Krabi - Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is a medium-sized island with some very nice and long beaches. As the Ao Nang area got more and more crowded, and as Koh Phi Phi got too commercial, Koh Lanta gained popularity. Back in 2004, real estate developers had started to market the island and plans were hatched to put tarmac on the last strip of dirt road. From 2006, when the tourist arrivals picked up again after having suffered a brief setback due to the tsunami, Koh Lanta had become an important "alternative destination" for tour companies, i.e., crowded, but not as crowded as Phuket, Phi Phi, Ao Nang or Khao Lak.


If you don't seek solitude but don't want too rampant commercialism or in-your-face sex tourism, then Koh Lanta is still a worthwhile holiday destination. However, I prefer to remember it as it once was.

My first visit to Koh Lanta was over 10 years ago -- just after Thai Airways had started domestic flights from Bangkok to Krabi. Back then, access to Krabi's hot spring was free of charge and the Tiger Temple (no live tigers there, but a big rock to climb from where to enjoy the view) was not too crowded. 


And back then, Koh Lanta was still considered a backpacker destination. As roads were considered rough (i.e., unpaved), I was advised not to go there in a sedan. So, a friend of a friend arranged that I borrowed a pick-up truck for the journey from town to island.


That was a great favor so I didn't ask too many questions or check the gifted horse. I was not until I had parked to wait for the ferry that I took a closer look at the truck. And I look twice. It had no license plates nor any registration sticker. 


I immediately called the owner to hear if I missed something. No problem, I was told.  "The Krabi police knows me (and my truck), so I'm never pulled over. If any police tries to make an issue, just call me." Uhm, OK. 


Now, I was already at the ferry so why not continue on to the island. What could possibly go wrong?


And I was wrong. Nothing happened. For three full days, nobody paid any attention to the missing license plates. Meanwhile, I had checked the "credentials" of the vehicle's owner. It turns out that he was the local ringleader for the underground lottery, which explained why he had an "arrangement" with the local police. 


Anyway, sorry for the digression.


I just want to say that Koh Lanta is nice and gets nicer the further south on the island you go, i.e., away from the crowds.