The first thing I'd noticed about travelling alone was the silence which accompanies you for most of the day. This initially uncomfortable backing track is an excellent stimulant for getting off one's arse and actually doing something in order to simply create a bit of noise. My restless anxiety became my motivational sobriety; I introduced myself to more people, went out of my way to plan my time better, and generally became even more open minded towards options for future travel.
The first result of this change was booking a ticket for the '4 Island Tour' - Ko Ngai, Ko Kraden, Ko Mook and Ko Cheuk Mah. The most famous of these is Ko Mook, simply because of the beautiful 'Emerald Cave' hidden in it's interior. Calling this a cave is slightly deceptive as it's actually more like a crater in the middle of the island. The walls tower around to heights of over 150ft and the only escape is a swim through a pitch-black and claustrophobic tunnel out to the open ocean. It has been used as a temporary storage depot for smugglers for many years but is now treasured for the money it brings in through tourism.
The other main highlight was a short stop at Ko Cheuk Mah where I found the starfish shown above. Now I'm sure many of you will have seen many specimens are colourful as these off Brighton seafront but I thought they were pretty impressive. So much so, that I took them out of the water, placed them on that rock for a photo, and probably killed them in the process. Is it just me or does everyone else think that the one on the right appears to be the costume inspiration for the wrestling team from the 90s - The Legion of Doom?
After a few more days of sand levelling and salt soaking, I talked myself into another diving trip. The persuasion wasn't particularly hard as the trip was to two dive sites, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, which are commonly placed in the world's top 10 - at least that's what they claim ;) . Although the trip didn't produce the sights of Whale Sharks, Leopard Sharks, and Manta Rays that had previously been seen here, I was lucky enough to see some beautiful (but dangerous) black and white Lionfish, batfish so large there must have been a radioactive spill nearby, and a breathtaking variety of soft coral. Oh, and a few dolphins decided to swim alongside the boat on the way to the sites.....which was nice.
And so, this is how I spent my extended time on Ko Lanta. I saw more of the surrounding islands, I went diving, I played chess in the afternoons with Ray (an English bloke who worked at the Klapa Klum bar), I met loads of new people from a couple of cool blokes from Tazmania, to a cool couple from New Zealand. I got talked into hiring a motorbike for a day, taxiing a Swiss girl around the island, and seeing more of the place in 8 hours, than I had done in the previous 2 weeks - thanks Ines. I spent my early evenings playing volleyball with the locals, and my late nights, chilling in the beachfront bars, and chatting with other world wanderers. Life was good.
As I spent my last night on Ko Lanta and once again felt that horrible dread at leaving the place I loved, I realised that I had found what I was looking for in Thailand. I had found a place that felt like home and would forever be special for me no matter what future development does to ruin it. It was perfect for my time and will always remain as such in my memory.
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