Saturday 2 November 2013

Koh Lipe departure……….I’ve set the alarm for 6.50am just as a precaution but it won’t be needed. In any case it failed to go off. In rural Thailand the cock crowing is a useful alarm but here the sound of motors chug, chug, chugging on rue hang yao (long tailed boats) is the call of the new day. I’m washed packed and ready by 8am. I’ve made no arrangements for breakfast not even coffee and check out of Wapi Resort. Transport to the departure point is complimentary. Unlike my arrival at Sunrise Beach I’m told to report to Pattaya Beach for departure. Otherwise I would need no transport at all. I arrive for departure which will be straight off the beach, necessitating the manhandling of luggage at the water’s edge. Nobody is exempt from paddling up to knee height except two young girls who get a fireman’s lift as if they were luggage. The speed-boat is soon loaded and the beach anchors weighed in. With a morning higher tide there is less concern about underwater coral which could damage the blades. Unlike my arrival this boat has three Yamaha four-stroke engines which deploy in the deeper water. What effect this has is immediately felt. Unlike the smoother trip out here this machine propels itself out of the water before crashing back down again with a thump, the repetition of which continues until calmer waters are reached near Pakbara Pier. While the sea is a little choppy because of the wind, you wouldn’t call it rough but I guess the company has a schedule to keep which takes priority over passenger comfort. One could say it adds to the adventure but I have a lot of travelling to do today.
Pakbara and La Ngu..........Having already purchased a return ticket to the mainland I’m now committed to travelling all day. I have adjusted my budget and set an arrival time at Koh Kradan of 4pm. On arrival at Pakbara Pier I’m bombarded by offers to take me to Hat Yai. Wrong way! No obvious transport is heading for Trang so I retrace my steps back to La Ngu where I can get transport on the main Satun-Phuket highway. A songtheaw drops me off near the booking office. It’s gone 11am and I’ve still had nothing to eat. I grab a snack just in time for a through bus to Phuket which will drop me in Trang. That will take another hour and a half.
Trang……….Just before 1pm the bus arrives at the old bus station in Trang where it stops for a break. Now I need to head for the train station. That requires a tuk-tuk which delivers me to a travel agent dealing with transport out of Trang. One thing becomes abundantly clear. My journey from here will be nothing like the Lipe experience. There are no tour busses or vans arriving from Malaysia or Hat Yai airport filling the pier with customers on their package tours, just a handful of people waiting at the booking office. Just three of these are heading for Koh Kradan. To get to the islands from Trang requires charter boats and vans. You can travel immediately if you can pay the full rate. From Trang to the pier is 800 baht and to the island, 1200 baht far more than I wish to pay. It all depends on other customers turning up at the same time. Two things I would like to do before decision time. First some lunch. A short walk and I find a food court filled with local people. I take this opportunity to fill my belly at a price I can’t resist and tasty too. The second is a short visit to the railway station just across the road from the booking office. This is a terminus for most trains although the line does continue a bit further to Kantang. A late afternoon Bangkok bound train is in the station but I’m expecting little more and head back to the agency. There are no other customers for Koh Kradan but I will be able to divide the boat fee. If I care to wait another 20 minutes a minivan will depart for the pier. That’s just 150 baht for nearly an hour that will take. When the van arrives its overfull and requires re-organisation of seating. Most of the passengers head for Haad Yao but I need to get to Khuan Tung Goo pier which involves a detour along a road being upgraded.
Khuan Tung Goo pier - Koh Kradan...................
Progress is rather slow but soon I’m at the pier. Not unexpectedly this bears no resemblance to Penang, Langkawi, Satun or Pakbara. It’s just a concrete pier along a mangrove mud-lined river estuary. Here another two passengers have arrived from Phuket by car. This helps. There is a frantic recalculation of the boat crossing fee and I’m due a refund. Happy with that it’s time to scramble aboard the rua hang yao. The crossing will be about 45 minutes to Koh Kradan taking it to the south of Koh Muk. Over to my left is Koh Lebong, both larger islands. The distance to Koh Kradan is about 20 kilometres and at first glance looks a little like Koh Lipe but there any similarity ends. Unlike Lipe, Koh Kradan has no inhabitants except for those servicing the few resorts. Far from being a free for all for developers, just 5% of the island is allocated to resorts. My arrival time is 4.30pm at the end of a long day's travel.
Paradise Lost……….Among the resorts is Paradise Lost which knows I’m coming. Just a few bungalows appear on the shoreline but on my arrival I will be taken a few hundred metres inland to a clearing in the jungle. Here paradise is truly lost. Throughout my travels I have a basic checklist of facilities I use to evaluate my accommodation. Here I already know I have to sacrifice something on account of this fabulous location. In these rustic wooden bungalows air-conditioning and a fridge become unnecessary. There are no shops here for supply; I’m totally dependent on what the resort provides. In this jungle clearing neither is it too hot that a fan won’t suffice. Also sacrificed is a hot shower but the bathroom is huge, a room in itself. The bedroom is designed for comfort with plenty of space with a fine lace mosquito net as a centerpiece. Outside is a veranda inviting and cool. Only in the middle of the clearing does the sun penetrate though coconut palms. I settle in and night closes in. I’ve brought enough food in from the mainland but sit awhile in the restaurant. There appear to be no other visitors apart from those who arrived with me by boat. One young lady from Holland agrees to stay at Paradise Lost. I admire her tenacity by making it here all alone. She’s says she prefers it. With little else to do I turn in for an early night after the odd whiskey.

Sunday 3 November 2013

Winding down……….Any thoughts that the final full day of this tour would be an anti-climax are condemned solely on the grounds of location. From my position on the verandah of my bungalow there are no sea views but tranquility is all around. It’s not necessary to move an inch but I do eventually order two eggs and toast for breakfast. I also get to chat with Wally who set this place up thirteen years ago turning virgin jungle into a workable resort. For power he installed a diesel generator although that wouldn’t look out of place on a fairground and is consequently rather noisy. Water comes from an underground well and he has set up satellite TV and internet links. None of these things grow on trees around here, so it’s a pretty darn good effort requiring some technical skills. For more information call Nok on 0066 895 872 409. It’s not until midday that I decide to walk to the beach back along the forest track.
Day trippers……….Remembering how quiet is was landing here late yesterday afternoon I get quite a surprise when I see the beach area teeming with activity. As well as rua hang yao there are speedboats and a twin decker lined up on the beach having deposited their passengers on Koh Kradan’s coral sands. I shouldn’t be so surprised. From the island there are almost uninterrupted features creating a magical panorama. To the extreme left is Koh Lanta and several small islands mostly rock stacks, to centre left is the majestic Koh Muk. At centre is the Trang coastline, to centre right is Koh Libong and to the extreme right, continuation of the main coastline. The clear waters are teeming with fish, the tropical vegetation extending right down to the shoreline. Along the beach day-trippers from various locations enjoy this island paradise, among them small children creating quite a family atmosphere. There are even BBQs set up for the guests. Some of the boats are recalling their passengers. The twin-decker, being larger is moored further off the beach, its passengers needing to swim with life jackets to the stern but it’s probably only chest high in water.
More snorkeling……….I’ve come to the beach having borrowed a mask and flippers but the tide is still quite high and the reefs in deeper water. I’ve not yet mastered the art of snorkeling having had a number of issues so deeper water snorkeling is not on the agenda at present. Besides it’s time for lunch. I head back to Paradise Lost where I eat a big meal regardless of the cost. I use this time to upload some work on the internet and bring myself up to date with latest news. Now, well into the afternoon, I return to the beach. It has been transformed back to its state of tranquility. The day-trippers have left. Not just that, the tide is now well out opening the door for good snorkeling. However despite being much happier with my breathing, having replaced the tube, I’ve now ended up with a mask that’s filling with water. I’m not getting too much luck but actually anything here is a bonus and I don’t have to work hard. The waters are teeming with brightly coloured fish of many species; just immersing the mask underwater is enough. Still only familiar with picture-book images I’ve added parrot fish to my list. I notice different behavioral patterns between the species, some swim in shoals, others browsing individually. Around a black anemone with light blue tips swims a small fish with similar markings. Each has its own place in this fragile environment. Despite my appetite for more, I have to call it a day.
Reflections………. As dusk fall a crescendo of whistling comes from the forest, I guess from tree frogs, After my huge lunch, I just use up some remaining snack food. I sit on the verandah soaking up the night air and reflecting on my stay here. It certainly won’t be forgotten!

Monday 4 November 2013

Koh Kradan departure……….It’s time not only to bid farewell to Paradise Lost but to Koh Kradan, Trang Province and this 2 week tour. I’ve arranged for a boat collection at 10.30am so I have plenty of time to get a breakfast and settle up with Nok at Paradise Lost. Of course, I’ve had to pay considerably more for my food here being dependant on the resort but that in itself would not put me over budget. As I suspected when I decided to travel to Kradan, I have to pay for the whole boat back to the mainland. As I clamber aboard it doesn’t seem like the end of my island tour as the long-tailed boat departs Koh Kradan and glides across the still waters for the 1 hour journey towards the mainland. It seems the holiday is not over just yet. However at the pier a van is waiting. I’ve been able to contact the driver of the van that brought me here. It’s disappointing for him that there are no other passengers. He heads for Haad Yao hoping for customers but there are none. He waits a while and I get some time to look around this pier that serves Koh Libong. This island is large enough to have roads so as well as having a passenger terminal there is a car ferry of sorts too. I realize I’m going to have to pay the driver more than the trip here but at least he’s agreed to drop me at the airport saving me a further charge. Just one more passenger gets picked up on this 60 kilometre journey. At 1.15pm I’m at Trang airport. As airports go this is small, just 2 gates but unlike Hat Yai it is a domestic airport only. I’m sure Trang is no bigger than my home town but Thailand’s air travel network excels, fortunately for Thai people and farang (foreigners). My earlier flight to Hat Yai was actually my first internal flight and a bargain too.


Air Asia flight FD 3244……….This flight is on time but the Airbus 320-200 doesn’t arrive at the terminal building until around 2.15pm. There is no competition for air space; apart from the runway there is just one runoff to the terminal building and space for two aircraft. With no refueling necessary this flight is airborne at 3pm. This rapid turnaround I’m just not used to. The flight is uneventful, which is as it should be I suppose. The aircraft is hardly full and I get a window seat noting some familiar features. There is virtually no cloud cover as the aircraft makes it’s decent into Don Meuang airport. It lands at 4.10pm. It will take longer waiting for a city bus and battling through the traffic than it’s taken to get from Trang. You can tell I’m really excited now!
Final thoughts……….This has been an epic tour, the longest since I started this website in 2011. I’ve managed to keep my log going throughout even though I was unable to upload my work on occasions. At nearly 15,000 words it has to be the biggest tour log I’ve written. With one exception in Satun, I’ve spent the whole tour on four islands and a few important lessons have been learnt. The obvious one is that island touring is expensive but perhaps more surprising is the fact that I built in an extra allowance for Malaysia and that leg came out on budget. It was the Thai islands that I underestimated. Although island hopping is expensive, I didn’t achieve any advantage by returning to the mainline. However by taking in the two small islands of Lipe and Kradan I managed to reach the very limits of my expectations and that in itself has reinforced the tour’s success. As a final thought and dilemma for future tours there is always one question for me. When to decide I've had enough of one location and move onto the next? In the nineteen days I’ve been on the two tours, I’ve stayed in seven locations. When talking to Nok at Paradise Lost she claims an 85% return rate. I seem to be the odd one out but then again if I wasn’t, this website wouldn’t exist.