Koh Lipe is a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea, near Malaysia’s border. It’s part of Tarutao National Marine Park, which is populated with small islands and known for its coral-rich waters. In order to get to Koh Lipe, I had to depart from a province called Satun. Going to Koh Lipe by the speed boat takes about an hour to get to and thus I had to stay for one night in Satun since I arrived in the evening. I booked a tour with a local tour guide who also happened to be a friend of one of my many aunties. He gave me a discount on this tour and so I only paid about $100 CAD in total for the tour to Koh Lipe. The tour included a one night resort in Satun, a speed boat ticket to Koh Lipe and back to Satun, a private boat tour around Koh Lipe and the islands nearby, snorkeling, and a one night resort in Koh Lipe…a pretty sweet deal, isn’t it? I woke up very early to catch my boat to Koh Lipe and the first stop was Koh Khai, which was a very small island 15 mins away from Koh Lipe; it was beautiful and breath taking. The boat then continued to Koh Lipe and I was pretty much in awe when I saw the island. The private boat tour were guided by two locals where lunch was also provided. I got to see different types of islands and was pretty amazed at how different each islands were compared to one another even when they were so close to each other. For example, one island had white sands and another island nearby didn’t have white sand, but instead had black rocks all over the island (it was pretty hard to walk with my sandals and I ended up breaking my shoes here). I loved Koh Lipe; the ocean was crystal clear and so, so blue. There were a lot to do on the island as well; there were tons of restaurants, massage parlors, shops, and even bamboo tattoo parlors. This trip had made me realized just how beautiful the world is and that I have so much more to explore. I was also very lucky to have just escaped the monsoon season; literally after I left Koh Lipe, it was pouring rain non-stop with severe thunder storms. I look forward to coming back here again in the future with my friends and loved ones.
