Day 15: Koh Lanta

Yesterday we went from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta. The ferry consisted of a speedboat with makeshift benches. The luggage was stacked at the stern of the ship and under the seats, reducing legroom to almost zero. Luckily, as one of the first guests, I got a window seat with some legroom. But that was only a small comfort considering what awaited us.

The boat, with its total of over 1000 horsepower engines, set off on the journey that was scheduled for nearly 2 hours. At the beginning, I was still very excited to ride on a speedboat through the island world of Thailand. It felt almost like a dream come true.

However, this quickly changed when we left the shelter of the islands and headed out to the open sea. There, you could feel the force of the wind, which caused meter-high waves that the boat fought against. The water splashed sideways every time the hull crashed down onto the water from a wave crest. And not only sideways, the wind carried it directly into the boat. The windows provided me with some protection, but the passengers in the second row were soaked from top to bottom within minutes.

Slowly, an uncertainty arose as the boat pounded harder and harder on the water, yet the captain continued at full speed. This disaster dragged on so long that with every hit on the water, cries came from the crew, and some put on their life jackets as a precaution. Miraculously, or rather thanks to my motion sickness tablet, no one had to vomit.

About an hour later, the ordeal was over and we were sailing in the shelter of the mainland. Finally, as you imagine it, on smooth, blue water between the many islands of Thailand. It was picturesque! Towards the end, we rode through a river lined with mangroves on both sides, and I felt like I was in a chase scene from the TV series 'Sea Patrol'.

I spent the rest of the day at the hotel and in the nearby area, needing a break after two weeks of planning, traveling, experiencing, and enjoying. The whole vacation turned out to be more exhausting than expected.

The next morning, I rented a scooter and toured the island, from the many different beaches to Koh Lanta Old Town and the National Park in the south. The motto was more about relaxing, swimming, and reading/sleeping. Because that's the vibe of this island, life here is relaxed and uncomplicated.

For me, that definitely proved to be true. An example was the volleyball game with the locals and other travelers at sunset in the evening. After that, we went to the night market to try many delicious treats at the countless street stalls.

Tomorrow, around noon, I will continue to Krabi, or rather Ao Nang. There, I have plans to go climbing at the legendary Railey Beach with someone I met in Georgetown, Penang.