The True View Journals

Ko Lanta will definitely live long in our memories and specifically Coral Beach Lanta and all the staff and the unique atmosphere of the place. From our first meeting on the boat with Pawn (sic), to being driven to the bungalows by her brother Tapong (sic) and the nightly games of dominoes with Jiw, the sister responsible for the bar or watching Wood (sic) do his thing at the fireshow every day was ultra relaxing in the care of this wonderful family.

Our room for the 2 weeks was basic but pleasant with an extremely comfortable bed

The bungalow is located just off the beach in a palm garden

On our first night we are introduced to a wonderful sunset even if it’s blocked by the clouds but the rocks lining the beach (which ruin the swimming in the are) are a wonder of nature.

Later that night we first meet Jiw who runs the bar in Coral with her nephew Wood. It was her sister Pawn who we first came with on the boat and being family run, the whole place has a great feel to it. It’s still amazing that they do not have a website and they had showed up on nothing before we had got there. The main way they secure business is by getting the daily boat to Phi Phi and trying to get people to come as we did on our first day. In this day and age it’s hard to imagine a place running without email and if the place we had tried to book had got back to us before we took that boat we would never have stayed there.

When we got there Coral is quiet as it’s the start of the season on Lanta…they had been closed for the previous 6 months and we were some of the first customers. We spent the night with Jiw enjoying a few cocktails and playing games of dominoes…

Only interrupted by an army of ants who came together to outline a map of Ireland…I missed the full layout by a few seconds…but I swear it was an almost perfect replication

We also get to see Wood do his Fireshow for the first time…during our time there we got to know his routine well and the sound of Sublime over then speakers always meant he was about to do his thing. He was definitely one of the more graceful people I have seen do this on Thailand – he said it took about 2 months, 10 hours a day to perfect it…one of the benefits of the low season in Lanta when work is scarce..

Over the rest of our time in Lanta we spend a lot of time in Mo bar (named after Jiw’s daughter)…

Generally just playing games and sucking on an orange shake or when called for a singha…

We got to know Jiw and Wood pretty well and they gave us a great insight into life on Lanta. It’s a tale of two halves, during the high season they basically work all day. Up early and keep going until whenever. Non stop, 7 days a week. Basically this has to be done to get money for the low season when almost everything shuts up and there is no work. High season brings with it work but is also a time when families are split and only a few hours are stolen at the weekends to see the nearest and dearest.

Over the next few days more people start showing up as the season kicks into higher gear. The great thing about Coral is that there are only 20 bungalows so even when it’s full it maintains a great sense of calmness and never feels too busy. There are also only 2 other places on the large stretch of beach and we spent a few days being totally undisturbed in the tranquil settings…its great not being hassled like in Samui where its hard to walk along the beach without someone trying to get you to buy or try something. Here you will be lucky to even meet another person never mind someone who is trying to work on you…Also most of the people who come to Coral are pretty laid back and looking for the same kind of place…its not a party place but somewhere to unwind with beautiful views, great sunsets, great people, great food and a great bar in the evening…One other such couple we ran into where Mark and Ashley from Canada (our ultimate destination)…Of course on the first night they were there we all ended up on the buckets which were as to be expected – Messy, Awfully messy…

The vast array on wildlife on Lanta is fascinating and daily we are introduced to something new…

Without doubt the funniest creature you will ever meet is a hermit crab – they trod along making bike like markings in the sand but when they sense you they curl up and roll upside down…just watching them all curl up and roll around in a nonsensical fashion is side splitting. You have to see it to understand.

The Preying Mantis on the other hand is a weird and fascinating creature. The eyes follow you everywhere while the head only rotates but doesn’t move forward or back. Also when he finally moved the speed and which he went was unbelievable.

The good thing about Lanta is that it’s spread out…the main beaches face west for fascinating sunsets all to the back drop of a rich and varied jungle. The sunsets are as beautiful as they are varied

The jungle is best trekked with a guide and one day we decide to try out the Elephant trekking to the Tiger Cave that starts off right beside Coral. It was funny being collected in a truck to only be brought outside Coral, travel a 100 meters down the road and then pull in. The Elephant trekking was a pretty hairy experience and I should never have went with my camera bag…the whole first half was spent holding on for dear life and on the steep descents that littered the way to the drop off I was plagued by visions of hitting the often sharp rocks on either side of the jungle pathway…even falling on soft mud from that height would do serious damage…Still though it was an exhilarating experience and one we will both never forget…I also found out that the rubber shoes worn by many in Thailand are not mass produced but made in small places in the jungle by hand from sheets of rubber processed from the trees that extend throughout the jungle of Lanta. We passed on such place but it was impossible to get a photo while trying to hold on…

When we finally left the elephant after the first part of the journey we were glad to be back on solid ground, little did we know that we would be led by two Shirpaesque Thai guys up to the Tiger cave…through streams, over rocks, down holes all in 38 degree heat, covered in mud all the time wondering where these guys trying to break the 8 odd hour ascent record for Everest (with Everest in this case being more of a steep hill but in that heat it felt like Everest)…thoughtful us never brought any water either and with the comical amounts we were losing in sweat it’s a wonder we maintained consciousness…

When we finally got to the cave we had a chance to cool off…

While here we ran into Mark and Ashley, the Canadian couple who had set off earlier to do the whole trek by foot.

We stopped off on the way down in an amazing pool to cool off and gather ourselves before we got back on the elephant for the easier return leg. All in all another unreal experience…

The other main exploit of note undertaken on Lanta was our adventures in Thai Cooking, if only to see Carina finally cook something after all these years. We got all kitted up in hats and aprons and started into the preparation around 9am…someone should have told us not to eat breakfast because after preparation of the 5 meals (Tom Yam, Pad Thai, Green Curry, Stir fried Veg in Oyster Sauce and Paneng curry) we started into cooking the Tom Yam with seafood. And after it was cooked we had to eat it…continuing like this until lunch time saw us eat less and less and by the time we hit the beloved green curry it was hard to even start it.

The setup was good though and the instructor was knowledgeable about all areas of Thai food.

There wasn’t too much to be learned by anyone who has ever cooked any Thai food but it was good fun none the less. The one thing I did learn was that no one makes their own curry pastes as it’s impossible to get them to the right consistency and all the restaurant use bought ones. I was busy contemplating whether customs in Australia would let me in with a few kilos of the stuff

The rest of our time on Lanta was spent back on the beach or gaming it up with Jiw or Wood in the bar or eating some of the great food cooked by the staff in the restaurant. The restaurant in Coral is a wonderful place overlooking the sea. The staff are as nice as you could meet and the quality of the food and service is top notch.

The restaurant was also great for meeting the rest of the family and staff. Pawn and her adorable young daughter…or Mo (Jiw’s daughter when she came to visit)

Or Baw who got a good laugh out of greeting us good morning (every afternoon) when we finally arrived in for breakfast

On our last night the kitchen staff gave us a wonderful present of a delightful platter of carved fruit.

Extremely thoughtful and such a nice gesture, they also all came out to say goodbye to us the following day when we were leaving.

In the end we didn’t really want to leave Coral and could have stayed there for far longer but knowing we had to get to Krabi for a flight to Bangkok put pay to any dreams of staying on longer. We managed to meet Jiw at the pier before we left as she had just came back in from Phi Phi from the morning run. We knew when leaving though that this would definitely be one place we would be returning to.