Deceptively Welcoming
Trip Start
Jan 31, 2010
1
33
42
Trip End
Apr 11, 2010
Where I stayed
Bonus Bungalows
Ko Lipe, Satun, Thailand
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A short distance inland and past two tattoo shops, seven travel agencies, and a couple of overpriced restaurants (meals averaging 200 baht - average everywhere else in Thailand is 50 baht, we saw a cardboard sign with "Bonus Resort" written on it. We walked in, exchanged a few words with the owner and had him reduce the nightly bungalow rental from 500 to 400 baht before we dropped our bags down in our new home for the next four evenings. For a bungalow, it had everything we could ever ask for - a shower with water pressure, a bucket flush toilet, a decent fan, and even a semi-soft springy mattress on the floor. Lovely!
Our first sunset nearly took our breath away. Not because the sun melted into the horizon like it did in Cambodia and not because the sky turned a deep yellowly orange hue, but rather, because of the clouds. Originally, we overlooked the clouds above until we examined our photos on our tiny digital camera screens to discover the little strips of white contrasting sharply with the sapphire blue sky. We took in the setting in silence as we listened to the stray dogs play and the waves crash.
Laziness best describes our second day at Koh Lipe - we did absolutely nothing! In the morning, we woke up, ate some Thai pancakes for breakfast (though they would make a better dessert), and set off for the beach. Pattaya beach was our first stop. Here the sand could give temperpedic mattresses a worthy challenge for who is softer. From there, we went to Sunrise beach with is the island's largest beach. We had come just in time for the shade to start covering the beach - a desirable situation as we no longer have aspirations of burning again like in Nha Trang. Then without fail, we ended our day at Sunset Beach to catch the last few glimmers of sunshine. Like we said, we made a point of not exhausting ourselves.
On our third day in Koh Lipe, we went on an extensive 7 hour snorkeling tour. At each stop, we always saw at least one barracuda and tons of sea life. The first stop was by far our favorite as the coral and little schools of fish surrounding it represented every color of the rainbow. Unfortunately, the mask James used progressively leaked more water in at every stop so at the 4th and final snorkeling site, we skipped out on chasing the fish and relaxed in the gentle waves.
After an early rise and a quick visit to the internet cafe, we floated over to Koh Lipe's neighbor, Koh Adang, for a morning full of hiking and beach lounging. When we jumped off the long tail boat, we quickly replaced our flip-flops (which are currently suffering from a lot of wear and tear) to our sneakers so we could make the ascent to Chado Cliff with ease. Initially, we were a bit surprised by the trail's steepness and unkempt state (there were so many leaves and other forms of dried up brush on the trail that we each fell a number of times as we went back down). Towards the top, we came across three different viewpoints displaying the beautiful island of Koh Lipe underneath. From here, we were able to gain a true appreciation for the water's clarity. In a way, it was just as relaxing being up there as it was being directly on the beach because the waves' crashing sound was magnified and the breeze was exceptionally cooling.
Dinners - Over our time in Koh Lipe, we've had some interesting dinners. Our first one, at a little touristy place called The Monkey Bar, comprised of four entries - two each. At the end, we were left scratching our heads as to why we did that since the second serving tasted on par with the first serving which was satisfactory at best.
The rest of our meals were eaten at Sunrise Beach Restaurant. Aside from the distant humming of the island's generator, this place knows how to cater to our tastes! Cheap tasty food with large portions kept us coming back - as did their delicious Thai iced teas which we are slowly but surely getting addicted to. On the first night, we sat and wrote postcards home as we watched a lively Manchester v. Liverpool football match on TV. The second and third night night, we went back to the Sunrise Restaurant and ordered two meals and two Thai iced teas each. After all of this food, we would kick back and play cards for an hour or so, usually long after the restaurant officially closes at 9 PM. The third time we went, the waiter did not even give us time to look at the menu because he assumed (correctly) that we already knew what we wanted to get. We really liked this place.
Random: We met a woman who had been here two years ago and said that there was no road going through the island and about one third of the resorts. It is amazing what getting praise in a guide book like Lonely Planet can do to a place.
