MIVOAKA: 06.02.2018
We have now arrived on Ko Lanta. We plan to stay here for a while. At least that's the plan... if we can even call it a plan :-)
However, the journey was different than expected. I intentionally booked tickets in advance for a big slow boat from Phuket to Ko Lanta because I didn't want any more speedboat experience after the tour in Ko Chang, especially in stormy weather. But when we arrived at the pier, there was no big ferry as booked, only lots of small speedboats. Well, we had to find a way to get from one island to the other. So we got on one of the speedboats. The sea seemed calm, so I didn't think anything bad of it. But when a crew member came and explained the rules for the crossing, I started feeling queasy. His words were something like: "no stand up, please sit, don't move, rough sea, but no worry, only 1 hour". Meaning: "The sea may be rough, but don't worry, we're only going to be on the boat for an hour". The mom with the baby sitting across from me looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. And yes, it was indeed a rocky journey, with high waves and a painful impact on the water afterwards. When Nora saw a 30-meter-high rock in the harbor (after we arrived), she asked if it was one of the rocks we had just jumped over. Other than that, she used the journey for a nap and was completely relaxed the whole time - unlike me.
At the harbor in Krabi, we had to transfer to the big slow ferry to sail for another 1.5 hours to Ko Lanta. That was at least okay. However, the arrival at the destination harbor was anything but relaxing. Hundreds of other tourists were already waiting to rush into the boat, while we were trying to get our luggage off. In between, there were numerous taxi drivers who persistently tried to convince us to ride with them. I was relieved when we finally got out of there and arrived at our resort.
Our accommodation is not directly on the beach this time, but it's only about 200 meters away. On the other hand, we have the main road with all its shops and restaurants right outside our door, which is not bad at all. But the best thing here is that there is a children's play area where Nora can keep herself occupied for hours!! It's a luxury to have so many toys around again :-)