Monkeys at the beach

Our travels through Thailand continued with our second destination, which was Koh Lanta; an island district within Krabi Province in Southern Thailand. We had done some research and wanted to explore some other islands near by. To get there we had to ride multiple vans, get on a ferry, and ride a tuk-tuk to our final destination. That last ride was pretty scary since it was four of us on a tuk-tuk, plus our heavy backpacks. This was the view from our seats in the tuk-tuk.

We made it safe and sound to our destination. There was no way to communicate with our AirBnB host, but he had given us a good description of where to wait. Our hosts, Mon and Mayan, were WONDERFUL. We had booked a rustic bungalow, Muchu House .

This was our room. Very simple and rustic but it had everything we needed and more. I mean, you can't beat going to bed listening to ocean waves, looking at the bright star-filled sky, and waking up to beautiful sunrises and birds singing. It was just perfect for us. The shared area was even better. It was open, it had hammocks, and one wooden table where you could read, drink coffee, or simply relax by staring at the amazing view in front of you.

In order to explore around the island, we decided to rent a motorbike. It seems to be one of the main modes of transportation around here. We were staying in Old Town, which is the opposite side of where all of the fancy resorts of the island are. We were looking for a quiet time, which is the reason why we chose this location.

For Coffee:

First things first. Our favorite coffee shop was Malee Malee. Not only was their coffee amazing, but they have the cutest arts and craft shop. The owners are the friendliest and it's definitely a place where you can make friends and just hang out.

For Food:

Our favorite restaurant for fish dishes was Apsara. Their menu is super cute too! Hand-written and drawn. The owners are very nice as well (you will find to be true for most Thai people - at least in our experience).

This was our view on a rainy day. Isn't it gorgeous?

Another favorite restaurant was Shine Talay. Their passion fruit shake is AMAZING (as well as any other fruit shake, but passion fruit is LIFE to me). We ended up visiting this restaurant multiple times because every dish we tried was excellent. All of the restaurants have amazing views and very friendly hosts and servers.

The Fresh Restaurant is also right on the water. Their food was top-notch, and they have a really nice swing where you can take cheesy travel pictures, that I love. Their food was tasty and fresh!

Be ready to get some Thai spice kick at all of these places. The food may make you sweat a little, but your spice buds will be going crazy in the best way possible!

One of our favorite places to visit during sunset time was The Beautiful Restaurant. The name gives it away. The owner was friends with our host and made sure we enjoyed our experience here.

Local and favorite attractions:

Rent a motorbike and explore! We found amazing views, great places to stop for a drink and a national park. There were some beaches with somewhat private entrances were you could almost have them to yourself.

We rented a kayak and just went out to explore. We kayaked for about 45 minutes to the closest island, Ko Por. It was pretty tiring, I'm not going to lie, but we had the entire place to ourselves. It was AMAZING.

Don't miss the weekend market! It's full of local foods, fresh fruits, and great finds.

Got enough chilli? and How cute are these hand-made, hand-painted earrings?

Our great AirBnB host is not only the best you'll find in town, but he also offers cooking classes. This was definitely the highlight of our time at Lanta Old Town. We met two other travelers, hung out with Mon and Mayan, and learned to make three different Thai dishes that we picked ourselves. Pictures definitely don't do it justice. The ingredients were the freshest (galangal, palm sugar, thai basil, shallots, onions, chillis, turmeric, and another million ingredients) and every dish was an explosion of flavors.

So proud of my first Thai dish!

Tourist things:

Although our week was way slower paced than our previous week, we still did some tourist activities. We booked tours to Koh Phi Phi, where we stopped at caves for snorkeling, fed monkeys at Monkey Island, visited the famous Maya Bay (where Leo DiCaprio filmed The Beach) and met other backpackers.

I hope you guys enjoyed my quick summary of our time here. Stay tuned for more destinations and non-professional silly pictures! And regardless of where you are, remember that "Happiness is an inside job"

#Bikini #Lifestyle #Travel #Dream #photo