20 February 2015 –
Mark got up extra early to take photos of the beach near Mook Lanta (now do you see why it's not a great swimming/playing in the sand kind of beach? It's too rocky):
And here's Mook Lanta:
Today we're going on an adventure. Why are you laughing? Well, I guess flying to Thailand, cooking up Thai masterpieces in cooking class, and visiting the undersea world at Koh Haa DO classify as adventures. This one is different…why? Because we're not really sure how to get to our end destination. Which makes it a true, knots-in-your stomach, hoping & praying-kind-of-adventure!
(heads up: we DO get to Koh Laoliang)
Melissa and her staff at Mook Lanta have graciously helped as much as they could by arranging the ferry tickets and transportation to the ferry to get us as far as Hat Yao Pier (near Trang). After that it's up to us! If you haven't guessed already, we highly recommend staying at Mook Lanta. The beds are hard but the service is EXCEPTIONAL! [as a matter of fact, I'm kind of sad we're leaving so soon….we didn't get to see much of Koh Lanta but it's going to be okay!]
First order of business: BREAKFAST:
Not naming names but I think *somebody* got a little too much sun yesterday. What do you think???
Melissa awarded Ava this Bubblemaker certificate (since she completed her bubble maker course). How sweet!
All packed up…one last look at the bungalows here:
A truck from the Tigerline Ferry is supposed to come pick us up.
A truck came by, expecting to pick up a family. Melissa's husband (didn't catch his name) asked if it was a pick up for the Tigerline Ferry and the driver said yes. So we climbed up into the back of the pick-up…another guest was already seated. Apparently they had been waiting there for 20 minutes (while we were standing around waiting). Whaaat? Sounds weird! Well, we drove a short ways to some office where several women come out and ask us where we are planning on going. We tell them that we're heading to Hat Yao Pier via the Tigerline Ferry. That's when we find out that this is NOT the shuttle for the Tigerline Ferry but for a different ferry service. What the heck? Leaving the other passenger (who is on the correct shuttle and LATE) the driver returns us to Mook Lanta. Which now leaves us wondering if we're even going to get TO the ferry, let alone ON the ferry. Hmmm…. thankfully minutes later a shuttle for the Tigerline Ferry pulls up and we're back in business. Whew! That was a close one!
That's our ferry that we're waiting to get on board:
There's the Thai flag on the back of one boat and a flower bouquet on the front of our ferry (wonder why it's there???):
Hot and tired of waiting to board….and very bored:
A view from the ferry docks:
On the boat. Seats are CRAMPED! I'm grateful that Melissa warned us about this and she was right. There is zero leg room here (especially since there is no place to put our backpacks and bags). I'm also glad she advised us to buy snacks and water for this trip.
Well….that was an interesting-ish boat ride. The ride that was supposed to leave around 10am that actually ended up leaving after 11:30am. At least we're not on a strict time schedule! The ride itself was very smooth…and this boat can move FAST through the water.
Made it to Hat Yao Pier. Now to figure out the last leg of our trip:
At the pier we inquire about hiring a private long tail boat to take us the rest of the way. Melissa had suggested that it should cost in the 600 Thai Baht range and she also said that you can haggle on the price. Well, the STARTING price was 3900 Baht but they said they would take us for 3000 Baht. (well above the 600 Baht price! That's ok.) It's cash only too. Good thing we thought ahead and brought cash with us.
Climb all aboard! The Koh Laoliang Long Tail Express is about to leave! The driver said it'd take about one hour to get there.
I absolutely love how colorful the boats are here. I wonder why they decorate the fronts of their boats with strips of fabric?
This is one very NOISY boat ride. I can barely hear myself think!
A view at some of the islands we're passing by:
After our "one hour" ride that actually took nearly 1.5 hours we made it!!!!
Here's a sneak peak for you…this is a view from our tent (you're looking at an outgoing tide that is exposing a huge, wide beach and a coral reef with a dramatic rock cliff in the background):
Not bad, eh? We all agree it was worth the trip!