta Seafront Resort

We had breakfast of Nasi Dagang and Roti Canai at Restoran Khaled next door. By 8.30 am we were already on the road driving towards Koh Lanta.

Ko Lanta is an island district in Krabi Province on Thailand’s Andaman coast. It’s known for its coral-fringed beaches, mangroves, limestone outcrops and rainforests. Mu Ko Lanta National Park spans several islands, including the southern end of the largest island Ko Lanta Yai, home to semi-nomadic sea people known as the Chao Leh. The park contains the Khao Mai Kaew cave network and Khlong Chak Waterfall.

(Elephant trail at the Andaman Gateway Park)

(The Andaman Gateway Park looks deserted)

Koh Lanta is still not as touristy as other islands in Thailand. Most people who come to Koh Lanta are looking to get away from the crowds and just want to relax at quiet beaches. This is our third trip to Koh Lanta. First two trips were by motorbike and this time we drove our Toyota Hi-Lux to the island.

(New resorts on the hill top)

(Glamping, enjoying the outdoors in comfort and style)

It was raining cats and dogs along the way. We made a rest stop at Andaman Gateway and bought some tid-bits. There are a few new resorts sprouting around the hill top around the Khao Pupba Restaurant. The ambience was nice. You can get a good view of the cool stream, greens, and the mountains.

(Buying ferry tickets from the ticket booth)

(Waiting in line to board the ferry)

(On board on the open barge)

(Cars neatly arranged, 30 minutes to cross to Koh Lanta Noi)

We bypassed Trang and drove direct to Koh Lanta Ferry Terminal at the Hua Hin Pier. The ferry ticket for our pick-up and 2 passengers was B130. We did not have to wait long as there were many open barges ferrying vehicles and passengers to Koh Lanta. It was raining hot showers when we boarded the ferry. The 30-minute ferry ride was smooth. We had to drive across Koh Lantai Noi, the smaller island to Koh Lantai Yai, the big island connected by the Sri Lanta Bridge.

(Crossing Sri Lanta Bridge to Koh Lanta Yai)

(Welcome to Koh Lanta)

After we checked-in Lanta Seafront Resort, we crossed the road to Lanta Seafront Restaurant for a hefty late lunch by the beach. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping in the room.

(Lanta Seafront resort, our lodging for two nights)

At night the beach front was quiet during weekdays and there were not much activities as the shops and eateries closed quite early. We took a leisure drive towards town and bought pancakes for dinner.

Koh Lanta Trip 01

"Never mix your words with your mood because you'll have many options to change you but you'll never get any option to replace your spoken words..."

(Pulut Durian at Hatyai Night Market)

Date: 06 Nov 23 (Monday)
Route: KL - Hatyai
Distance: 530 km
Hotel: Golden Crown Hotel (Rm98.28)

Started driving towards north from Bidara house at 8.30 am. Took a comfort break at Hentian Simpang Pulai. By 1.30 pm we detoured to have lunch at Restoran Bawal Goreng Kelapa Sawit at Juru.

(Heading north in a cool clear weather)

(Crispy deep-fried bawal goreng)

We performed our solat jamak at surau Hentian Toll Plaza Hutan Kampung then stopped for refuelling in Changlun before we entered Thailand via ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam. We paid B40 and white cards were not required with effect from November 2023.

We drove through the after office hours traffic jam and reach Hatyai Golden Crown Hotel by 6.00 pm local time.

(Halal noodles restaurant next to our hotel)

(One of the many cannabis store in Hatyai)

After a short rest, we had dinner at Ayutthaya Noodles Halal Restaurant located next to our hotel. After dinner we walked to Lee Gardens Night Market. There was a crowd of Malaysians having dinner at the many local food stalls around Lee Gardens.

 

(Varieties of Hatyai Street Food)

Had an hour of strong foot massage at Sawasdee. Later shared a plate of pulut durian from Haji stall before we walked back to our hotel.