I flew from Santorini to Bangkok, (via Athens, Istanbul, and Dubai.) In Bangkok, I met up with my friend Brian. The next day, we flew to Krabi and took a bus to Ao Nang, where we met up with Priya, another friend.
I spent 4 days with Priya and Brian at Ao Nang, then another 4 with just Brian on Koh Lanta.
From Ao Nang, we had easy access to Railay and Phra Nang via long-tail boats. We also did a “7 Island” tour that included cliff jumping, snorkeling, and night swimming with bioluminescent plankton. It’s just… really, really, really nice. The beaches are pretty spectacular in this part of Thailand.
Koh Lanta was nice change of pace- the beaches by Aonang were pretty crowded, and the vibe a little more hectic. Koh Lanta is pretty chill- much more relaxed, fewer people. A really weirdly large Scandinavian presence- lots of Norwegians, Swedes, and Germans. Had a great beach side yoga practice at Oasis Yoga. We also had a pretty fun night out at Treehouse- a bar literally built into the trees, just a maybe 10-20 yards from the beach. We ended up doing some night swimming with a bunch of other travelers and expats under a near full moon, which was pretty great. Brian lost my University of Minnesota hat somewhere in the ocean I think… ohwell. There’s probably some Thai kid in Koh Lanta rockin’ some Minnesota gear. (Incidentally, we did meet a guy from Edina, MN, at the bar that night.)
We also rented some scooters from the place we stayed at, and explored the Lanta Old City, and old Chinese fishing town. Pretty nice- made me think about getting a scooter for getting around DC.
The featured image is of the tip jar at Ao Nang Boat Noodle. Specifically, it’s a picture of a picture of the owner’s daughter, showing some appreciation for the noodles. I’d definitely agree- one thumb up for the beef boat noodles there. Too busy holding a spoon to give it two thumbs.
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