Pak Bara Pier
Southern Thailand
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Feb 14 2009
We liked the island life so much on Ko Tao, we were encouraged to try another
island. Ko Lipe is one of 51 islands that make up the Ko Tarutao Marine Park in
the Andaman Sea close to the Malaysian border. This is convenient as our Visa
Run to Ranong only gave us another two weeks in Thailand and there are boats
directly to Malaysia from Ko Lipe.
It was a little complicated getting to
Ko Lipe, made more so by Ray's continuing back problems. We lucked out with the
friendly assistance of Ibon, a fellow traveller from the Basque region of Spain,
who was going to the same area we were. He was young and strong and a willing
helper with our luggage. It was a total of six hours in two different ferries to
get to the port town of Surat Thani. There we stayed overnight and continued on
the next morning.
We had counted on two minivan rides to get to Pak Bara
pier, where the boat for Ko Lipe leaves. We nearly missed the first minivan in
Surat Thani. Our taxi driver from our hotel in Surat Thani didn't know where the
minivan terminal was. He took us to the regular bus terminal instead. We had
dropped Ibon at the minvan terminal the previous night so I knew we were in the
wrong place. Another taxi driver tried to give our driver directions and ended
up getting inside the taxi and coming with us to the correct terminal, just a
few blocks away. We were deposited at an agency with a woman who had never sold
a ticket to Trang, our half way spot, before. First she gave us the wrong
departure time, overcharged us, then seeing the minivan pass her shop, walked us
over to the correct stop arriving after the minivan had continued on its way. We
were not pleased, neither was she. She tried to call the minivan and get him to
return for us. He refused. She then arranged for and paid a taxi to take us a
short distance where we met up with the minivan, with our friend Ibon inside. We
were on our way.
Two hours later we were in Trang, looking for a
connecting minivan to the pier at Pak Bara. Another helpful agent told us we had
just missed the van. The agent tried to phone the van to return for us to no
avail. Our choices were to wait for the next van due to leave in another hour or
to take a private taxi, at the same price, leaving whenever we were ready. We
took the second option and the three of us were soon riding in a comfortable
Toyota. We arrived at Pak Bara in plenty of time to have lunch before our 1:30
PM departure. From there is was an easy speedboat ride to Ko Lipe.
I left
Ray with our luggage on Pattaya Beach, one of three on Ko Lipe, while I went in
search of a suitable and economical bungalow. I visited several and was just
leaving one when I recognized Taina, a fellow Wildlife Rescue Center volunteer
from Finland. Taina came with other volunteers more than a week before. The
others have returned to the Center but Taina lingered on. After three months of
work at the Center she had developed a type of Tennis Elbow (repetitive motion
injury). She hoped it would heal itself so that she could return to the Center
as a Volunteer, but that has not happened yet, so Taina is still on Ko Lipe.
We settled into a small, basic bungalow in the same complex as Taina. The
bungalow is constructed of woven palm leaves and bamboo with a shady veranda,
the perfect place to read and relax. The bed, with a good mosquito net is
comfortable. There is a cold water shower and a toilet so we were very
comfortable.
Taina visited the local Buddhist temple the day before we
arrived and fell in love with an abandoned puppy. Lek, which means Tiny in Thai,
was only about four weeks old, starving and flea bitten. Taina took him home and
gave him a coconut oil bath which miraculously killed the fleas. Lek now lives
with Taina in her bungalow, is fed milk from a baby bottle, gobbles fish and
chicken and is growing fat. He has lots of attention from other tourists and
even some companions amongst the other dogs that hang around our resort. Taina
is determined to take Lek home with her to Finland. She has researched the
requirements on the web and is on her way to Bangkok to get all the necessary
shots and papers Lek requires to become a Fin.
The bungalow was just
steps from Pattaya Beach, about 1 km of white sand with corals just offshore. We
set up chairs in the shade of a tree, read our books and went for a swim and a
snorkel several times a day. The associated restaurant served good, inexpensive
food. In the evening tables with tablecloths and candles are set up on the
beach. This is the most popular spot to enjoy a dinner of barbecued fish. We ate
there nearly every night.
 Snorkel Boat |
 Ko Lipe long boats |
The other spots we
stopped at were not difficult. I enjoyed seeing the fish and the corals and had
a great day. Just as I was returning to our boat after our lunch spot, I
recognized another ex-volunteer, Kevin, from Scotland. He is a Marine Biologist
currently preparing to do a survey of dolphins in Thailand. He is supposed to be
doing research for this project but the lack of daytime electricity in the
island resorts makes swimming and snorkeling a better daytime activity than
working on a computer. He had volunteered his services as a guide on a
snorkeling boat in return for free passage. Thus, he lingers on. He acknowledges
that Taina has a legitimate excuse for delaying a return to the Center but fears
she is becoming a Beach Bum! It sounds like a great vocation to me.
There
are two other beaches with accommodation on Ko Lipe. The island is quite small
so it didn't take me long to visit both of them. It took me about 20 minutes to
walk to Sunrise from our bungalow. Simple bungalows share the beach with a Chao
Leh fishing village. Chao Leh means “people of the sea” in Thai or sea-gypsy.
The Chao Leh people, originally from Malaysia and Indonesia, have made Ko Lipe
their home for the last 100 years. The beach is not as long as Pattaya but it is
white sand and there are corals offshore to explore.
Sunset Beach is
smaller still and less developed. This is where Kevin has established himself in
one of the few bungalow compounds. He loves the relative isolation and claims
the snorkeling offshore the beach is the best on the island.
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