webberwanderings.co.uk

image(s): 

From the laid back, relaxed Koh Yao Noi we picked up a ferry to Ko Phi Phi - one of the most famous Thai islands, renowned for its party atmosphere and beautiful beaches but also serving as a warning to other islands about the hazards of over-development. It is not a place that was high on our agenda to visit, but our ferry to Malaysia started here and we thought that it might be interesting to see. The approach to the island is very impressive as you sail around the towering cliffs before cruising into a wide sandy bay. The first thing to hit us was the number of large boats crowding the bay leaving just a strip of clear water to get in and out of the pier.

Once on the island, we were approached by several touts offering fairly pricey accommodation which we declined thinking that we would walk to the cheaper hostel area of the island. Hot and laden down with our bags we struggled to find our way through the narrow crowded lanes to the other side of the beach only to find many of the budget places full. Sweaty and tired, we stopped for a fruit shake and then Drew headed out without the bags to find us a room. Eventually, we found a very basic place slightly up a hill with a view over the ramshackle crowded roofs of the town. Koh Phi Phi is reputed to be one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand but we found it pretty much impossible to see (and smell!) past the creaking infrastructure. We were unexpectedly reminded of some of the less-cultured holiday spots we've seen in places like the Costa Del Sol where sunburn, youthful exuberance and lager seem to be the order of the day, and this was probably not helped by the fact we happened to be there on St Patrick's Day, so the Irish pub was in full-swing! We still managed to have an interesting night, people watching and enjoying some very spicy Thai food once we found an out-of-the way cluster of simple local restaurants.

We were not unhappy to leave Phi Phi early in the morning on a ferry which took us down the Andaman coast stopping at beautiful islands fringed with idyllic beaches and clear, turquoise water. It was quite a long ride to our destination - Koh Lao Liang a tiny rock of an island sticking up in the middle of the sea, surrounded by sheer cliffs but with one stretch of sand and a small bay area just big enough for a handful of tents that were to be our home for the next couple of nights. There is no pier on the island and the water was very choppy, so the ferry had to stop around the back of the island where it was more sheltered and a long-tail boat pulled alongside. After scrambling from one to the other the long-tail battled against the big waves back round to the beach; however it could not get in too close due to the big swell. We managed to time jumping out of the boat right with the waves and not get completely soaked but it was left to the expertise of boatmen to get our big rucksacks onto land which they made look very easy.

We were greeted and sat down to a hearty lunch straight away before being shown to our very comfortable tent only a few feet away from the beach. The island is managed by Thai national parks and the resort is the only one on the island (there is no space for anything else!) If you are feeling active there is climbing, kayaking, snorkeling and fishing on offer but everything is very laid back, and guests are encouraged to do as much or as little as they feel like.

We took one of the kayaks out for a spin and managed to get around our island and its neighbour which took a couple of hours and was a decent bit of exercise but great fun. The sea was still very rough, so in places where the islands weren't sheltering us we were cooled down by a thorough soaking as waves crashed over the decks. In the lee of the islands though it was very relaxing paddling and we enjoyed the birds nesting in the cliffs, schools of fish leaping out of the water and spotting a pink jelly-fish the size of a coffee table (this made us even more determined not to be capsized by the waves). Just as we were rounding the second island and trying to navigate between some rocks, Heather was startled as a long, spikey-nosed, fish leaped out of the water and nearly landed in her lap. Shortly afterwards we pulled up onto the only beach on the neighbouring island which was is home to a few fisherman's shacks and had almost white sand and clear, turquoise water. After a short breather, we swapped places in the boat and got our heads down for the finishing straight back to our beach.

We also managed to get in some snorkelling in the clear water just off the beach on Lao Liang where we saw amazing coloured corals, lots of different fish (including what we believe are scientifically referred to as Nemo fish) and Heather was again startled as she came face to face with a moray eel. The water was so calm and clear on the final day that you barely needed masks, you could just stand in the water and look down.

In the evenings, there were tasty dinners and a well-stocked bar both of which we enjoyed. On the last night, Drew had a good guitar jam session with a Swedish bloke we had got friendly with (turns out he worked for a couple of years as a chef in the small Scottish village that Drew's mum grew up in... small world!) and also some of the local staff. This turned into a bit of a marathon session leaving sore fingers and several sore heads the next morning. A very enjoyable evening though - our last night in Thailand having spent about as long there as we did in Nepal (about 4 months).

From Lao Liang, we were picked up again by the ferry and it was only a few hours ride to the Malaysian island of Langkawi. This is a famous island in Malaysia renowned for its white sandy beaches, posh resorts and duty-free status. We found a very nice guest-house set back from one of the main beaches, and surrounded by padi fields. Again, there was a bit of a contrast with our previous island but we enjoyed having our sunset beers watching terrified punters being dragged behind a boat paragliding, shrieking folk on banana boats and games of beach football. It was also interesting to notice how ethnically diverse the holiday-makers are here; Thai beaches seemed to invariably be dominated by farang tourists.

Away from the beach and the marinas full of enormous yachts, one of the island's major attractions are its geoparks. We enjoyed an afternoon visiting one of these which boasts an impressive cable-car ride. Apparently Malaysia is obsessed with records (of the Guinness Book of variety), and this cable car has the longest stretch of cable between two towers. We tried not to reflect on this too much as we were whisked up the steep mountainside to enjoy the views at the top. There are several viewing platforms at the top, which nestle in the jungle about 700 meters above sea level, and are joined by another stretch of the cable car, and a suspension bridge. The view across the main island and its many smaller siblings was quite beautiful.

A small aside which we were reminded of in Langkawi; a good barometer as to whether you're in a cool travellers' spot, or a more mainstream holiday destination are the type of books you find in the second hand shops and stalls. We saw one place that had a special offer on Mills & Boon in Langkawi, at something like 2 or 3 Malaysian Ringgits per kilo.

• ‹ previous
• 58 of 70
• next ›