Hat Yai is a big border city, not much to see for the tourist as its mainly a trade city or at the weekend a destination for Malaysians for the sex industry, so quite a seedy fell to the place. I checked out a couple of places and they where very cheap 4-5 pounds however dirty bedding, cockroaches properly other room mates I didn't know about... so I decided I would go upmarket a bit and got myself a hotel room, with TV! Watched enemy of the State, early tomorrow morning I would head onto Pak Bara to catch a ferry to Koh Lipi (BTW Koh in Thai means Island)
Koh Lipi has no pier or large jetties so you anchor of shore and get a long tail boat across to the island. As you approach it looks like all the images you have seen over the years, crystal blue waters, white sandy beaches, little wooden huts dotted along the beach and the jungle interior... if you ignore the building work going on pretty close to paradise!!
The night before in Hat Yai I had emailed my intended lodging Davy Jones Locker dive school and hostel to make sure they had room, which the assured me they did... however when I got there I found out that this hostel is still in the middles of getting built, and of course I could stay however there was no air con, wifi and it is still a building site, so ok will you knock something of the price... NO. I quickly found new accommodation at the Gekko, cosy little wooden lodge tucked away just of the beach.
For my first day as I do must places I just wondered around to get to know my new surroundings, just after a lunch I found a cool little chillout bar with deckchairs arranged out the front, ideal sit down with a beer on ice and read my book. As I sat there for a bit just taking in the view, I was slowly approached by more and more of the stray dogs from the beach, at one point I had one each side, one asleep under my chair and two asleep by my feet, I felt like some warlord with his pack of attack dogs :-)
As night set in I got to know the guys running the bar, one guy in particular stuck in my mind who had life sussed. His name was B he had opened and run a Reggae bar on Tonsai beach, and he was helping his friend out with this bar while he was away and also to decided if he wanted to open a guest house on Koh Lipi. He generally only worked 2 months before he would take a months holiday. Really great guy, chilled very friendly. I would definitely pay his Chillout Bar at Tonsai Beach a visit (this is where I plan to try out some climbing). Also met a women called Sophie a wedding make over specialist and PR/Marketing consultant, lovely women if a little eccentric, we had dinner of freshly caught yellow fish... flavours where amazing!! I had to be quick though as Sophie ate like she hadn't been fed in a year... Sorry Ems I get a feeling what it most be like to share with me :-/
The next morning I was booked on snorkel trip around the islands, but my first stop every morning was Lady Pancake this cool little restaurant 2 mins away from my room was amazing. They had a menu stretching into 3 books of every imaginable combination of fruit, chocolate, sweetners combined in pancakes or shakes. My usual banana pineapple shake and coconut, banana, mango and nutella pancake, friggin delicious!!!
The snorkel trip was me and a thai couple who thankfully could peak good English, so I could talk to them and they could translate for the guide as well! So the first reef.... WOW! dived down under water and suddenly I was in an alien world of vibrant coloured coral, stretching away in front of me, and schools of fish darting in and out around me. Finding nemo fish disappearing into the folds of the coral bed, tiny little fish that look like miniature sword fish, and the fish I very nearly just bumped into.. the tiger fish really poisonous!! Incredible coral that took on the appearance of moonscapes wit hundreds of canyons running through them.
The boat took us around 5 different islands, some we snorkelled, others we just took a moment to chill out, and then as we headed back I asked if I could have a go at steering the boat... Longtail boats look very similar to surf boats, and steering them is quite a lot like the sweep on one, so I thought I would have this a synch.
This Island completely looked like an island made out of pebbles! If you could stack 7 stones on top of each other it was suppose to be good luck! I obviously managed it
The guy was happy to let me, and it was quite similar to sweeping the surf boat, even to the point that when the boat caught a bit of swell you could feel the whole thing lighten up as it surfed on top for a bit... very cool!!
My last night was spent just chilling in B's bar, I met a group of English teachers working here in Thailand. Earn about 800 pounds a month, plenty to get by on out here... sounds like quite a cool experience. Well again as much as I could hang on for a few more days, much more to see so I booked my tickets to Krabi...
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