Thursday, 13 December 2018

A Unique Dining Experience

So for Debbie and Stuart's last night they thought they would try something different, so they booked 3 seats at The Table, 1 seat for me!

Debbie & Stuart's Last Night
The Table is a unique dining experience, there is just one table (that seats up to 12 people) and there is no menu. Dew, the owner and chef, visits the local market finds local fresh ingredients and cooks some traditional thai dishes from all over Thailand.
Range of Craft Beers available
The diners arrive around 7pm and are welcomed by Dew, and her partner Peter. Peter is your wine and beer expert and advises you on what will suit the meal tonight.

Tonight there were 4 dishes and as each was presented, Dew explains the dish and it's origins.
Me, Dew and Debbie
Tonight we dined on:

A very sociable event
- Seafood Miange (fish and shrimps served in a lettuce parcel and with a spicy chilli dip
- Seabass curry and fried chicken livers and rice
- Slow cooked chicken in a red curry with young bananas and fried pork belly and rice
- Fresh local fruit 
Slow cooked red chicken curry
Debbie and Stuart really enjoyed the chance to try new thai food and the amount of food provided.
A great chance to meet new people
They also really enjoyed meeting other people from all over the world

I would like to thank Debbie and Stuart for sharing their photos and experiences with me, wish them a safe journey home and hope we see them again soon!

Farewell to an Old School friend!

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Monkeying Around!


The monkey's jumped on the Longtail for food & a lift along the mangroves.
So Debbie & Stuart wanted just a half day tour for their last trip and chose the Half Day Kayaking in the Mangroves Tour with Lanta Eco Tour.
A Tradtional Thai Fishing Boat (Longtail)
After being picked up at our resort, they were taken to a pier on the east coast of the island, where they jumped on a longtail (Thai fishing boat) which took them through the mangroves to Koh Aung. On the way there, they were greeted by some cheeky and hungry monkeys who jumped aboard and checked out the food on the boat. Debbie was quite taken aback at how picky the monkeys were!
They left Koh Aung by Kayak and made their way to Koh Talebeng, where they stopped for fruit and drinks. 
Kayaking in the Mangroves
On the way back from Koh Talebeng to Lanta, they saw yet more hungry monkeys.

This cheeky chappie was not going to take just anything from Debbie
What did they like?

The Mangroves are beautiful
- That we recommended the half day tour, it was a hot sunny day and that was enough sun for them.
- The monkeys, very friendly and not aggressive which they were surprised about.
- Practically a private tour, as they only shared the longtail with one other couple.
- The guide who took photos for them and explained the local plants and fruits.

Friendly Captain and Helpful Guide
Last adventure tomorrow, when Stuart and Debbie try a different dining experience tomorrow at The Table.

Monday, 10 December 2018

Koh Rok & Koh Haa

Arriving at Koh Rok
So part 2 of Debbie and Stuart's tours, saw them choose the Koh Rok and Koh Haa tour with Lanta Gardenhill, a company we have used for many years
Lunch
Picked up at 8,30am from the resort they were driven to the boat which set off to Koh Rok at 9am. Koh Rok is 2 stunning islands that sit very far south of Lanta, so the journey time is 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the waves.
Debbie & Stuart enjoying the beach at Koh Rok
Luckily for Debbie and Stuart, there was only a slight ripple on the day they went and they got to Koh Rok quite quickly. Around the islands the water is a stunning blue and very very clear.




 After snorkelling in 2 spots on Koh Rok, for about 1.5 hours, they were taken to the beach and served a delicious lunch (the fried chicken was a winner) then they set off to Koh Haa.

Koh Haa 3

Koh Haa is about half way back to Lanta and the name means five islands (there are actually 6!) It is a beautiful location and a real favourite for divers as well as snorkellers.

What did Debbie and Stuart love:

- the stunning beaches
- the clear waters and variety of fish
- lunch!

Tomorrow they are off to the mangroves to see the monkeys, so tune in tomorrow!

Sunday, 9 December 2018

Cooking & Drinking for a good cause!

Debbie and Stuart
This week we have an old friend of mine from school staying with us, with her husband Stuart.

Whilst they are staying with us, they have joined a number of activities and tours we recommend and agreed to let us in on what they did and what they loved.

Their first activity was the Cooking with Cocktails Course at Time for Lime. Time for Lime is, I believe, the oldest Thai cooking school on Koh Lanta. It was started by Junie Kovacs who is also the founder of Lanta Animal Welfare, a charity on our island. All the profits from Time for Lime go to Lanta Animal Welfare, so whilst you are eating, drinking and learning, you are also helping not only the stray animals on the island, but also the island itself, as they have dramatically reduced the stray animal population.
Debbie proud of her creations
Time for Lime is located on Klong Dao Beach and the course started around 4pm, they were split into 2 groups, Debbie first learnt how to make a London Mule (Gin, Lime, Ginger) whilst Stuart was tasked with making a Mango Salad and a Pad Thai. In the second half of the course, Stuart made the cocktails whilst Debbie finished the second course.
Cocktail lessons
Debbie and Stuart loved how sociable the course was and met a couple of Swedish ladies who had fell in love with a dog at Time for Lime and were preparing to bring it home. They also found the course very informative about how to make various cocktails and stock your cupboard with the right ingredients to cook great Thai food.
The Teaches explains all the ingredients in the meal
Big thank you to Time for Lime for giving them a night to remember!