Exploring Koh Lipe

With only the day in Koh Lipe, we wanted to make sure that we saw as much of it as possible, before getting on the boat to Langkawi, and Malaysia, the next day.

The day started with a nice breakfast of Thai omelette, before we got outselves changed into our beach clothes, and set about circumnavigating the island. Walking along the beach, we took moments to jump into the water for a swim to cool off, and for Courtney to have a look at the wildlife in the sea with a pair of goggles. I don't have any contact lenses, so goggles or not, there was no chance for me to sea a thing.

Courtney was incredibly taken with the fish swimming around her. They were incredibly colourful, and 'very big - huge', so I am told.

Making our way round the island, we clambered over rocks, waded through the water, and swam around the coast where it was too deep to wade, and too rocky to clamber. And before half the day was gone, we had circled the island.

Most of the way was beautiful and picturesque, with coconut palms hanging over white sandy beaches, but we did manage to get ourselves caught in a mire at one point, as we tried to walk between two beaches, through what we would later realise was the sewage treatment plant for the island.

As we got close to our hotel, the sky above became black with heavy rain clouds. We picked up the pace to make sure we weren't caught out, but the thunder and lightning and rain, arrived just a bit too quickly for us.

It made the rest of the walk a bit less comfortable, as we navigated between longtail boats on the beach, and various tuk-tuks struggling along, trying to take loose cargo from a car ferry, beached on the shore, into the interior of the island. Some of the tuk-tuks were so overloaded with gas bottles, or pineapples, or bottles of water, that it was taking five or six men to push and pull them up the beach. It was certainly not the easiest way to transport cargo. Something that the developed world hasn''t seen for many, many decades.

Back at the hotel, there was time for catching up on the news, and to have a shower before we headed out again. A few cocktails were had, at a couple of bars off the Walking Street of Koh Lipe, before we headed back to the Indian restaurant we had been to the night before.

We did think about going elsewhere, but having had such a good meal there the night before we decided to go for the tried and true. Inspite of the fact that the saying goes, don't go back to the restaurant where you had that great meal.

Heading back to the hotel, there was time for another casual drink on the beach, while we attempted to watch the stars. With all the clouds in the sky, there were no stars to see. There was still some light though, from more lightning sparking over the neighbouring islands. It wasn't the greatest spectacle, but it was pretty decent.Read more