Koh Lanta...a diver's paradise

Dave on his moped
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Koh Lanta is one of the least frequented islands on the west coast of Thailand as most treavllers visit Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and then cross over to the east coast to the islands of Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Ko Phang-an.  However we were told by an experiencd diver that Koh Lanta has some of the best diving spots in the world, so that was our main reason for coming here.

On our 2nd day we decided to rent out some mopeds for the day (5 euro for the day).  Now I have never been on a moped, never mind driven one!  So I started off a bit tentative going about 40kmh, whilst the boys zoomed ahead of me!  I was amazed at how heavy the bike was to handle and at times I struggled to move the damn thing!  So anyway, we had decided to visit a waterfall at the end of the island but to get there we had to go over about 400m of dirt track.  As we took it slowly it was just about managable.  We arrived at the start of the path that led to the waterfall, when the heavens opened!  We took shelter in a little bar, hoping it would pass.  It eased after about 20mins but we decided to head back and blank the waterfall as our flip-flops weren't up to the slippery conditions!  Furthermore, as Dave pointed out, the dirt track would now be a mud track so we had better head back sooner rather than later!

..the bike power skidded out from under me!!!

Climb aboard!
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We took to the bikes again ut this time it was a nightmare!  The dirt tracks were now mud baths!  I took it slowly but i could feel the bike slipping from underneath me.  Then I took a corner, not very fast but the bike power skidded out from under me and Dave was shuting at me to drop the bike so i did!  It skid across the mud and Dave and I burst out laughing!  I wasn't hurt apart from the ton of mud I had over me and the bike was fine.  I proceeded in asking the boys, whose great idea it was to go to the waterfall!  I was very relieved to get back onto a paved road!

Signs all over the place
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We decided to stop at the apartment, to clean up, before heading on so we rounded the corner into our place to park up.  I saw a little parking space and tried to edge my way in.  However, as the bike was so heavy to handle i used a bit of gas to move it but then instead of pulling the brakes, I accelerated more and drove it into a pillar on a house belonging to the family who ran the apartments!  There were about 5 of them standing outside and i was mortified!  The grandpa went t inspect the pillar and I had taken a chunk out of it!  He didn't look too happy!  The son inspected the bike, whcih was fine and I was fine, apart from the embarassment!  i definately thought this moped malarky wasn't for me!

Before my 'accident'!
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Anyway, I soon got back on and took to it like a duck in water, hitting top speeds of 70 kmh.  Then the rain set in for the rest of the day so we were confined to an internet cafe and bar!

The next day Rob and Dave booked themselves onto their scuba diving PADI course which would take 4 days to complete.  I visited the local doctor to see if i could dive with my ear (perforated it last year) but she said she couldnt see if there was still a hole because of the impacted wax so she said 'no diving'.  I was gutted but i knew not to risk further damage to my ear.  So i had 4 days to fill.  I booked myself onto a Thai cooking course no the 1st day, where I got to cook 5 Thai dishes, including a red curry and sweet and sour.  It was really good to see how wrong we cook everything!  The preparation took the longest but the cooking only took about 5 mins.  We got to sample all our dishes but I couldn't eat them all so I took 4 doggy bags home for Rob and Dave.  Now I have my own receipe book, I'll be a master of Thai cooking when i get home!

One of many sunsets
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During the next few days, i hired out a moped again and managed to cover the whole island.  I did some shopping, some sun-bathing by the pool, some reading, more reading, whilst the boys were seeing the wonders of the sea :-(

Our evenings were soent in our resort in the beach bar talking to one of the Thai lads who worked there.  He told us him and his friends buitl the whole bar themselves, using 'nature'.  The only thing they paid for was the nails!  Everything else was taken from nature!  It was very impressive.  We got talking to him about the Tsunami.  He told us only 9 people died on Koh Lanta but about 20,000 people died on Koh Phi Phi, which was the worst hit island and had to be rebuilt completely after the devastation.

Watching the sun set
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The boys thoroughly ejoyed their scuba-diving.  They got down to 18 metres and saw all kinds of fish, including the stone fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, which is very dangerous, mora eel, sea snake and they were lucky enough to see a skool of dolphins swimming alongside their boat (which I was very jealous about)!!  They mastered their skills and passed their exmas with 48/50.  I don't know what happened to those 2 marks! (I would have got 50/50)!!!!