iain goes bananas

On Tuesday morning, I took a longtail boat out to Phi Phi Leh, together with Chris. We left early to be ahead of the crowds, and were speeding across the azure blue waters by 8am, feeling very pleased with ourselves.

We actually beat the hordes by about 20 minutes or so. You could see the big speedboats racing in from Phuket. They arrived in a long string of gleaming white hulls and excessive outboard motor power, discharging tourists with cameras onto the white sands. Exactly what 'the beach' is dead set against, of course - Maya bay must be one of the most ironic places on the planet.

"we are from sweden. we like to fish. and in winter, we like to ski... of course there is no skiing in thailand"

I tried to take some decent pictures, but failed miserably to capture the magic of the place. Check out my photo gallery for more. Iglika, I carefully selected a small seashell for you, so you'll have something from the exact spot where Leonardo stood.

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Arrived on Ko Lanta yesterday afternoon. Only an hour's hop on the ferry from Phi Phi. Decided I'd kick the aircon habit and got myself a fan bungalow. Lanta is a very sleepy place, with deserted beaches and little villages where not much happens. Got myself a motorbike today and spent the morning pottering about on the island. I know someone who had a surprise encounter with the tarmac while doing that, so am extra careful ;-). (get your motor runnin', head out on the highway!)

the highway

Everyone is all smiles, and the scent of jasmin is heavy on the breeze. We had a short thunderstorm yesterday evening, which caused a routine power cut. It's that sort of place.The food is excellent. You ask for 'no spicy, please', you get 'no spicy, please'. So even though there's not much to do, or see for that matter, I'm well pleased I escaped the madness of Phi Phi and came here. Will start to plan next destination, so watch this space for more!