Beach Hopping My Way Through Thailand

by Chantel Loura from - Voyaging Vagabond

By KAVU

August 20^th, 2019

There were two reasons I wanted to go to Thailand. The first was because I found a super cheap flight. We’re talking so cheap that I couldn’t fly from Boston to Los Angeles for this cheap. It seemed crazy to even consider passing on this deal. So I didn’t!

The second reason....... were the beaches of Thailand.

I grew up on the East Coast with Atlantic Ocean beaches. Which means the beaches I grew used to were always crowded, the ocean a pale gray and there was so much seaweed it could make your stomach turn. The beaches of Thailand were nothing like that, or so I was told. Sparkling white sand beaches, so secluded that I could be the only one there, turquoise water......

it all sounded like a dream.

Which is why the minute I touched down in Bangkok, I spent the next three days getting to the beach as quickly as I could.

This is how we ended up in Phuket. While Phuket had one hell of a sunset, I knew that if I really wanted to experience some Thai magic, I had to get to the islands.

A short ferry ride the next day and we made it to our first one, Koh Phi Phi. Finally the beaches I had heard about for years, directly in front of my eyes.

The only thing that detracted from the beauty of Koh Phi Phi was the fact that this was very much so a tourist trap of an island. This was clear from the giant McDonalds that greeted you when you got off the ferry and the hoards of young people on holiday partying, and drinking their buckets until the early hours of the morning.

But, my perfectly remote beach-side hut that cost me $7 a night was just what I needed to escape it all. Past the tourist-run city center with the best sunset view on the island, this hut was a sanctuary to escape the EDM beats that would blare throughout the islands.

It wouldn’t have been a trip to Thailand without taking a long-tail boat at least once. Yen, who was the owner of our beach hut, gave us all the tips we needed to make sure we were fairly treated by the boat operators.

His tips worked like a charm and we managed to rent a private long-tail boat which would take us around for the day.

The first stop.... Monkey Beach, which certainly lived up to its name. All along the beach you’d find monkeys eagerly awaiting someone who would break the rules and come to the island with food. One poor kayaker managed to JUST save his lunch after a monkey snuck his way onto the kayak, opened his dry bag, and nearly run off with his sandwich.

Karim took pride in showing us the best snorkeling spots. He would find us schools of fish of all different colors and drop the anchor so we could jump in to get a better look. Karim would smile each time I pulled out my GoPro and say “this is a perfect memory.”

He was right and we were beyond thankful when he returned us home after a flawless day, even extending our trip 4 hours later than we initially agreed on.

Unlike Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta had this laid back spirit that ran free throughout this entire island.

Time ran slower here, and the tourists were an afterthought. Here, you wouldn’t find one fast food restaurant and if you wanted a quick bite, that meant hopping off your scooter at one of the pop up stands that dotted the island.

To see what we were told was the best of the island, we opted for a cheap scooter rental. Over three days, we spent exploring as much as we could from our scooters, bouncing from beach to beach while stopping where we saw fit.

We spent our mornings asking locals what beaches we should go to and then, spent the day exploring each one. We went to Nui Bay Beach, Nui Beach, Bakantiang Beach and then caught the sunset at Khlong Hin Beach.

The real gem of this island was Mu Ko Lanta National Park . While there we walked along the rocky and sandy beaches and explored the small tidal pools. We found unique shells, coral and small fish. The hiking trails took us into the dense, lush jungles where the only thing nearby was a monkey who was waiting for a snack to fall out of our bag.

This national park was unlike anything I'd sback on the East Coast of the States.

On our last day, we saw rain clouds quickly racing in and wanted to avoid having to "scoot" back in the rain. So, we dashed back to our accommodations, thankfully just in time to miss the torrential rainfall.

It was with a heavy heart, we left Koh Lanta for our next island. Our initial plan was to hop on a ferry and after a few hours..... we’d be there. Easy. But as you quickly learn when in Thailand, you’re at the mercy of the elements. Since we were traveling during the rainy season, the weather had different plans for us and instead, we were schlepped to the bus station to wait a few hours for a van to show up and would take us to the Krabi district of Ao Nang.

After resting our eyes for a few hours, the sun appeared once again and we were back on the road. The van took us to a bus station in a location I couldn’t even point out onto a map where we waited for a couple of hours for a giant charter bus to show up. After 5 hours (or more.... I honestly lost count) we reached a ferry at the edge of a ghost town. Right as we were about to board this ferry we heard thunder in the distance. We all looked up and saw a storm rolling in but the Thai ferry operators didn’t seem phased so.... off we went.

10 minutes into the trip the storm caught up to us. The fog was heavy and so thick we couldn’t even see the waves past our boat. Then the rain kicked in, it was strong and it beat rapidly against our boat. The waves grew bigger and bigger and water started leaking into the main cabin. For a fleeting moment, all 50 passengers on this boat looked around, assessing the situation and you could practically see the thought of “this could potentially be really bad” written across their faces.

But despite all this, we made it to Koh Phanagan…..4 hours later than anticipated but at that point we were all just happy to make it! We hopped in the bed of a truck and caught some rest in our beach bungalow. During our long travel day we made some new friends so, by the morning we had a scooter crew that was down to beach hop with us.

The beaches on Koh Phanagan were as pristine as you could imagine. Even “Secret Beach” which wasn’t that secret seeing as you could find listed as Secret Beach on Google Maps. The thing that REALLY stood out on Koh Phanagan was the night market. After cruising down island roads all day, eating at Phantip Night Market was exactly what we all needed.

We found cuisines of all kinds. Thai, Japanese, Indian, Vegetarian, Vegan, Desserts, and the list goes on and on. A real treat for our senses. My nose was filled with aromatic scents I never knew existed and my eyes were treated to vibrant colors and new cooking styles, all while my ears heard the busy chatter of haggling, sales transactions and friends catching up. It was here I scored the best pad thai I had thus far which, cost me a whopping $0.75.

Our last stop on our beach hopping, island bouncing, adventure was Koh Tao. We were sad that we only had a few days to enjoy this island.

We kept adding extra days along the way and by the time we reached Koh Tao, we ran out of extra days to extend. Prior to getting here we had been told, over and over again, that Koh Tao was the spot to go snorkeling. It was also the least expensive place in the world to get PADI certified. If you’re like me you’ll tuck that info into your back pocket to use at a future date.

While I didn’t get to explore Koh Tao as much as I would have hoped, the impromptu bamboo tattoo and dancing the night away with the stars of the “Ladyboy Cabaret” helped make my short stay there a memorable one.

Island hopping felt like the best way to see Thailand. It made up for the grueling New England winter I had just made it through and being able to spend almost every day in the ocean was the real gift. I met locals that cared as much about their oceans as I did, and you could tell that these islands were more than just their homes..... they were their source of pride. If you ever see an inexpensive flight to Thailand and want to go beach hopping, I HIGHLY recommend you do!

Chantel Loura

Voyaging Vagabond

Body Positive Advocate

Instagram

Chantel is a crusader for travel inclusion. She uses her voice to teach adventurers of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds how to find their own potential. Chantel writes about her own experiences as a self-proclaimed plus sized traveler in hopes of showing others they can hop the globe too! Her journey towards self love has taken her all over the world where she spreads her messages of empowerment like confetti. She has been featured in works published by Matador Network, Refinery 29, Target and works with brands like Airbnb to create a space for plus size travelers.