Journey to Khao Lak

I'm surprised not many know the story of Khao Lak (or that it even exists). Situated 2 hours away from Phuket, this scenic and laid-back holiday spot was ravaged by the tsunami that hit 12 years ago. Based on the disaster, the Hollywood movie, " The Impossible " (starring Ewan Mcgregor & Naomi Watts), portrayed the true story of Maria Belon, a Spanish motivational speaker and physician, whom got separated with her family during the disaster and nearly died. The movie not only depicts her story and how she got reunited with her family but truly portrays the horror of what had happened during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Bubs and I wanted a break from the city life and we kept looking through locations like Maldives, Krabi, Cebu, etc but I decided to go with Khao Lak despite the rainy season. I was mad intrigue by the history, the disaster and how its like for the people now, 12 years later.

Directions wise, you can take a 2 hour-ish flight straight to Phuket and arrange for a cab/bus to Khao Lak town! But usually, your hotel would provide airport transfers. Be prepared for at least a 1 hour 40 mins - 2 hours journey.

(Our stay for the next 4 days!)

Our friendly hotel guide whom picked us up (promptly!) gave us some tips on what to do in Khao Lak before we both (or should I say me) slipped into a coma for the rest of the ride. Upon reaching the resort, we were both greeted warmly by the hotel manager and I was a tad surprised at how quiet the whole place feels until the manager mentioned that guests here usually prefer a tranquil environment. So no, the resort is not vacant, just quiet. 

(Refreshing lemongrass(?), hot towels and flowers for us!)

The staffs were all really attentive and kind, showering Bubs and I with information on the premises, what we can explore on, spa services, etc. Most of the hotel personnel know basic English so don't be afraid to ask for anything you need! 

(Quick tour of our room!)

Many thanks to Ramada Resort for housing us at the Deluxe Jacuzzi Room and if you noticed in the video, they had my pictures printed and plastered all over the room just so I can feel at home! Bubs on the other hand... wasn't very happy that they excluded him XD

 (Awwwww 😍😍!)

(MY PICTURES!!! Such awesome hospitality!)

(Our very own in-room Jacuzzi)

(They provided different bath salts for you to experience, coupled with different types of power jets and led light functions!)

(Ramada's very own brollies, to be of great usage during our trip..)

(Overview of the room which is ginormous for the both of us! Extremely clean as well which I love!)

(Equipped with a balcony, two day beds and a rack for your laundry.)

(Particularly in love with the lounge chair. Perfect space to just sit and waste the day away)

Trying not to be too lengthy and whiny, will share the rest of the entry with PICTURES! of our 4 days stay in Khao Lak. And what's the fun of reading someone else's travelogue without an array of visuals amirite?!

DAY 1

(Ramada had their own bicycles for rent (FOC) and we borrowed two to roam around the streets nearby. There were no high rise buildings at all, so navigating around was easy. Extremely worth it as well, as we stopped at any spots we found interesting)

(Stopped at a random place for lunch. Place was isolated probably due to the low season. Awesome food but place was infested with ants!)

(Cycled ahead to the town area and we were told to visit the police boat. No, it wasn't a boat in a river or sea. It was a boat that got carried onshore for at least 2 kilometers when the tsunami came. Picture by WikiCommons)

(Some of the villagers set up shop near the boat to peddle some of their wares and the proceeds goes to charity (as stated). Pictures of the disaster were plastered all over their store; videos as well. It was quite chilling to know that not too long ago, this beauty of a town was entirely destroyed by mother nature 😭)

(Do you really have to work even when you're on a holiday?!?)

(We got gung-ho this trip and decided to rent a car to ease some of the traveling! Quite limited options in Khao Lak, travelers mostly use hotel bicycles to travel to nearby areas if not, tuk-tuks are always standing by. We decided to break our usual norm and rent a car for 2 days instead! Bubs was so "kiasu" he took pictures of the car left, right, center, inner, outer, engine, tyres....)

(Pooped from the day before due to lack of sleep, we headed back for a walk in the beach and a quick catnap before collecting our ride!)

(Gloomy skies and big waves due to the rainy season..)

(At this small little roadside store where we rented our ride (they rent out motorcycles as well). Hotels provide car rentals as well but charges are slightly higher and usually booked out. Do take note not to leave any of your ID cards with roadside car rentals though. We heard stories of them accusing defects on the car and refused to hand back travelers IDs. Just take a photo prior and send it to their mobile! Insurance wise, it's pretty common and similar to the bigger companies like Hertz. Just remember to scan through before you sign!)

(Unfortunately, rain was upon us for most of the 4 days BUT it didn't dampen our exploration mood though! Decided to drive to Phuket town for some nightlife and all we had for our car tunes were Thai radio or cds...😅😅)

(First order of business, SEAFOOOOD!)

(Also my first time watching a cabaret show. Super touristy and packed with mainland travelers, was quite an experience tho. Their stage sets were amazingly done... so as their...figure. If you wish to take a photo with them, be prepared to pay 250 Baht... for each person.)

(Concluded our first day by driving back to Khao Lak at 12am, perilously and fighting hard to keep each other awake. The turns and swerves at some point were grappling when we had zero streetlights but only our car's headlight to count on. Quite an experience!)

DAY 2 

(BNB. Need I say more?)

(Massage and spa after brunch = HEAVEN! Too bad I can't take any pictures of the couple room but it was equipped with a huge-ass tub, two massage beds, showers and a whole lot of ZEN. Awesome service and massage I would say, the rare few times I actually fell asleep throughout)

 (Drove out to Khao Lak's town area after the massage and thanks to a friend's recommendation, we arrived at GO PONG! Authentic, cheap and OMG so yummy Thai food!)

(One of my must haves whenever I'm in Thailand.. though I still have no idea what to call this. Does anyone know?)

(Vibrant colors in Khao Lak; where there's only shop houses and small markets. You can find some of Thailand's rarest gems in here!)

(I'd love to bring home one of those plush elephants!)

(They sell all kinds of crafts, ornaments and decor pieces for your homes as well)

(Taking a small piece of Thailand home with me 💙💙)

DAY 3 

(We got up bright and early to meet with our local guide, William and he brought us around Khao Lak and nearby islands for the whole day! It was nice to meet a guide without agenda or hard selling, he enjoyed the sights as much as we do and we could tell he was so proud of his job 😌)

(Finally, CLEAR SKIES!)

(They found some random wildlife and got pretty excited)

(And I was just taking in all the nature....)

(Unfortunately, it started pouring like crazy again after we reached James Bond Island! Bubs had alot of fun beating the wind though...💀💀)

(Rain sorta subsided and William brought us canoeing before lunch! Refreshing adventure for both of us, as you can opt to do it yourself or have the guide do the work for you XD)

(We explored caves as the one above and there were tones of nests. But when it started pouring again, it got a lil scary cause our ferry was quite a distance away)

(We arrived at this beautiful "kelong" after the canoeing, to have lunch and experienced culture beyond Khao Lak town)

(The huts were all doused in colors! Beautiful sight in contrast to the greenery)

(Mainly touristy buys on the kelong, William was constantly helping us to bargain)

(I was told that there were schools, clinics, market and library on this small little 'kelong'! William introduced me to his sister, whom works as a teacher and explained how people actually travel to and fro from the 'kelong' to work)

(LUNCH!! They seemed shock that I was keen to try their snacks XD)

(They seemed pretty happy, learning while the sea breeze shakes the room gently and genuinely so carefree)

(Time for our lunch, with a sea view to boot! We walked along the whole 'kelong' to the main restaurant. One of the best lunches!)

(SAY OMMNOMNOM BUBBY)

(After lunch, we went back to Khao Lak and William brought us to this cave that houses a huge Buddha statue, located at Wat Suwannakuha. Only 20 Baht to get in and you'll be really intrigued by the amount of monkeys that loiters around this area!)

(We went deeper in to explore some of the cave's natural habitat and admired the many stalagmites and stalactites lurking in every corner)

(Felt good to be back in nature's arms again)

(Be warned that monkeys outside the temple can be fed but they are pretty aggressive! They snatched a full packet of peanuts right off Bub's hand and they are not the least bit afraid of climbing onto you just to get food)

(Just feed and not get into an unnecessary tussle with them, they can be quite nice (and super agile))

(Mama looking out for her baby!)

(I totally concussed on the car ride after visiting the temple. To my surprise, William remembered that I wanted to see elephants so he brought us to this elephant farm! I politely declined sitting on or bathing the baby elephants though)

(Slight feeding and petting them was enough for me)

(I hope you'll grow into a mighty elephant soon, little one!)

(Last activity with William and also Bub's favorite, SHOOTING RANGE!)

(You can choose between a few types of guns, rifles etc and they'll provide standard rounds of ammo. Sound can be quite deafening *WATCH THE VID* but they'll guide you along. Although most of the time I was seriously afraid that they will just hold us at gunpoint since we are the only ones around.....😬😬😬)

(GOOD JOB BUBS!💘💘💘)

(Bubs version of posing with a rifle...)

(My version.... with William laughing at the back LOL 😵😵)

DAY 4

(We woke up bright and early for enjoy breakfast since it was the last day and we didn't wanna go anywhere.. just wanted to 'lepak' in our room or go for a swim. We were in love with the choices they provide! Everything was so fresh and deletcable! 💜💜)

(Lounging around the hotel's premises...)

(Enjoy a cuppa and just laze your day away)

(Didn't get to enjoy the public pool cause it was constantly raining during our stay but lucky we got our own due to our room upgrade!)

(Our newly upgraded Pool Villa!)

(Comes with a Jacuzzi as well!) 

(We went to the beach to play with some strays and they were all so friendly!)

(This particular stray was so adorbs! Bubs wanted to play fetch with her but she ran off with his slippers LOLOLOLOL)

(They conquered the beach that day ;))

(Having our last lunch at Khao Lak before flying off 💜💜)

It was a fantastic R&R trip for both Bubs and I despite the rainy season. How a ravaged town rebuilt itself and the priceless conversations with some of the residents. Spoke with some of the hotel employees about their experience when the tsunami came and this lady at Ramada Khao Lak Resort recounted how she had a close shave with death as she happened to be working at another resort, right by the sea, but fortunately she was tasked to be at level 3 on that fateful day. She mentioned that she heard screams and how people got washed away, but all she could do was hide and pray. 

After the disaster, she left Khao Lak and went to work in other parts of Thailand before having the courage to come back to her hometown again. We wished each other well and bade our goodbyes, hoping to see each other again. Khao Lak is a beautiful place with its own unique culture and if you really wanna escape the concrete jungle, this is the place for you.

Thank you for the wonderful stay Ramada Khao Lak! Place was spotlessly clean, service was so good and food was awesome as well. For more information, click on the link provided to their hotel's website!

*Special shout to William, for being our honest to goodness guide and making us feel extra safe and welcomed during our one day adventure with him! Should you need a guide in Khao Lak, speak with me and I'll pass you his contacts! Feel free to let me know if you've any questions!*