Chapter 00
Grinding Liang??


A few months ago, I received a message on Facebook from a friend (named P) that

"Hey, are you interested in Koh Laoliang?"

After reading the message, I was confused for a moment. What? What is Koh Laoliang? Where is Koh Laoliang in Thailand? But before I could ask back, P sent me a picture to look at.

This is an image that was found on Google.


"Okay, let's go!" is a quick and impulsive agreement without any information whatsoever, such as where Koh Lliang is, how much the budget is, and who will be invited.

(What a kind heart) After I agreed, I started to look for information about this island, Ko Lao Liang. I found out that "Lao Liang, or Law Liang, or Lao Liang, is located in Ko Suk Subdistrict, Palian District, Trang Province. It is one of the islands in the Phetra Islands Group, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. It is a group of islands with beautiful natural limestone mountains that reach the sky..." (Description from the internet) Plus, I have to sleep in a tent on the island. Oh my, my travel blood is boiling.

*For Koh Lao Liang season 58-59, it is open from October 15, 2015 to May 1, 2016.

The next question is... how do we get there? As usual, we'll just wing it like migratory birds (flying to our deaths). We didn't do any research, except for my friend P, who took care of everything. He told me that we had to book with the island before we could go, and he sent me a link to make a reservation. When I clicked on it, I found out that they offer packages. There are two options: 2 days 1 night and 3 days 2 nights. The prices are 3,500 and 6,000 respectively. And like most salarymen, we have limited vacation days and funds, so we settled on the 3-day 2-night package. If you're interested, you can click on the link to check it out.

“ https://www.facebook.com/events/1593984327521126/ “



Hold on, even though we don't have enough money to live a slow life on the island for a long time, but since we've come this far, we have to go all out. I've heard for a long time that Trang is the ultimate food destination, with its famous grilled pork and dim sum. So, I agreed with P that we would go on a food adventure for one day first.

In summary, the trip will be on October 16-17-18, 2015. On the 16th, we will go on a food trip. On the 17th, we will stay on an island. On the 18th, we will return. Wow, that's great!

Before everything was finalized, I remembered that I had a very handsome older brother in the south. So I asked Ai P if my brother could join us on this trip. I told Ai P that



***Expense Summary

- 2-day, 1-night island tour 3,500 baht/person

- Scuba diving trip 500 baht/person

  • Flight cost 2,400 baht/person (round trip for me and P)



Chapter 01
Chill Out


Day1


The chill story of this trip from My dad woke up late. We agreed to meet at the airport at 6 am, but we ended up leaving the house at 6:30 am. It's not that we left late, but the car got stuck in traffic. It was so chill that P, who lives in Ayutthaya, arrived at the airport before me, who lives in Bangkok.

Fortunately, luck was on our side today. The airport was very quiet, so every step of the process went quickly. Even though our gate was far away, P and I still made it on time. We even had time to sit down and discuss our plans for the day. Our plan was as follows:

-Bua Bok Restaurant (Eat grilled pork in Trang city)

-Thammarinth Hotel (Thammarinth Smile Pie)

- Magong Ye Temple

-Blue Shop (Pork Kao Huyuk)

- Thammarintr Thana Hotel (Super Rad Na)

- Walking street in front of the train station

**Inspiration for trip planning from Ray McDonald (according to the list of must-see cities)

Today's slogan is "If our bellies don't burst, we won't stop eating!" If you're ready, let's go!!!

(Oh no, here we go again) …. This was my feeling after the captain announced, "Due to some technical issues with our aircraft, and for safety reasons, we will need to change planes…"



Phew!! It's already 9:30 by the time I finished the transfer process and the machine started up. (Oh... roast pork, please wait for me a little longer)



Chapter 02
Operation (Not) According to Plan



Although I am a chill traveler, I usually plan ahead (a very broad plan (a million snakes)). After landing at Trang Airport, we immediately contacted a car to the city. Head to the first target, BB Trang Hotel (check in and drop off your luggage).





Although the hotel we stayed at was far from the city center (according to foreigners), getting there wasn't as difficult as we thought. We were able to get the number of a tuk-tuk from the hotel. Alright, let's head out to eat! The first restaurant, Buabok Restaurant.


Don't waste time, order now!



For those who want to eat delicious food, it is recommended to come early in the morning. We arrived late, so there were not many options.


I realized I had overeaten and my plan to eat my way through the city had to be put on hold. But then the question arose, where should I go next? In situations like this, I need to find help. When it comes to Trang, the best people to ask are the locals. And the only resource I could think of at that moment was the "Backpack Travel" group on Facebook. (I had previously posted asking for information about Trang before coming, but I didn't think I would need to rely on the group members again after arriving. Haha) Luckily, the person who had previously given me information about Trang was online at that time. They recommended a coffee shop to me, and the name of our next destination was "Thap Thiang Coffee Shop". Looking at the map, it wasn't too far away. I talked to the person and we decided to walk there so we could soak up the atmosphere of Trang city.



After walking for a while, we arrived at a small, charming cafe. Their signature drink was "Kaffee Thap Thiang," so we ordered one hot and one iced. We sat down to enjoy our coffee and let our food settle. Before entering the cafe, we had noticed a train track, so we invited P to take some photos at the train station.



Chapter 03
Belief


I am satisfied with the picture of the train station. The next station is the Thao Ma Kong Yee Shrine. Getting there is easy. Just take a tuk-tuk with a frog head in front of the train station (if you come here, you should try it, otherwise you will be accused of not coming to Trang). The Thao Ma Kong Yee Shrine and the train station are quite far apart. It's a good thing I didn't walk.

For those who are not of Chinese descent, you might be a little confused about where to pray and how to light incense. You can ask the uncles and aunts in the area. As for the Tha Ma Kong Yeh Shrine, it is said that most people who come to pay their respects here usually pray for good fortune in their careers. And the uncle who drives the truck also whispered that you can ask for anything, the shrine is really sacred, except for one thing: don't ask to win the lottery!!



After making our wishes, we consulted with the truck driver, who also acted as a local guide, on where to go next. He suggested that we visit the following places: the mural paintings, the old town, and the house of Mr. Chuan. He also mentioned that there was a special ceremony taking place at the Shrine of Lord Wan Ram, which involved a procession around the city. Since the local guide recommended it, we decided to go.





Before parting ways with the uncle who drove the frog-headed car at his house, Mr. Chuan also arranged to show the way to the Shrine of Father Mun Ram, which is located behind his house (unbelievably close). Walking into the event following the crowd, I immediately felt like a black sheep because everyone at the event was wearing white. What gave me goosebumps was the procession ceremony, which I had only seen on TV before. Today, I saw it with my own eyes. OwO



Chapter 04
Trang Tour Guide


It's raining!! Another problem has arisen. The procession has already started, and the number of people at the shrine has thinned out, but the rain hasn't stopped. I didn't know where to go, so I ended up turning to my old friend on Facebook. He sent me a message that almost made me cry.

"Hey!! Where are you now? It's raining. Do you have a place to go? If not, I can pick you up."

Wow!! I'm about to cry. Deep down, I feel bad for him, having to go through all this trouble for a stranger. But I also want him to help me.

It wasn't long before Nat's older brother came to pick us up. When we met face-to-face, we finally had the chance to properly introduce ourselves. That's when I found out his name was Nat (I had thought his name was Nut for the longest time, but then again, he writes his name as "Nat" and all my friends named Nut spell it "Nut"). Nat took us to shelter from the rain at a coffee shop called Saricano.



As we chatted away like seasoned travelers, time slipped by unnoticed, and it was already past 5 pm. P'Nut suggested we head to the walking street near the train station. We insisted on treating him to dinner as a token of our appreciation, even though it was just a small amount. The feeling of gratitude was genuine. After a short drive through town, we arrived at the walking street. However, to our surprise, the market was still not set up. Oh well, since we were already there, we decided to take some photos and have some fun.



Okay, Nat took us to the hotel. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Nat from the "Backpack Travel" group.




Chapter 05
Nightlife



At the BB Trang Hotel, we rested and waited for the right time to go out for the night. Our first destination was Gaemue, where we walked around the night market again (we took the same green tuk-tuk as before). The sky was dark now, and the streets were crowded with people. There were shops selling clothes, food, and toys, but the real highlight was the crispy roti. There was one shop in particular that stood out, and we asked them to make it extra crispy. We paired it with some milk tea, and it was absolutely delicious.



Then we went for a walk around the city at night, but we didn't walk far because we got stuck at the pharmacy. I wasn't sick, but I went to ask the owner to watch the football match with him. 555 (Trang people are so kind)



After watching the football game, my brother called me. He said he was almost in Trang (coming from Hat Yai) and asked me to meet him at The Boxx, a chill-out bar. The problem was, it was already after 8pm and it was very difficult to find a songthaew. In the end, I walked!! ... Let's skip the middle of the night part (I didn't bring my camera to take pictures).



Chapter 06
Dim sum for breakfast



On the second morning of our trip, we were joined by two more members, my brother P'Jiew and his girlfriend Fa. Even though we had a heavy night the night before, we were always ready for food. We started at 7am with the goal of "Letrang Restaurant".

Letter Rang is a restaurant that my sister Jiw has been talking about a lot, saying that it's really good. This time, I have to go all out and eat until I'm full.

.

.

.

.

It's really delicious, I give up. But the most delicious one I choose is "Crab Croquette" (whoever orders it, I guarantee you won't be disappointed).



We were so full from breakfast that we could barely move, but we still weren't satisfied and wanted to find another place to eat. So we went to ask the staff what Trang people usually eat after breakfast. The staff looked confused and replied, "Go home and sleep." I could only smile awkwardly and laugh it off (she was right, after eating, you have to go home). But don't expect us to give up easily. Today, we still have P'Jiew to rely on. Actually, it's more like relying on P'Jiew's friend, because the person who showed us the light and recommended the next restaurant was P'Jiew's friend.


The next shop we visited was called Suan Chan Coffee Shop. At first, we planned to just chill and sip some coffee. But when we sat down at a table, the auntie brought out some dim sum and placed it on our table. She said, "Eat it if you want, if you don't, it's fine. We won't charge you for anything you don't eat." ... Of course we ate it! 555 But after this shop, we couldn't eat anymore. We gave up and went back to the hotel to rest first. :3



Chapter 07
Heading to Lliang Island





10:30 AM was our appointment time with the people who would pick us up. The meeting point was in front of the train station. Here we met Nong Moss and A Long, who were responsible for picking us up today. Since we were a little late, we had to hurry a bit. We didn't even have time to greet each other properly before we started throwing our luggage into the car.



From the train station, it will take us about 50 minutes to travel. This is the "want to know, ask" time. Ask anything about Koh Laoliang. We got information from the beginning, when Uncle Long was a friend of Moss's father. Moss's father was the main leader in developing Koh Laoliang into a natural tourist destination. As for the history of other islands, it is very long (a million chickens). If you want to know, I recommend you come and listen for yourself. But the most exciting thing is that Uncle Long and Moss told us that today the whole island will have only one group of tourists, which is the four of us. And most importantly, we are also the first group in the tourist season of 2015. (Wow, the feeling of being able to open the pure nature) The conversation went smoothly and the time passed quickly as well.


We have finally arrived at the port. Let's not waste any time. Let's work together to load the goods onto the ship and set sail for Lliang Island. Let's go!



Chapter 08
Oh!! Lau Liang





Koh Lao Liang is not far from the coast. It takes about 40 minutes by boat to get there. On the way, Ko Ting (น้องอส's father) told us that "The sea here is still very abundant. If we are lucky, we will see dolphins too. #Eyes level 10"

Hau La Liang is a small, compact island that can be divided into the following zones:

1. Common area consists of a dining room/kitchen/living room.

2. The accommodation zone is located right on the beach (just a short walk to the sea)

3. Bathroom zone (located next to the accommodation zone)



After exploring the island, Ko Ting called us for lunch to refuel before we set off. After lunch, it was time to sleep. At first, I was going to lie down and relax, but as soon as I closed my eyes, nature started to do its thing. The cool sea breeze, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the result was that I fell asleep for real. I slept for 1 hour, then Ko Ting woke us up to continue our activities. "Touring the island". . . The first stop was Koh Takian. It's a pity that I didn't take many pictures.



Point 2: Take a walk around Koh Laoliang



Point 3: Diving in front of the island (lots of fish) but the battery ran out so I didn't take any pictures.


**Note for those who cannot swim, don't worry about safety. Because before going down to the water at every point, there will be officers to check the safety first. If the water is too strong, they will change the location and find a new one for us instead.**

Chapter 09
The Sad Story of Mother Hen



The fun is over. After wandering around the island, it's time for dinner. The staff was very kind. We were sitting at a table by the beach (not a dining table), and they brought our dinner and set the table for us. We ate dinner by the beach, watching the dolphins. But unfortunately, it didn't take long for the rain to start, and we had to move back to the dining hall to eat.



After we had our fill of rice, we continued to the beach bar, which was run by P' Ake (actually, P' Ake did everything, from being a guide, a construction worker, a beach cleaner, etc.). P' Ake is a funny guy with lots of stories to tell. We talked until we got to the topic of the mother crab, which I had heard was on Koh Tachai (and never thought I would see it at Koh Lipe). P' Ake asked us if we wanted to see it and said he would send the kids to find it for us, and then we could go see it later (as if we wouldn't want to see it).





Shortly after our older brother sent us to find the mother crab, we received a signal that they had found it! We followed the call and soon saw the mother crab in person (not far from the bar, as it was behind our tent).



As we were enjoying taking pictures of the large horseshoe crab, the elder brother told us a story about the horseshoe crab. "The horseshoe crab is a pity. It lives on an island in the middle of the sea but cannot swim. But in its life, it must go down to the sea to lay eggs and then die." #I'm not sure if this information is correct or not. If it's wrong, I apologize.


After taking photos of the horseshoe crabs until our hearts were content, we all went back to our tents to sleep.



Chapter 10
Message from Ko Ting



I woke up early to the sound of a boat leaving the shore (actually, the sound of the boat woke me up). It was about 5:30 am. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I went to sit on the beach. I lay down and listened to the sound of the waves in the morning, the sound of the crabs, and waited to see if I could see the beautiful sunrise.

I don't see it!! I went back to the tent with my head down and curled up for a while before I gathered my courage and went out to explore the island for the last time.



Before leaving, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ko Ting to talk about the history and operation of Koh Lao Liang. Ko Ting explained, "Koh Lao Liang is located in the Petchabun National Park. This dry island was originally used by fishermen as a shelter from storms. As for opening it to visitors, the island cannot be open to tourists all year round because it is closed during the monsoon season. More importantly, no permanent structures can be built on the island because it is located within the national park. Therefore, the structures are demolished and rebuilt every year (this is the reason why we have to sleep in tents)."



Before leaving, Ko Ting left a message: "Please help spread the word and tell your friends to come visit Koh Laoliang. The nature here is still pristine, and I want everyone to experience it."


"I'm just curious," I said. "Aren't you afraid that if a lot of people come, nature will deteriorate?"

Kotiing laughed and said, "No matter how many people come, I can only take 60 people a day. I can't handle more than that."

I now understand that even with money and time, it's not certain that I'll be able to go. I'm glad that this place doesn't exploit or profit from nature.

After talking to Ko, it was time to go home (I didn't want to go back).

[Many thanks to Ko Ting, A Long, Nong Moss, Phi Kae, and everyone on Koh Laoliang for taking such good care of us. Thank you to the chef for making delicious food for us every meal. And lastly, thank you to nature for creating such beautiful things for us to visit.]





*See you again. . . Lhao Liang*



Chapter 11

Before returning




On the way back, Ko Ting drove us back himself. More importantly, he also took us to lunch before we parted ways. It was a red pork and crispy pork rice shop in front of Wat Nam Phut. It was delicious. I recommend that you come and try it, especially because of the Chinese sausage (whispering that you should come before noon or you might miss it).



After finishing lunch, we said goodbye to Ko Ting and moved on to the next stop, which was to buy souvenirs for our families. We started at...



The first shop, Benchamit Cake, a Trang specialty. A small shop that sells out quickly, unbelievably. Luckily, there were still some left when I went that day.



The second shop, "Peah Pia Soi 9", is so popular that they have to limit the number of boxes each customer can buy (on the day I went, it was 1-2 boxes per person).



*I've tried both restaurants and they are both delicious.



The trip "Walking around Trang City, diving to see coral reefs at Koh Li Liang" is over. Thank you to all readers who have patiently read to the end. If there are any errors, I, as the writer, apologize here.



#stopthemoment

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