Having spent some time in South Africa visiting family (which is always a busy time) and a handful of days exploring Dubai, in addition to the long slog of work, saving all possible annual leave days in order to take two months off in one go, it was time for some rest and relaxation.  Where better to put one’s feet up than in Thailand?  Rob and I debated about the place where we could spend a month and really do nothing, and Thailand was the obvious choice for several reasons.  Firstly, a direct flight from Dubai to Phuket was available, so no unnecessary flights and transit time.  Secondly, it was just coming to the end of high season, so the price was right.  And lastly, we had come across an island we could reach by ferry from Phuket, so we could escape the commercial hustle of Thailand’s largest island and get away from it all.  Considering we had both been to Thailand before, both as individuals and together when we backpacked through South-East Asia, we didn’t feel we were missing out by spending the majority of our time in one place.

It was a very long day waiting for our flight to Phuket, with us checking out of our Dubai hotel by 2pm but our departure only scheduled at 3am the following morning.  After an uneventful but sleepless six-hour trip (although we again found the Emirates service lacking), we landed in Phuket at about midday local time.  After the dry heat of Dubai, that slap of tropical humidity after hours in airconditioned coolness was bliss.  We’ve realized our happy place is on, or near, the equator!  We took a taxi into Phuket town and gazing out the window, we could see some changes to the island, but overall, it all looked familiar – tons of motorbikes, potholed roads lined with overloaded powerlines overhead and the ever-present 7-Eleven outlets.  The surprise though was the amount of cannabis shops in and around town.  We planned to spend a few days in the Ecoloft hotel, a contemporary abode in the centre of town, with rooms fitted out with minimal furnishings and industrial style fittings.  It was simple, within walking distance of good food and just what we needed.  The complimentary mini bar, stocked daily with Oreos, Lays crisps, Coke, peanuts and bottled water, as well as the rooftop pool, was a bonus.  We spent many relaxing hours on the top floor during our stay, enjoying our books, wallowing in the pool, and watching the world go by seven floors below.  Upon arrival, having been up for way too many hours, we sought out some lunch after checking in on our first day, had an afternoon snooze to recharge then hit the streets to explore.

The town was bustling that night, being a Friday there was a night market set up that spanned three blocks.  The street was blocked off and was pedestrian only, with plenty to see and do – from trying roadside pad thai, to candle making, to listening to buskers looking for tips.  It was a bit too busy to stop and look so we wandered along, freshly squeezed orange juice in hand, as we took it all in.  Dinner that night was BBQ pork belly on skewers, enough to settle the hunger bug, and it was an early night.  The following morning, it was the usual wake-up coffee and a walk to the corner shop for some breakfast – nothing better than starting off your day with a bowlful of squid fried rice and a cup of traditional Thai coffee!  As is routine, with us having two feet and a heartbeat (phrase courtesy of my current manager and mentor!), we took a 3km stroll to Rassada pier to book our ferry to Koh Lipe, our ultimate destination.  We arrived at the ferry terminal and asked for two tickets to Koh Lipe in two days’ time.   The assistants behind the counter looked at us blankly, chattered with each other in Thai and eventually the older of the two told us in English that there were no more ferries, as it was now low season.  Our hearts sank – all our research indicated the ferries stopped running towards the end of May, so we thought we had at least a few weeks to be able to get to Koh Lipe direct from Phuket.  We were informed that we needed to catch a bus to Satun, then take the fast boat from there.  Now needing to get to the bus station, as Murphy would have it, there was no taxi in sight despite being solicited multiple times on our way to the pier, so it was a long trek back to the hotel to organize transport to the bus station to book our tickets.  Priority when getting back to the hotel though was cleaning the bird poo out of my hair, complements of a sea gull who decided to empty his or her bowels on me while we walked back.  That’s meant to be good luck, right?  It must have worked as we were able to book bus tickets to Satun without a hitch, but meant we needed to depart Phuket a day earlier than planned, and spend a night in Pak Bara, the departure point for the fast boats.  Even the driver who took us to the bus station was surprised to hear the ferry wasn’t running and called a whole bunch of people enroute to confirm for us.  By the time we had arranged our onward travel from Phuket, we were tired, annoyed and not communicating well so it was back to the hotel to regroup – nothing that a snooze and swim can’t fix!  We found a local restaurant for dinner that night, without a tourist in sight, so we knew we were going to get the real deal, authentic Thai food, and not the watered-down Western version served in the tourist hot spots. 

We took full advantage of the pool the following day, generally lazing about, probably not the best idea as we were going to be stuck in a bus the whole of the next day but hey, that’s what a holiday is all about.  We were up early on departure day and arrived at the bus station without incident.  The drive to Satun was scenic, lots of limestone, jungle clad mountains jutting out of the landscape – it made me think of the soccer team that got stranded in one of the caves in 2018, and at the time I made a mental note to Google where that happened, but never got around to it.  On an aside, the rescue occurred in Chiang Rai province, only 1,700km away from where we were!  One pit stop on the way to stretch our legs, otherwise it was drive, drive, drive.  We alighted at the small town of La-ngu, with the youngster tasked with offloading our bags unable to move my 20kg backpack!  He looked at me with respect as I hoisted it onto my back (my pack did after all contain most of my possessions after leaving NZ) and we began walking down the road to the tourist centre.  As we stopped at a roadside stall to check directions, a motorbike taxi pulled up next to us saying he could take us to Pak Bara.  How, we ask, with two packs each?  No problem he says, pointing at his feet, the small daypack there, the other big pack stays on our backs.  Give him 5 minutes and he’ll call his friend.  Rob looks at me, eyebrows raised, and I just shrug, why the hell not.  No words needed!  Next thing we’re each aboard a motorcycle, and we hightail off down the main road, wind in my hair at least – no helmets included, as we white-knuckled it to Pak Bara, our cores working overtime to keep us upright with heavy packs on our backs.  Boat tickets booked, we found our accommodation at Best House Resort, a basic room with utilitarian bathroom and gaudy red leather couch to add to the ambience and strolled along the waterfront in search of dinner.

We had to temper our excitement the following morning – we woke early as per usual, but our boat only left the pier at 10.30. However, we were so excited!  We had read much about Koh Lipe and saw some stunning pictures on the web – today was the day we were going to see it for ourselves.  A delicious ice coffee from a street vendor got us going, and we meandered to the pier to wait for our transport.  It was quiet so we thought it was only going to be handful of people heading over (it was after all now low season) however within 30 minutes, the terminal was heaving as boat after boat arrived from the island, dropping off visitors and getting ready to take the next set over.  It was great for people watching though.  We were eventually called for our boat and climbed aboard a 45-foot speed boat that had three 250 horse power engines on the back – we were going to fly to the island it seemed!  There were only a few of us on our boat, despite the masses in the terminal, so we loaded quickly and headed off, the captain opening the throttles once we cleared the marina area with the result there was not much talking with the engines turning over at 5000 rpm giving us a speed of 31 knots!  The sea conditions were great, with no wind, and minimal swell.  The only bounce came from us hitting the wake of the boats heading in the opposite direction, so the kidneys remained intact on the journey.  One of the kids on board was having none of it though, so Rob clicked into captain mode, and assisted, handing over some bags for his parents to use, doling out nausea tabs from the crew and giving advice to help the poor boy deal with his seasickness.  Me, I turned and looked the other way!

We arrived in paradise, with aqua blue, crystal clear water surrounding the tiny island that was to be home for the next two- and a-bit weeks.  As we approached, we saw white sand beaches backing onto jungle, with pockets of infrastructure.  Our hotel rep took us to our hotel on the eastern side of the island via a motorcycle taxi – taking us via Walking Street, the main drag lined with shops, restaurants and souvenir outlets.  Ironically Walking Street had more motorcycles on it than walkers.  Our hotel was very comfortable, right on the beach, with us having a corner unit that looked onto the garden, while at the same time giving us a view of the ocean.  The morning alarm was the sound of fishermen taking their longtail boats out for the day’s fishing.  It was bliss!  The sea was like bathwater, and one could wallow in the shallows for ages.  We had mostly fantastic weather, despite it being considered low season, with only a few rainy days, where a thunderstorm rolled over followed by a short shower, then it was back to brilliant sunshine.  It was disconcerting lying on the beach, seeing the storm clouds build up over the mainland in the distance, watching lightning striking down, and hearing the boom about 30 seconds later, while here we were in perfect conditions.  Even the fish eagles were loving the conditions, taking advantage of the updrafts, circling higher and higher until swooping down to catch their meal for the day.

Our days on Koh Lipe followed the same routine most days – up with the boats, a coffee in bed watching the comings and goings, breakfast buffet at the hotel (which included mocha ice-cream!) then a morning on the beach.  Our hotel was near the end of the beach, so there was not a lot of foot traffic in front of us as we lazed about with our books, popping in and out of the water for a swim.  There were also no beach hawkers, so it meant we were left in peace.  The hotel staff were present – friendly and approachable while not being overly attentive, which is exactly what we wanted.  We were however approached one morning by the hotel manager who greeted us by name and had a chat, handing over his card.  The people at the surrounding tables observing this gave us covert looks for the rest of our meal, probably wondering who we were to warrant such attention from the manager!  Often, at about lunch time, we wandered back to our room to freshen up, and either took a walk into town in search of sustenance (which regularly took the form of a fresh mango blended with ice) when it wasn’t too hot or lounged on our balcony and munched some crackers when it was scorching (some days reached 40 degrees apparently).  The cicada beetles sang daily, with all bugs joining in the symphony to create a high-pitched whine, reaching a crescendo followed by immediate silence, then repeating the cycle a few moments later.  The surrounding trees were also brimming with bird life – our favourite being what we found out was the black-hooded oriele, a bird that had a very distinctive and pretty call.  Afternoons were back on the beach, or next to the pool, before we wandered into town for some dinner.  The hotel manager must have taken a liking to us, as one night he offered us a complimentary feast, working with the chef to provide choice of traditional southern Thai food, which we devoured and thoroughly enjoyed.  It was even accompanied by a personalized menu – subsequently kept as a souvenir.  Rob had strict instructions that it was a tech-free holiday – a rule we only broke once on a rainy day where the tail of Hurricane Mocha drenched the island, so we snuggled up to watch a movie when it was too wet to enjoy the balcony.  The hotel put on a fire show every Friday and Saturday night, which we took advantage of, finding a spot on the sand to watch the spectacle.  One evening, Mother Nature provided the spectacle as an electrical storm lit up the night sky.  And of course, we had the requisite massage or two to really unwind, our therapists deciding that those knots must come out no matter what!

The snorkeling directly in front of our hotel was amazing, and the visibility was excellent.  We packed our rash vests in anticipation of spending many happy hours in the water like we did in the Pacific, and we did!  Only a few meters offshore, we could paddle out and float above healthy coral, watching the reef fish go about their daily business, hearing the coral click and buzz with life.  A few fish were curious, coming up and bravely swimming around our feet, but the rest were unperturbed as we soaked up their beauty.  Big, small, there was everything.  We saw multiple brightly coloured parrot fish on our excursions out to the coral, plenty of clams in a variety of colours (my favourite was the bright purple), sea cucumbers, angel fish, needle fish and a whole heap I can’t name.  Let’s not forget the clown fish, providing entertainment as they darted in and out of their anemones, some of them braveling coming closer as if to say hello!  We ventured further afield a couple of times, to spend some time above the sandy bottom adjacent to the small island about 100m offshore from the hotel, once even circumnavigating the island.  I found that a bit scary since the ocean floor dropped off steeply on the windward side, and you had no idea what was lurking below.  One exciting, a.k.a. petrifying, moment was Rob coming face to face with a very poisonous sea snake – we were slowly making our way back from one snorkeling session at the island, navigating an outcrop of rocks when the snake writhed up out of its hidey hole and started heading directly for Rob.  I was swimming quietly along when suddenly, I got a shove to the side.  Popping my head up, thinking what the hell, I hear Rob say firmly “swim”.  Not needing to be told twice, thinking he had seen a shark, it felt like we broke records getting back to the beach, collapsing on our towels out of breath.  Calming down I eventually hear that it was a black-and-white banded sea snake called a “krate” that caused the panic stations.  We avoided that rocky outcrop moving forward!

The standout feature of Koh Lipe though, aside from its breathtaking beauty, is the dog community.  The island is crawling with dogs, and the odd cat, a mix between stray animals and pets just out for a walkabout.  There are signs all along Walking Street, outlining guidance on how to interact with the dogs, the gist being if it is wearing a collar, its friendly, but no collar means be wary and keep your distance.  One morning, while waiting for the pharmacy to open, we stood opposite the 7-Eleven watching three local dogs take their position in front of the doors having learnt it’s the coolest place to be without going into the shop.  One even got so close to the entrance, he blocked the beam to keep the doors open, the airconditioned coolness keeping him comfortable!  The dogs are an accepted part of island life, with no one chasing them away. People even step over them if they blocked the entrance to shops or restaurants.  Some of the animals did look a bit worse for wear, bearing the scars of previous confrontations as they sorted out their own island hierarchy but mostly, they looked very well cared for.  In some cases, the dogs went for a jaunt on their owner’s motorbikes, casually sitting in between human legs in the footwell, while the scooter zipped along the narrow streets.  We even had a local dog befriend us, who came and settled in the shade created by our loungers and kept us company for the few hours we were on the beach (although her sudden bark to ward off perceived intruders made me jump out of my skin when I was having a snooze!).  My favourite though was the squint kitten who enjoyed a chin scratch at one of our dinner spots.  The fruit flies were a nuisance though, so we learnt quickly while eating dinner that one hand was meant for holding the selected utensil, the other hand was a swatter to keep the flies at bay.  And mosquito happy hour was between 6.30pm to 7.30pm, so any dinner outing meant an application of mozzie spray to the legs, arm and face before venturing from our room.

Interestingly though, we didn’t get the impression from the locals that they enjoyed having tourists on their island.  The general population didn’t provide the friendly Thai vibe we’ve experienced in other places in the country.  For example, one day we arrived at a restaurant in search of our mango smoothie and found the staff so busy on their phones they didn’t see us.  When we called for attention, they got a fright, then got into an argument amongst themselves as to who was going to serve us, with one woman sullenly getting up after apparently drawing the short straw.  Was it because it was the end of the season, and they were tired and hoping for the tourists to bugger off?  Were they just generally annoyed that their beautiful island is now a popular backpacker destination (and all that entails) after a direct ferry was initiated from Langkawi?  Hard to say.  Maybe the women didn’t appreciate the female visitors hooking up with the local men (of which we saw a lot), taking away the few eligible bachelors! 

Our time on Koh Lipe was well worth it, and we were very happy to have discovered this little haven, thoroughly enjoying the beach, the water, the weather and the food.  I would not recommend a visit during high season, where we were told the island is packed with people, so we were lucky to have been there in that period of limbo where the locals were preparing to shut shop in advance of the rainy season.  We wouldn’t go back, after all, there is still so much of the world we’re yet to see, but I’d be the first to name Koh Lipe as a destination for anyone looking for an island break without the commercialization.