Ko Lanta Things to Do

After talking with my brother and cousin for the first three weeks about getting tattoos, we finally broke down and all got one in Koh Lanta.
The process that lead up to the actual tattoo involved quite a few Chang(beer) and then deciding where to get it on our bodies. The tattoos were done at a place called Bamboo Tattoo, which was located next to the Lanta Sunny House. The tattoo shop is run by four brothers, who also own the bar which its located on.
My cousin was the first one to go after deciding on a wizard/moon design. He was in for about 11/2-2 hoursand his tattoo cost 3500bht. It was my turn next and after choosing what I wanted, it was time for the start of 3 hours of tattooing. The good part about it was that the needle started to dull about halfway, this gave me a chance to enjoy another Chang and then get back to business. By the time it was done my arm was asleep from the position I had to hold it, and I was 4500bht poorer. During the same time that I was in the shop, my brother snuck in and got his small tattoo done within an hour. His choice was the symbol of the Year of the Dragon, and he got it on his wrist(1500bht).
I would highly recommend this place to anyone that is interested in getting a tattoo done while they are in Thailand. There are a number of reasons for this, first they are very skilled and dedicated to doing a good job. The next day the brother that did my cousins tattoo, was getting a new one done by the guy that did mine. Second reason is that they do tattoos the traditional way, with a bamboo stick/needle, no machines. There is little pain and no bleeding and a person is able to swim again a day later. If you do get one keep it out of the sun (sunburn) and keep it lubed up with vasoline for about 10 days. This will keep it from fading and help heal it up.
I will go back to these guys again as they were very careful and excellent artists. My cousin even got a free touchup done to his the next day, no problem.*

My impressions of Ko Jum (a little quiet island between Ko Lanta and Krabi) :

I bought a return boat ticket from Saladan, Ko Lanta for 170 bhat. I had to take the ferry that goes to Krabi and hop off halfway. So, there I was on the ferry ~ very excited about this outing as I have been wanting to check this place out. Its still pretty much secluded (not much info on the internet) and sounded pretty pristine to me ... and I was so right !

The boat ride took about an hour and I was on the beach at 9am. Ko Jum is very very laidback, hardly any development over on the (west) beach, save for a few bungalows. Just the sound of the wind and the waves.

I basked in the sun until noon .. or rather, until it got too hot. I lazed about in the restaurant over at New Bungalows until about 3pm. That was when I had to take my boat back to Ko Lanta.

Anyone who loves being pampered will love Thai massage. I am, of course, refering to the "soft" version. I wandered over to "Nong May's Thai & Foot Massage" one evening after my ardous sea kayaking daytrip. I had a fantastic relaxing time under Ning's (photo) magic fingers. I even went partying til 4am after that :-)

Another "must do" when staying on Ko Lanta is the 4-islands tour. There are different operaters who do this trip. Our trip was organized by the guesthouse we stayed. The organisation was lousy (as was the guesthouse), we were just a few people on this trip, but they didn't have enough snorkelling gear... Which was a shame as the snorkelling around these islands was fabulous!
We visted Ko Muk where you swim through a cave and come to a nice little beach (just like in "The Beach" by Alex Garland), Ko Ma and Ko Chuak with colourful soft coral and fish and Koh Ngai with a long sandy beach.

2 more images

Ko Rok is a twin island which is about a one hour ride by speedboat from Ko Lanta. It has the most beautiful beach I've seen in Thailand and snorkelling out there is amazing.
As it is a National Park, there are no hotels/guesthouses on the islands, but you can camp.
Ko Rok is also home to a big lizard species (forgot the name...).

I booked the tour with Opal Travel. It included the transfer by speedboat, a great lunch & free drinks and snorkelling equipment for 1300 THB. Highly recommended!

3 more images

swimming n snorkelling in crystal clear water.Swimming amongst the fishes and devouring sights of corals n the underwater world.The speed boat piick us off the the beach at our hotel.Cost Baht 1200 per pax. Includes lunch ,fruits n beverages.Duration from 9 am till3pm.Took about 1 hr boat ride from Lanta to Ko Rok basically there are 2 islands Ko Rok Nai and Ko Rok Nok.Then to various spots for snorkelling.Water depth abt 30 meters and crystal clear ,all the way to the bottom.Had lunch on one of the island ,Ko lanta national Park.

Ban Saladan, on the Northern end of Ko Lanta, is the village where the ferries arrive.
This is the place to go for shopping and the restaurants there are also worth a visit. Lots of dive schools and travel agencies have their offices here aswell.

4 more images

After Kiki had to go back to Bangkok for work I decided to stay for a few extra days to finish my tattoo. During this extra time I went on an elephant trek with an English guy that we met up with. We booked it at the Lanta Sunny house for 900bht each and left around 12pm, came back about 4pm (don't know why they call it half day).
It started with a truck ride to the other side of the island and then after a short wait for our elephant, away we went. The afternoon began with a about a 1/2 hour trek into the jungle on back of the elephant, a quick stop for water and feeding our ride, and then a hike into the jungle without the elephant. The jungle "walk" lasted about an hour each way, we went to see a waterfall and the Tiger Cave. The walk toward the waterfall was a little delayed due to the fact that our guide had to rescue a wild dog that was caught in a rabbit trap. It felt good to see the dog set free, but it was kind of freaky after because it followed us almost to the falls. After a short visit to the falls we made our way back toward the cave and hung out for a bit. Once we were finished exploring the cave the return was just the opposite when we left, hour walk and then the rest on our elephant.
This was my second time going on an elephant trek, but this one was different then the one on Koh Chang. There was more walking involved with this one, but while on the elephant here the guide stayed on the ground and gave it voice commands, instead of sitting on it with us. Another difference was when we stopped there was a chance for us to feed the elephant, which was a funny experience for sure. I didn't realize that the trunk was so rough feeling and it kind of surprised us both when we felt it.
This was a great way to spend the afternoon, it provided us with a little excersise, a great view in the jungle, as well as a few good laughs along the way. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for this kind of excitement or enjoys the outdoors.