Arthur's Diary, Week 6: Koh Lanta

Arthur is 65, retired, and spending three months travelling solo (with company when he wants it!) through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. These are his diary entries - an honest view from the first ever DECADES trip, written for anyone wondering whether to make the leap themselves.

Two islands, one bridge

I'm behind the curve - again! After an overnight stay in Phuket, we moved on to Koh Lanta, a smaller island to the east, sitting in the Andaman Sea. It's split in two with a lone long bridge joining the two halves. We were staying in the south, along the west coast in a very nice villa. As I discovered later, all the tourism is in the larger southern island, the north is completely unspoilt.

Scooters, macaques and mangroves

Once again, ignoring the statistics (there are 14,000 deaths annually on two wheels in Thailand - that's 40 per day!) I hired a scooter as the only viable way to get round the full island. I explored the east coast mangrove swamps and the Old Town of Koh Lanta. I was also entertained by some playful Macaques - long tailed ones if you know your primates - before heading west for sunset.

The national park and that beach

There's a national park at the extreme south of the island with a surprisingly challenging 2 km nature trail. 75 minutes and a litre of water later, I'm relaxing by one of the best beaches seen so far this trip - with a quaint lighthouse.

Last day on the scooter was spent in the northern island and I bet I didn't see 6 westerners all day long. It is beautiful, and whilst completely undeveloped, there are some great lookout spots, often with a very convenient bar or cafe, and only a couple of customers, great for me, but not so much for them. Finished on an amazing and completely deserted beach 4/5 km long and had it all to myself for a little dip to cool down.

Cooking with Pon

Spent a few hours in a great Thai cooking school run by Pon and his German wife Karina. I made a very tasty Prawn Pad Thai (if I say so myself!) and an ok Chicken Red Panang Curry, before being treated to the local delicacy desert of Sticky Rice with Mango.

Snorkelling, tuk tuks and a guy from Essex

We finished our time on Koh Lanta with a day visiting a couple of islands for snorkelling. Rounding the day off with a team dinner in a great little restaurant we'd been recommended. I still feel for the Tuk Tuk driver who took the 4 of us on his 110cc machine. But we made it back in one piece - bike as well.

Oh, and along the way, I found a craft ale bar run by this guyfrom Essex and his wife. There's some interesting beers brewed locally as well as the mainstream brands.

What's next

Next stop - Bangkok for 3 nights / 2 days.