After about 5 days, I have trekked, kayaked, and swam over almost all of Phi Phi island...and it's time to put it in the rear view mirror! Boarded the boat for Ko Lanta (another Thai island nearby), and about an hour later, I was there. Spent most of the hour frantically trying to dry and / or wash my passport, computer, chargers, wallet, etc. Lesson learned: coke cans are not as thick over here...i.e., don't put one in the small bag you carry around will all of your most important stuff that you want to keep an eye on. Several times since then I have set the computer down somewhere for a couple of hours and returned to find a procession of sugar ants headed inside it searching out the last remnants of that sweet American goodness. At least it's being enjoyed by something.
Ko Lanta is not really that different from Ko Phi Phi, but considering the geographic closeness of these two places, I would say that the differences are remarkable. Being far less "touristed" than it's neighbor, Lanta really shows the effects that tourism is having on the country. This Island definitely offers a picture of traditional Thai island life that was impossible to see on Phi Phi where almost every person and resource was devoted to the tourist trade. It's a shame that tourism can change the feel of a place so completely, and that you have to get further and further off the map to see the things you went there to see. Anyhow, to aid in getting off that map a bit, my Norwegian friend and I decided to rent motorcycles and just drive. I think the first sign that this might be a bad idea was the fact that an alarming percentage of the other tourists that had been around a few days were bandaged in one way or another with wraps and slings off all shapes and sizes. A little investigating found that these were exclusively the result of motorbike accidents. Despite the risks, they were all tempted by the complete freedom of having the bike, which, with fuel, cost less than $10 per day to rent. I was just as tempted, and now I have a broken arm...good thing for travel insurance, huh? Actually, I'm just making sure you're still awake...I rode almost 200km all over that island (yes, with a helmet) and had a blast with no problems at all...but I can see how they can be a bit dangerous...especially in a place with effectively no road rules! The most entertaining actual accident I heard of was a couple of girls who rented the bike from the hotel, saddled up and slowly puttered up to the main road. They stopped, looked both ways, and then floored it launching themselves across the road at full speed into a ditch full of black muck on the opposite side. They and the bike then sank into the murk...no major injuries. We avoided the ditches and various other obstacles and went to the deserted northern part of the island, fishing villages on the east side, and the national park in the south. We even found a pier with a long tail boat (pictured in album) and hired it for a couple of hours to take us around a limestone island with lots of sea caves off the coast.
Tho other really remarkable thing about this place was the Muslim influenced Thai food...absolutely amazing. I will be learning to make some of these dishes when I get home...I have never been introduced to so many new flavors and spices in such a short time...a real treat! I am now ready to more on, and I have more than 24 hours of travel time to look forward to as I relocate to Chang Mai in the northern part of the country, which I guess is longer than it looks! Sorry about the arm joke...
