Ko Adang, Satun, Thailand
April 01, 2014
The night before in Langkawi we gathered up what remaining Malaysian currency we had left and at the last-minute managed to catch the Bank in Cenang mall to grab ourselves some Thai Baht ready for the next day. Our ferry was booked and paid for and we had enough money left after clearing Maybank out of Baht to sort out a taxi to come and pick us up from Dorothy’s house and run us along to Cenang to be picked up by the minibus to drive us to the jetty in Kuah to catch the boat. So with eyes half closed we pulled our gear together and were at the main street in Cenang ready to roll by 7am. After about an hour of sweating in the Langkawi heat our transport arrived and off we went.
A wee bit of breakfast at the jetty later and we were bundled onto our boat after a quick passport check. The ferry ride was ok, both of us trying to get a bit of shut-eye and thankfully this time they decided not show a video about modern-day pirates. A few hours later we slowed up and arrived at the floating jetty just off Pattaya beach at Koh Lipe. Koh Adang is just North of Koh Lipe so we had to catch the ferry fro Langkawi to Lipe then grab a long tail taxi boat around Lipe and across the short 100 meters of water to Adang. First though we had to grab a taxi boat from the jetty to Koh Lipe to go through immigration before we could head anywhere. It might just be me but there seems to be quite a monopoly going on of forcing you to use the taxi boats these days and they aren’t as cheap as they used to be. It cost us a pound each to go the last 30 yards from the jetty to the beach and to be fair I didn’t really fancy swimming that last stretch with a back pack, a day pack and a carrier bag full of washing that I hadn’t managed to dry in time in Langkawi.
Finally ashore and soaked through from wading the last 10 yards from the taxi boat we trudged our way along the beach in search of where the dude from the ferry had disappeared to with our passports and to get ourselves through immigration. Eventually we found it and a whole ferry load of us stood sweating on a beach outside one of the smallest immigration sheds you are likely to see.
Ten minutes later and our names were shouted out to go and grab our passports and we were now free to roam Thailand for the next two months. There was no customs or bag check at all, just your passport returned and off you go. I could have brought 10 Kilos of Columbia’s finest with me and Thailand would have been non the wiser. It did allow us to bring as much drink as we could carry though from the duty-free shops in Langkawi which will help save money while on the islands.
Weary from both the heat and the early start we sat on Pattaya beach and grabbed a quick drink before a game of hunt the cheapest taxi boat began to get us back in the turquoise water and across to Koh Adang. Once I had established that all the Taxi boat owners are in it together and don’t budge on their price of £3 each we were on our way skimming through the turquoise waters.
As we headed round Koh Lipe it was stunning. Your typical Thai island that you see in postcards. Crystal clear waters and sand that looks like flour. It felt like we had arrived in paradise. We jumped off the boat and the taxi guy did the old trick of claiming he had no change so I was pointed in the general direction of a shop to go and grab some smaller notes. After a 10 minute trek it became clear this island of Adang is the land that time forgot and there was no shop. There was a ranger station, one restaurant type of affair and a few bungalows.
We had decided to stay on Adang for one night first ahead of Lipe as it is part of the Thai National park and we had sorted out staying at the bungalows which are National Park owned and the only accommodation on the island aside from camping if you have brought your own tent. It felt nice and remote and a good introduction for us in Thailand. Once I had my change after having to buy the most expensive can of coke I have ever had in Asia the Taxi guy was paid and we made our way to the Ranger station to sort our bungalow out.
The Thai guys on the ferry over had been a good laugh and seemed genuinely warm and friendly….Mr Ranger however was a surly chap who looked more likely to crack nuts with his bare hands than crack a smile. A form was thrust in front of me and then an extra 200 Baht each demanded for park entry fees before we were allowed to grab a key and be loosely pointed in the direction of where we would be staying. Hmm friendly! So what started out as nice and cheap accommodation turned into a relatively costly stay. The bags were dropped off and we went to grab some lunch, both starving now as it was now well into the late afternoon at this point.
The restaurant seemed decent, small but canny enough, and to my surprise ran by what must be the village idiot of the island. I grabbed a menu from the counter only to have it dragged from my grasp and turned over before being informed that ‘This is the dinner menu, you can’t see it until after 6pm!’ This lad was as straight-faced and as surly as a Thai Park Ranger.
Some basic and over priced Thai food later and we headed off on a wander around the beautifully quiet beaches nearby. There was a trek to go on to a waterfall but it was a good few kilometers away and sunset would be soon so we penciled that in for the next day instead. The beaches were lovely though, little hermit crabs all over going about their business. Lizards scampering across the sand. Random birds that I don’t have a clue what species they were soaring and circling above us.
As the last light of the day disappeared cloud came in and there was no chance of a glorious Thai sunset on our first day so we headed back to the village idiot for some tea. While having tea there was some excitement as the electricity was turned on. That’s right. The island only gets electricity from 6pm-8am. Cool. This properly felt like an undiscovered Thai island to play around on. Jonny simpleton, Rory the ranger, part-time electricity and a bunch of wildlife, happy times.
With nothing to do on the night we tucked into our Jim Beam and Bacardi and wiled away a few hours chewing the fat between ourselves. It looked like hardly anyone at all was staying on the island and that was just fine by us.
