Sunset Chasing on Ko Lanta, Thailand.

Sunset Chasing on Ko Lanta, Thailand.

May 2015.

I’m so glad I met the American guy from South Carolina at Krabi Night Market. After my disappointing experiences at Ao Nang Beach and Chicken Island, I had been intent on getting out to an island that would make amends. I wanted to experience a truly mesmerising slice of southern Thailand that would match the expectations I’d come with.

“Ko Lanta is my favourite island”, South Carolina said. “And there’s this one beach on Relax Bay… dude, it’s the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen”. Spurred on by my raised eyebrows and the smile breaking out across my face, he moved in for the kill. “And best of all… you’ll pretty much have the beach to yourself”. 

I don’t remember much about my speedboat ride from Krabi to Ko Lanta. It took about an hour and flew by so quickly I forgot to take photos. In fact, I barely had time to even process what an audacious twenty four hours I’d managed to throw together. The entire Ko Lanta project was going to be a whirlwind adventure that would culminate in the end of my initial 30 day stay in Thailand and a flight to Singapore.

Sunset Chasing on Ko Lanta, Thailand.

So far it was going precisely according to plan. Docking at Ko Lanta, I jumped into the back of a tuk tuk opposite the pier. The driver was really friendly, offering to take my photo and insisting he wasn’t going to overcharge me.

He then proceeded to drive like an absolute maniac for ten minutes until we pulled up at my digs, Lanta Pavilion Resort. Upon arrival, the receptionist informed me that I had been entitled to a free pickup. And then promptly refunded my fare!

I had gotten a fantastic deal on my night’s stay at the resort. Situated on the island’s west coast, Pavilion was a bungalow garden complex nestled right on the edge of Khlong Khong Beach. I say was because the hotel is no more thanks to COVID-19 and its wily ways.

Having swiftly checked in, I wasted no time in dumping my bags, taking a quick shower and heading out to the resort pool for a dip. It was a roasting hot day and the water was cool and refreshing to the touch. Just perfect.

Lanta Pavilion Resort.

The main reason I’d chosen Pavilion (other than the fact that it looked fantastic) was that it would take just five minutes by tuk tuk to reach Relax Bay. Consequently, I had around three hours to kick back before I needed to leave for my promised “most beautiful sunset”. Hmm, don’t let me down, South Carolina.

Moments after stepping onto Khlong Khong Beach I realised how absolutely starving I was. Luckily, Sunset Restaurant was on hand to satisfy my every need. Eventually, after much toing and froing, I opted for a delicious Beef and Mixed Veg Roti with salad.

Finally, I was free to engage in…. well, nothing much. From the restaurant I sauntered down to the beach and drank in the scene. It was so wonderfully quiet and clean, a far cry from the awful Ao Nang Beach back in Krabi.

Moreover, I couldn’t help but ponder what a brilliant sunset one would surely have right here from Khlong Khong Beach. Was Relax Bay really going to blow this out of the water? Unused to being so impulsive based on the words of another traveller, my cynical side was definitely kicking in.

Sunset Chasing on Ko Lanta, Thailand.

Following an aimless stroll up and down the beach, I decided to grab a cocktail at Monkey Bar. Much like the beach, the bar was virtually empty and I was able to settle into a station of bamboo mats and cushions facing the sea. Before too long, I got talking to a Thai girl called Nid who was taking a break from Bangkok where she studied nursing.

Nid’s curiosity was piqued as she listened to my plan to head out to Relax Bay for sunset. “I never heard of it” she laughed, shaking her head at me with a doubtful grin. Thus she went inside to ask the Monkey Barman if South Carolina was right, or if there was some serious leg-pulling afoot.

A short while later Nid returned, revealing that the barman had indeed confirmed the story. “Maybe the best beach on Ko Lanta for sunsets” she giggled. Now of course she wanted to join me, so off we set.

Befriending a Thai girl certainly had its advantages. Instead of having to sort out the tuk tuk ride myself, Nid simply took over. And it was none other than the barman who drove. Grabbing his keys, he locked up the bar and told us to jump in the back of his truck.

I had a good feeling the moment we stepped onto the beach at Relax Bay. It was about an hour before sundown and the place was oh-so-quiet. The beach was pleasingly clean, the sand soft and warm underfoot. The deep blue sky calm and dignified, home to a drifting blanket of wispy, marshmallow clouds.

Sunset Chasing on Ko Lanta, Thailand.

“Head for the rocky part of the beach” South Carolina had told me. So that’s what we did, slowly strolling in what I believed was the general direction.

Here and there I stopped to look at all the little crabs scurrying around in various rock pools. In the distance a handful of locals meandered. “Fishing boats!” called Nid, who was some way ahead of me.

After a while I stopped to rest on a giant rock. Looking out to sea, part of me wondered if this whole experience was too good to be true. Surely the sunset was going to disappoint in some way. Or those speedboats full of Chinese tourists from Chicken Island were about to gatecrash the scene.

Happily though, nothing materialised and the only sounds were that of the sea and a few birds squawking overhead. Slowly but surely the sky was beginning to change colour, the clouds dropping lower and lower, absorbing the blue.

Next, the incredible cloud cover sucked up the sun too and I felt a pang of anxiety. Noooo, come on. But then the sun reappeared with shooting spears of white and orange. The sunset had begun.

Relax Bay.

It seemed we had found our spot. Swiftly and dramatically, the sun descended into the horizon. There were explosions of orange, red, white and light-blue as I found myself caught between surrendering to its hypnosis and scrambling to get photographs.

The clouds were something else, I had never seen anything like them. As utterly spectacular as the entire scene was, it also felt (to me at least) like there was an apocalyptic feel to proceedings. As if those clouds were about to swallow up everything.

First, they would consume the horizon, then the sea. Followed by the beach, us and everything else. What a way to go, I remember thinking, totally transfixed.

Before I knew what had happened the sun had gone and Relax Bay sat bathed in an impossible orange glow. The word otherworldly feels a bit overused in travel blogging, but that’s exactly how it looked. My trip to Ko Lanta had been hastily arranged and ever so brief, but boy had it been worth it. I never saw or heard of Mr. South Carolina again, as we hadn’t exchanged contact details. On the off chance you ever read this… cheers, my friend. 

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