Getting to Koh Lanta

I am always really lucky with my flights to Lanta. Everything is always super smooth and comfy. Although I had some back pain the last couple of weeks and I thought that the 9 h flight will be absolutely devastating it was ok. I managed to get up a couple of times and did some stretching while chatting with a really nice stewardess.

Landing in Bangkok and figuring out the immigration stuff, getting a new boarding pass and standing in line with the huge backpack was on the other hand not the best thing for my back. Another 1.5 h on the plane to Krabi and a scheduled private transfer to Lanta Sport Resort on Koh Lanta and I was finally back home. Getting out of the car and being greeted by my lovely friend Sara made my day and washed away all the back pain that has emerged during the last couple of hours.

Spending my first evening with Sara just catching up really briefly and then basically falling asleep on my way to bed was a pretty good start to my absolutely overdue visit to Koh Lanta.

1st day on Koh Lanta — What to expect?

Before I arrived I already started to think – surprise, surprise — about all the activities that I could be doing on Koh Lanta. I also started to probably bother Sara about what we could do, before I even arrived. The whole week before my flight was scheduled I basically have been so busy that I thankfully haven’t had the time to think about “not having a plan” for my first week. So the only thing that I knew was that I would spend the first week Wednesday until Sunday relaxing and having some holidays.

So although I haven#t had any plans for the first week yet, my first day on Koh Lanta turned out to be amazing. And here is what I managed to do during my first day.

Sleep in = not setting an alarm

I slept in. Yes, for all of you who know me, you know that this is a big deal for me 🙂 Not setting an alarm drives me crazy. Not knowing when I will wake up throws me off. And not being able to make a plan because of that normally throws me off the wagon. But I am on holiday and I need to give myself some time to relax and chill. So all alarms have been turned off and I managed to sleep in. Kudos to myself for that!

Go for a coffee at Fruit Tree House

One of my favorite places is the small and very cute café Fruit Tree House. Its owner is a lovely guy from whom you always will receive a smile. The good mood that is radiating from him is addictive! This cute café has had always a small but amazing menu, with a lot of healthy and good quality food. One of my favorites is the “Avocado Bread with poached egg” and the “Bread with honey”. And in addition, the coffee is really good.

They have all kinds of homemade sweets like Energy Balls, Muffins, Cookies and also vegan stuff that is sweetened with honey! Since this year they seem to have also homemade ice-cream.

Starting out my first day on Koh Lanta at one of my favorite places with two of the loveliest people I know — Sara and Laura — is the best that I could have wished for.

Grab your SIM card at 7/11

The next most important step on your 1st day on Koh Lanta is to connect yourself to the rest of the world. Without depending on wifi! So I went to 7/11 and wanted to buy a sim card. It seems that the manager is the only one with the corresponding phone and app who is able to take a picture. Because that is what you need now if you wanna get yourself a sim card. Picture Time!

KoHub

The next thing I had to check out was KoHub 2.9. After grabbing some lunch with the girls next to KoHub at OT restaurant, where I had my first ever Pad Stew, we went back to KoHub. Sara was so kind and gave me a short tour around KoHub. OMG. The new KoHub is so much bigger than the old one. Good job James!

The Beach

On my way back to Lanta Sport Resort I had to take a break and dip into the water. Going down the street next to Pangea Bar I finally had some sand between my toes. Yes, that is exactly what my heart has been aching for. Long Beach — that is the name of the beach that is closest to Lanta Sport Resort and KoHub.

Moon Massage

After going back to the hotel I decided to go to Fruit Tree House for another coffee, or two 🙂 On my way I scheduled a massage at Moon massage, which is basically down to road from Lanta Sport Resort. I explained I think 20 times that they shouldn’t touch my lower back because of my back problems. Unfortunately, they thought they knew better. I had to stop the nice lady several times from massaging my lower back. The massage was nice although not really relaxing. But at least my back didn’t get worse after that, which I was really anxious about.

KoHub Quiz Night

After my first Koh Lanta massage in 2020 — and definitely the first of many to follow — I grabbed a TukTuk and headed in the direction of KoHub. It’s quiz time. Tasha has prepared an amazing quiz for KoHubbers. I haven’t seen so many KoHubbers at an evening event ever! Although I didn’t contribute a lot — mainly just the info that Marzipan is from Germany — Sara and Laura nailed it. They made it to the 2nd place, which is pretty amazing considering that 1st place went to James and Kevin with a group of 5 people in total!

1st day on Koh Lanta — SumUp

I have to admit that I couldn’t have wished for a better start into my Asia trip 2020. The 1st day on Koh Lanta brought back all the great memories and possibilities that you have on this lovely island. I got hugged, I received tons of smiles and met already a lot of new faces, and had Thai food.

What else is there to wish for!?