Summary
Inspired by a travel blogger, I visited Ko Lipe Island in Thailand. Despite heavy monsoon rains and flooding, I left the island by speedboat and oversized truck, reaching Krabi, and then flew to Bangkok. This experience emphasized the importance of flexibility and adaptability in travel.
I visited Ko Lipe Island, a Thai island near Malaysia, for the first time. A travel blogger I follow, Nomadic Matt, inspired me to visit. He spent a month there in November 2006 with five other backpackers, which changed his life. He started a travel blog, wrote travel books, created a hostel in Austin, Texas, and offered international tours and traveler meetups in the US. I even met him in Crete.
I took a night train from Bangkok to Hat Yai. After dinner of Penang curry, I settled into my bottom bunk.
At dawn, it began raining as we approached the train station.
A travel vendor offered me a round-trip ticket to Ko Lipe, including a two-hour minivan ride to Pak Bara pier and a one-and-a-half-hour speedboat ride. The ticket cost ฿2,000–$64 USD.
Hat Yai Junction Train Station
We traveled by minivan and speedboat to Ko Lipe, where it continued to rain.
I booked the Bloom Hostel at $14 per night through hostelworld.com. It lived up to its reviews, with lockers, electrical outlets by reading lamps, privacy curtains, and hot, clean showers.
Despite the four days of rain, I walked to Sunset Beach, lounged on a free chair, and enjoyed an expensive mango smoothie.
Sunset Beach
I also got wet while visiting Pattaya and Sunrise beaches in my swimsuit on other days.
Pattaya Beach
Sunrise Beach
During my four-day stay, I indulged in one-hour oil massages before dinners at restaurants along the blue-paved walking street.
Due to the rain, I spent much of my time lounging at the hostel and reading two pocketbooks.
While on Ko Lipe, we began to hear that they had suspended all train and bus travel throughout the Hat Yai area. Also heard that the airport at Hat Yai was open, but to get there, you had to transfer to a military transport vehicle to get through the flooded waters.
News reports showed over 1,000 people stranded at the airport, making it an unsafe place even if the planes were flying. Here are some articles about the floods.
Some suggested taking speedboats to other islands like Phuket or Langkawi in Malaysia.
On my departure day, November 24, the rain was constant, so I stopped for a large breakfast, unsure when my next meal would be.
The staff informed me that the Hat Yai airport was inaccessible due to flooding, and the return minivan ride was canceled. To get a refund, I requested it via WhatsApp, but nothing. The loss was about $10.
I wasn’t sure where to go at the end of the day. I thought there would be vendors at the Pak Bara pier offering transportation, but I wasn’t sure.
I initially thought I’d go to the Hat Yai airport, but I didn’t have an air ticket, and the way there was flooded.
We had a thrilling speedboat ride back to Pak Bara pier during the monsoon rain.
After disembarking, a vendor offered to take me to Trang for ฿300. I considered flying back to Bangkok or taking a night bus. She then offered to take me to Krabi for another ฿350, as she had an extra seat on a covered pick-up truck. I opted for Krabi, as it offered more travel options. I found the $21 worth it to escape.
Tourist scrounging rides to dry land
I paid for the front seat with the driver. After a 15-minute drive, we hit the flooded streets of Hat Yai. We and others boarded a large red truck to navigate the worst flooding.
Some were on five-star resort tours, while others, like me, were backpackers. Regardless, we all wanted to escape the rising waters. Some sat on luggage, while others stood as we made our way through the floodwaters.
My travel day saw an incredible 14 inches of rain in 24 hours, a 300-year record.
After navigating flooded streets in Hat Yai, we drove to Krabi in minivans. I got the front seat.
During the rainy drive, I checked Google flights for Krabi to Bangkok and hotels near the airport. Flights on November 24th cost between $150 and $250, but the following day, they ranged from $60 to $150.
Instead of a costly late-night flight to Bangkok, I stayed in Krabi and took a $90 morning AirAsia flight. I arrived around the same time as the suspended night train.
Rain delayed my arrival at the airport, where I bought my ticket and received instructions to get my boarding pass the next morning.
Krabi Airport
I found the Baan Sup Mongkol Hotel near the airport using agoda.com. A taxi cost ฿300, and the hotel cost $21 for a clean and comfortable stay with pleasant staff.
There were no restaurants nearby, so I had shrimp pad Thai, orange juice, and Thai iced tea at a street food stall for ฿150. It was tasty and filling.
The hotel staff offered me coffee and bananas before Sky drove me to the airport for ฿150–$5 USD.
At the airport, the same AirAsia staff member surprised me with a first-class window seat.
As we approached Bangkok, the skies cleared. I received my train refund of ฿1,103 and a bus ticket to Ban Phe for the 28th, on my way to the Cozy Stay Hotel for three nights at $35 per night.
This adventure will be memorable. I’m glad I kept moving. Watching the news, I see thousands of tourists trapped in Hat Yai due to rising waters, and the military operation to transport people to the airport was suspended.
Flexibility is crucial in these uncertain times.
Travel is so educational! Love your ability to bend and turn as needed!
ReplyDeleteRick, that was a real adventure. Good thing that you are an experienced traveler and kept aware of the weather situation.
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