Ko Lanta: Thaigiving

♦Guest post by Jeff Kalinowski♦

When the Lovgrens told us they were leaving their 9 to 5 jobs behind to travel and eat their way around the planet indefinitely, Dhruv and I were in disbelief.  As the pangs of jealousy subsided, our first thought of “who will we eat and drink everything with?!” quickly turned to ” where in the world should we meet you to eat and drink everything?!”.  And so, 6 months into their journey chasing summer, we met Jim and Alysia for several fun-filled days on a little island in the Andaman Sea – just off the west coast of Thailand’s southern peninsula.

The island’s name is Ko Lanta, known for its coral-fringed beaches, mangroves, limestone outcrops and rainforests.  While most tourists hit up the Thai peninsula for its world-famous beaches, we wanted to avoid the crowds of backpackers that sought the party shores of Phuket, and partake in a more relaxed and native atmosphere.  Dhruv and I had spent a few days blitzing between urban adventures in Bangkok and temple excursions in Siem Reap, and the Lovgrens had only just arrived and set up shop in Chang Mai a week or so before we met on the island, so we were all looking forward to some well-deserved R&R.   We stayed at the stunning yet rainforest-esque Rawi Warin Resort & Spa, built on a little hill overlooking the Andaman Sea.  Lanta Island (‘Ko’ means ‘island’ in Thai) is just the next island over from Ko Phi Phi, which is where the Leo DiCaprio movie ‘The Beach’ was filmed.  Much like Ko Phi Phi in the movie, the scene at Ko Lanta did not disappoint.

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Upon arrival at the resort’s gorgeous open-air lobby – overlooking thick tropical vegetation, a private lagoon and one of two glorious infinity pools – the attendants gave us a refreshing, chilled blue drink to enjoy before being driven around for a tour of the resort on one of the many golf carts in which they shuttle around patrons, including up and down from the rooms on the hill.  The drink was sweet and delicious and we were a little surprised when the woman at the desk informed us that it was ‘butterfly pee’.  I thought surely there was something being lost in translation — could it be butterfly ‘tea’ and we misunderstood?  I asked again.  ‘Butterfly pee’ was the response.  I’d never considered the color of butterfly pee, but didn’t it make sense that the bluish hue came from those pretty, colorful flying beings?  Butterflies were also everywhere in the resort – even hovering near the roof at the front desk as we drank in the sweet liquid.  Did they attract the butterflies with some special butterfly treat?  How do they collect their urine? Do they milk them?  Were they abusing the butterflies in any way?  I tried not to think about it and enjoyed whatever deliciousness was going into my mouth.  Later, we learned that something was indeed amiss, as it was, in fact, a butterfly ‘pea’ drink – a unique, sweet flavor also molded into gelato and rice dishes, based on Alysia and Jim’s later experiences in northern Thailand.  In any event, I highly recommend to all that you try butterfly pee at some point, pea or otherwise.  (I’m also relieved that no butterflies were harmed in the making of the drink.)

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We were so excited by the beauty of everything, but just as Alysia and Jim texted to let us know they had arrived on Day 1, we experienced every beachgoer’s worst nightmare…. RAIN!  Torrents of rain, for hours on end.  But of course, being the resourceful bunch that we are, we found a way to enjoy ourselves by catching up at one of the resort’s covered restaurants – trading our butterfly pea drinks for the first of what would be many, many Mai Tais, and enjoying some excellent Thai cuisine.

When the rain finally ended, we walked down the beach to a local dive spot for dinner (and more Mai Tais, obvi).  Alysia had the cashew and chicken fried rice served in a pineapple husk, which looked amazing.

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We were in luck that night, because the restaurant was also showcasing some traditional Thai dances performed by local islanders.  Their movements were gracefully slow and deliberate, the music was soft and mellow.  The dancing women represented what the Thai call ‘apsaras’, the female spirits of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.  Apsaras are youthful and elegant, and are supposed to be superb in the art of dancing. It was a relaxing way to cap off a great first day of our trip to Ko Lanta.  We were really digging the Thai version of island life.

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The next day, we discovered the Rawi Warin’s unbelievable breakfast spread.  So much deliciousness in one sitting almost isn’t fair to people that will be spending the day in their bathing suits (but don’t worry – somehow we made it work!).  In addition to a healthy amount of western fare, the buffet included an abundance of appetizing Thai dishes including drunken noodles, green curries, and one of our collective favorites – mango and sticky rice.  For those of you that have not had sticky rice for breakfast, please be sure to add it to your list of things to do before you die.  Sticky rice is a sweet dessert made with white rice, coconut milk, and sugar, and often garnished with sesame seeds.  This was a favorite that one of us had at almost every meal!

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After breakfast, we decided to take an excursion out on a traditional Thai longboat to the nearby Talabeng Islands, where we were to kayak around one of the islands. By ‘we’, I mean Jim and I, who vigorously paddled Alysia and Dhruv around the island while they ooh’ed and ahh’ed about all the natural beauty, the natural limestone sea caves, the vegetation-dotted cliffs rising over our heads, the beauty of the colorful boats against the aqua sky and water….ok, so I guess they had good reason to be distracted; it was pretty amazing.

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The kayak ride ended with a swim in the emerald-green waters off natural sandy beaches, and then we went on to feed monkeys on ‘Monkey Island’ during the ride back.  This excursion was definitely one of the highlights of our trip – the scenery was absolutely stunning!  This is one of those instances where the pictures can describe the experience better than words, but still cannot do justice to the experience.

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As a quick digression, I have to commend Jim and Alysia on staying fit throughout their eating adventures!  Some people, who shall go unnamed (me, it was definitely me), thought they were going to eat their way across the world, picking up at least 5 pounds of body fat per country.  Yes, deep down, Dhruv and I are incredibly superficial people.  Maybe the Lovgrens were concerned that our pettiness would lead to harsh judgment when we saw them (it would), or maybe they are just hard core athletes, but damn, those Lovgrens were lookin’ good out there!  Dhruv and I take the credit for keeping them hot, obviously.

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When we got back to the resort, we were in a hurry to get cleaned up.  The sun was due to set in an hour, and one of the most scenic Thanksgiving meals we had ever had was awaiting us right at sunset…

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That’s right.  It was American Thanksgiving that day, and in true American fashion – we decided to go big.  The resort offered one exclusive, private beach dinner at sunset for the guests who planned in advance (and were willing to pay for the experience).  Typically, these dinners are reserved for weddings, honeymoons, and other big celebrations, as there was only space for one table in a private section of the beach.  Naturally, our crew had not done any planning for our Thanksgiving plans, but just 6 hours beforehand, we thought it was worth checking to see if the space was free that night… and luck was on our side!  (a Thanksgiving miracle?).  The Kitchen Manager showed us pictures of the event, discuss flower arrangements (we took a pass on that one) and asked what the special occasion was.  When we told her it was American Thanksgiving, she didn’t bother to hide how funny she thought that was, and laughed aloud!  Yes, I suppose a beach sunset dinner, flower petals strewn on the sand, dozens of candles dug into the sand around us, and our own private butler seems like a bit much for a few friends hanging out at Thanksgiving… but what can I say?  It was a Thai-giving to remember – right down to the hermit crabs crawling around near our feet as we ate.

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One of my personal favorite dishes while we were there was a minced pork and eggplant dish that was so flavorful — we all loved it!  Fresh seafood was also found in abundance, and we all agreed that Thai food really is tough to beat.

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After stuffing ourselves with so much amazing Thai food, champagne, wine, and post-dinner cocktails, we couldn’t think of a better way to shake off our food coma the next morning than getting a good Thai massage – which most of us had not yet experienced (Alysia had already gotten one – or several – in Bangkok; the girl has priorities, after all!).  Luckily, massage venues are plentiful in Thailand, and just next door to our resort – and located right on the beach – was a great open-air massage parlor so you could look out at the ocean and listen to the waves crash as your masseuse worked you over.

And I do mean WORK. YOU. OVER.  A traditional Thai massage is no joke.  This technique has been around for 2,500 years, involves deep massage and stretching, and differs from traditional massage because it follows the body’s energy system, known as Sen lines, which loosely corresponds with Chinese acupuncture.   I thought it was pretty similar to yoga, only with someone else placing you into the yoga pose while you lie passively on a mat.  And at the end of the day, its intense!   Each masseuse uses their entire body – knees, elbows, hands, and feet, to place you in some interesting and sometimes painful positions.  At one point, I heard a groan to my left, and looked over to see Jimmy seated on his mat, legs in front of him, but with his upper body completely bent over his legs and a small Thai woman sprawled out across his back.  Her hands and feet were in the air as she placed all her body weight on him to deepen his forward stretch.  I was actually pretty impressed that it only took 1 Thai person to contort Jimmy like that (he’s kind of a big dude), but that just speaks to the wonders of Thai massage.  Afterwards, they gave each of us a cup of tea while still sitting on our mats as we eased back into reality.  While the experience was a little painful (and a lot weird), it was definitely refreshing and helped us to feel relaxed and invigorated afterwards for a day of sun (and more Mai Tais) by the infinity pool.

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Our last evening on the island was capped off with an evening out in Lanta Old Town, on the east side of Ko Lanta, facing the Bay of Thailand.  Mostly it was a charming little strip of restaurants and shops, with a lot of locals hanging out in markets at the fringes where they buy and sell fresh produce, textiles, and other goods for daily island life.  There were vats of fresh fish lined up outside many of the restaurants, boasting what the fresh catch of the day was.  We stopped at a somewhat-sketchy-looking place at the very end of the strip, and while we walked out to the seating deck a hundred feet off the shore and marveled at the great location and what such a view would cost in the States, we were also a little wary because we were the ONLY guests at the restaurant (plus we woke up one of the waiters from a nap when we arrived).  We ordered drinks and some appetizers – crispy spring rolls and a special order of fried softshell crabs – and were rewarded for our bravery with one of the best meals we had on the trip.  The softshell crab was excellent – from the perfect amount and texture of the batter, just the right amount of oil that leaves the morsels moist but not saturated, and the tender flesh of fresh softshell crab within.  Washing these down with local Tiger beer and the warm breeze gently lapping at our faces made for one of the best evenings of the trip!

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It was tough leaving the paradise island of Ko Lanta – the butterfly pea juice, Mai Tai’s, the beautiful emerald-green shades of the Andaman Sea, and most of all our amazing friends Jim and Alysia! – to come back to the cold winter season fast-approaching the U.S.  But the memories of our amazing Thai-giving adventure with great friends will last a lifetime.  Not to mention – now we get to look forward to planning our next visit to meet the Lovgrens for more adventures soon!!!

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