Week 61 - Ko Ngai, Ko Lipe (Thailand)

When we’d been to Ko Ngai before it had been a glorious sunny day with a white sandy beach and turquoise sea. This time we arrived in the rain and it didn’t stop. We tried to leave after three nights but none of the boats were running and we ended up staying a fourth. It wasn’t the end of the world because they gave us a free nights accommodation and we were in a bargain giant tent right on the beach, we’ve been burning money since we got to Thailand so it gave us a chance to catch up a bit. Since it pretty much rained non-stop for the whole while we were there we had plenty of time to read, sleep, drink rum, play computer games and watch films. It was a great opportunity to recharge. Ko Ngai is pretty small though and there was only one restaurant that was open in our price range and we ended up structuring our days around lunch and dinner times. On one occasion we tried to make it to the other side of the island to visit some little coves but the cross island forest route was slick with mud and infested by mosquitoes so we ended up turning back. We managed to swim once in the sea, and then it was cold, and one night we stole in to the swimming pool of the resort next door for a quick dip but that was about the extent of the excitement - other than a massive hornbill with a huge beak eating berries from a tree by the beach. It’s a shame because it was such a beautiful place, off the tourist track with a beautiful crescent of sand and it would have been great to have spent time there when it was at its best, not when we were rained in and the beach was scattered with jellyfish.

Me outside our giant tent, hiding from the rain, Ko Ngai

When the boats were finally running we decided that we’d head straight for Ko Lipe. Our original plan had been to hop through the Trang islands from Ko Lanta to Ko Lipe, spending 10 days on 4 different islands. As the weather forecast predicted nothing but grey skies for the next week we thought it better to be in a more touristy place. The whole 2 1/2 hour bumpy (think rollercoaster bumpy) journey on the speedboat we were heading towards a patch of blue sky and our hopes were high. When we arrived it took us a while to find somewhere decent to stay in our price range, wading through huge puddles and walking along sandy tracks in the midday heat, and ended up in a little bamboo bungalow in the centre of the island. After lunch and a walk along the main beach, Pattaya beach, we found some cheaper bungalows and booked a room for the rest of our stay.

That evening the Spurs game was being shown in the sports bar so we wandered across to lay on the mattresses and watch, surprised how many Spurs fans were there. After an embarrassing defeat we decided to turn in for the night to find a crazy cat sitting in wait outside our room.

The next morning we grabbed a fresh fruit shake and walked across the island to Sunrise Beach (the island is tiny so no where is far away). We stayed there enjoying the sun until the afternoon, whiling away the day wandering along the shore, swimming and reading. We had a late lunch and had a couple of hours out of the sun back at our bungalow before heading out again, this time to Sunset Beach, the smallest of the three main beaches on the island. We propped ourselves up in some deckchairs outside a beach bar and waited for the sunset. It was the best sunset we’ve seen in a while and after finally having the beach day we’d been craving all week we were happy. We ate in town again that night and had a walk on the beach before bed.

Sunrise Beach, Ko Lipe.

Sunrise Beach, Ko Lipe.

Rhys watching the sunset, Sunset Beach, Ko Lipe.

Sunset over Ko Lipe.

We were moving to the room near the beach the next day so we were up and packed and took our backpacks with us for our breakfast fruit shakes and pancakes. The walk was hot and sticky and we’d forgotten how far it was but we made it, dropped off our bags and headed to the beach just out front. Pattaya Beach isn’t as nice as Sunrise Beach, it feels less remote and there are lots of bars and bungalows, saying that, it still has beautiful white sand and turquoise blue sea so we’re not really complaining. Rhys wasn’t feeling well so after a swim he stayed out of the sun in the restaurant with the laptop. For lunch, Rhys popped in to town and came back with crisps and pizza and we spent the rest of the afternoon split between the beach and our room. That night we ate at the restaurant attached to our resort. All up we’re impressed with Ko Lipe, it’s like a smaller version of Ko Phi Phi but on a sedative, lots of places are fully booked but it still feels quite quiet and chilled, although it doesn’t have the limestone karsts that Phi Phi has, the beaches are stunning and more than make up for it.