Looking back at Koh Lipe
12.01.2012
30 °C
We just arrived in Malaysia after a couple great days in our last island in Thailand called Koh Lipe. Internet was next to non existent in that remote spot, so I hope I can get on a good connection here now that we are on the bigger island of Langkawi, Malaysia. Koh Lipe was, by far, our favourite spot in the three weeks we explored Thailand. It was very minimally developed, from the lack of a dock for the ferry to the grass hut we found for the three nights, we knew we were in for a unique experience.
After we dropped our bags we went to explore the island. The beach is soft white sand and everywhere you look is lush greenery. There are more islands within arms reach that comprise a national park, so many places to explore, above and below the water. Koh Lipe is not much bigger than a few square miles and includes simple hotels spread around the shoreline, a walking street through the centre with shops and restaurants and some residential areas throughout the interior where the locals live. We watched the sun go down before we went and found a bbq restaurant for some dinner.
We had no plans for how long we were staying here or what we were going to do while we were here, but the next morning I found my answers for that. There primary activities to do here are sitting on the beach or swimming, snorkeling or scuba. Right next to our resort was a dive shop that had a two day course in free diving (no air tanks) so I signed up for that. Nat was happy to spend a few days catching up on some sun and a book or two so it worked out well. My instructor was a french fish that could hold his breath for days and I had a great time learning his techniques. I have a lot of practice to do before I can dive to the 200' depth he can get to, but 70' was a good start.
Our nights were spent on the beach as well, the bars on the other side of the island came to life with bonfires, live music and crazy cocktails. Nat had a massage or two that always make for a great end to a hard day. If we ever go back to Thailand, Koh Lipe will definitely be worth a repeat visit. This morning we got up early and caught the two hour ferry ride to Langkawi, tomorrow we will explore and see what we can see
Posted by colincampbell 07:31 Archived in Thailand Comments (1)