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)