Koh Lanta: Our Second Week On The Island

The Bucket List Reduces…

For so long we have wanted to go potholing, which apparently is called spelunking in US English. We had no idea we would find it here…

On our previous travels we have visited many spectacular caves, all brilliant however they are mostly very organised with walkways and barriers and following a guide in a regimented fashion. But once we read something about Mai Kaew cave on Koh Lanta just outside Klong Nin we knew we just had to visit it. Suitably attired with hiking boots we take a taxi truck the short drive along dirt tracks to a hut nestled amongst the rubber plantations. Birdsong fills the air and there are chickens everywhere, scratching the dry earth in search of food, yellow chicks scurrying close behind them. Off we go, it’s a 30 minute trek up the mountainside to the mouth of the cave, Raff our guide leads us through the jungle, we clamber up slippery rock faces with the aid of ropes, cross pretty streams shaded by palms, this is a fantastic start to the day. We reach another rock face, we can’t see the cave yet but Raff hands us a head torch and leads us over a ridge to an entrance we hadn’t even spied, then through a hole no bigger than a cupboard door, into the deep darkness beyond, this is clearly no ordinary cave visit. A rickety ladder handmade from tree branches disappears down into apparent nothingness, we carefully follow Raff into the depths of the cave. Narrow tunnels give way to cathedral size caverns, adorned with clusters of stalactites. We continue, more uneven ladders, some vertical, bamboo bridges across crevasses, water dripping down the rocks making progress slow and treacherous in places. It’s humid down here, we are drenched in sweat making it harder and harder to grip onto the rocks.  We reach a small tunnel, just inches from floor to ceiling, the only way though is on our bellies, we drag ourselves through like cumbersome lizards to be rewarded by yet another huge cavern with a small emerald pool.  Raff says we are now a kilometre below ground. This hour long assault course is thrilling, a wow factor round every corner. We briefly retrace our steps then take a different route out, more ladders, more clambering until we reach the bat cave, thousands of huge bats hanging from the walls and ceiling, some fly past our heads, the squeaking sound intense, this is fantastic.  On we go, to emerge eventually into the blinding light and amongst the undergrowth, blinking in the sunlight, clothes covered in mud and grime, this is just the most extraordinary visit to a cave we have experienced. Potholing, caving, spelunking, whatever you call it – that was just fantastic. 

On the day we arrived in Klong Nin, the strand line was dotted with jellyfish half sunk in the sand. We’ve been told in the past that jellyfish thus stranded are already dead, though we aren’t 100% confident that’s true. Since that first day, there hasn’t been a single one on the beach at any point. Then one morning, the tenth day here, the normally clear sea is murky with sand and pieces of weed: on closer inspection, it isn’t all weed. There are, literally, tens of thousands of tiny jellyfish, each one the size of a drawing pin, brown in colour, riding the incoming tide. What have we witnessed in those ten days? The death of one generation and the birth of the next?

Wow the food here is still so so good. This is now the 21st day of our time here and we are yet to have anything other than delicious food, there are so many good dishes it’s hard to list all of them. Suffice to say that we are now definitely of the joint opinion that Thailand has shot straight to our number one food destination so far; Mexico now has to drop to second. All we’ll add at this stage is…. if you come to Klong Nin, eat at Roi Thai. And order….well….anything off the Thai menu, it’ll be delicious. 

It’s around 7pm and the fiercely orange ball of sunshine drops towards the horizon, the final descent speedy. Facing directly west, this coast enjoys spectacular sunsets, and once again the fiery colours fill the sky, cloud shapes changing colour as the sky burns bright orange. We sip cocktails, toes buried in the warm sand, watching another amazing sunset display.

Darkness falls quickly, and now the horizon turns vivid green from mysterious lights, some clearly visible our side of the horizon, some beyond it, forming eerie green hues arching in the dark sky. These are the peculiar lights of the squid fishermen way out at sea; the green lights entice plankton to the surface, then the squid follow the plankton. The effect, immediately after the brilliant sunset, is ethereal. 

Music drifts over from the Majestic Bar. The moon rises behind the island. Diners take their seats on the nightly pop-up beach restaurants. The Andaman rolls in, gently caressing the still warm sand. And so  another Klong Nin evening subsides.

It’s been terrific here and perfectly fitted our plan for this part of our South East Asia journey: proper chill time in between the madness of Bangkok and the more adventurous destinations ahead. Koh Lanta is a beautiful island and Klong Nin has pretty much everything you need. But you know what: our spirit has kicked in, the excitement of what lies ahead has taken over from the desire to chill. It’s been terrific. But we’re ready to move on.

Northern Thailand is calling…….our next destination is over 900 miles north, and 3,000 feet higher….