Lost in Lanta

Our original plan was to head to Ko Lanta for a few days then take the ferry back to mainland Thailand, then out again and spend a few days in Ko Samui. We reasoned that this way, we'd get a feel for the islands on both sides of Thailand, Lanta in the Andaman Sea and Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Plus, there are whale sharks in Ko Samui. And Matt really wanted to see whale sharks. I'm not sure WHY he wanted to see them, since they look like THIS when they're eating. But whatever. He wanted to see them.

We had the best of intentions. We really did. But after our miserable four-hour ferry ride on the Ao Nang Princess I AND II (neither of which made us feel the least bit like royalty), we were exhausted. When we landed in Lanta, we were drastically overcharged to get to our resort. As we sipped those first beers at Funky Fish, we started to wonder whether or not we should just bag our trip to Samui and stay in Lanta.

Two days later, we were spending our Christmas at Coffee Asylum. And we just, well, we got stuck. It was the kind of day that lazed on forever. The kind of day that makes you think to yourself, "I went to school so that I could get a job where people have to dress up and jump up and down just to make a point? What is WRONG with me? I could have been anything! I could have owned a coffee shop on a beautiful tropical island!" It was the kind of day that I used to daydream a lot about when I was younger. See, a few years ago now, my brother took a trip to Europe with a few of his closest friends. If memory serves me correctly (note: I was about 12 when he went on this trip, so my memory MIGHT be a bit off) while he was in Greece, he changed his itinerary to spend a few extra days in the island of Corfu. He told my parents that he sort of got lost on Corfu. "Lost," I remember thinking, "how do you get LOST on an island? Didn't he know where he was?" But now I get it. I see how it's possible to get lost somewhere where you're perfectly content to be. It's a good feeling. It's a "come what may" feeling, a "free from school at last" feeling.

So we stayed in Lanta and never went to Ko Samui. We heard that we did the right thing, that the weather there is bad this time of year, that we wouldn't have wanted to waste an entire beach day sitting on a boat. We agreed. We spent six days losing ourselves in Ko Lanta. Six wonderful, sun-drenched, beer-soaked, careless days. We ate the best spring rolls I've ever eaten (thank you Thai Cat!), had some interesting political discussions, and really got to know our way around a large Chang Beer. But most of all, BEST of all, we actually relaxed. And since that was the purpose of going to the islands in the first place, I think we can safely say that our trip is off to a pretty good start.

Seeking Asylum

When we first arrived on Ko Lanta, we had no idea where to go or what to do. We'd checked into our little bungalow on the beach, sighed with relief that the longest ferry ride ever was finally over, and wondered "What next?" We left our little hideaway and strolled down the beach, looking for a snack and a drink, because what else do you do at the beach? We finally found our way into the Funky Fish and whiled away a few hours (read: got hammered). Somehow we stumbled back to our room and promptly fell asleep at the unreasonable hour of 7PM. We didn't wake up until 9AM the next morning. Sheesh.

We liked the Funky Fish, we really did, until we discovered Coffee Asylum that morning. What started as just a quick breakfast and the use of free wi-fi lasted the entire day. We lounged about under a thatch roof, playing cards with a few other world travelers. We met Charlie and Anna from Sweden, Charlie's boyfriend Kent from Australia, and Dave from San Francisco. As the day lazily wore on, we met Michael and May, who own the coffee shop. And that's how we spent the whole day. Sitting, talking, and playing cards.

Coffee Asylum has this wonderful ability to create a community. After spending just one day there, we had people to talk to or just say "hi" to on the beach. It's also the kind of place that you want to keep coming back to. There's great food (May's muesli pancakes with fruit and honey are to die for), outstanding company, and good conversation. I hope that we have the good fortune to find more places along our way that make us feel as welcome and at home as Coffee Asylum.

Thanks to Michael, May, Charlie, Kent, Anna, and Dave for making us feel at home when we are very far from it.

Pics: Ko Lanta

We had originally only meant to stay on Ko Lanta for a couple of nights and ended up staying a week. The island is beautiful and relaxing. There are still a couple of stories to tell, but for now the pictures will have to do. By the way, sunsets on Lanta are simply spectacular. As the sun goes down, the sky turns from blue to pink to red. We noticed that most people left the beach as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, but they were missing the best part. As the sun sinks lower behind the earth, the clouds burst into flame until finally they cool down, turning a deep purple, and then the sun's light is completely extinguished and night arrives.