Laid back ... the embrace of tourism has not been felt in Ko Lanta.Credit: Mark Andrew Kirby/Lonely Planet
A TUK-TUK driver is squashing a black scorpion on the road during a brief tropical downpour, the chilli from fiery tom yum soup is burning my tongue and the Andaman Sea is lapping.
My senses are being stir-fried at Ko Lanta, a sleepy island off the south-west coast of Thailand.
The embrace of tourism has not been felt as it has at Phuket, nor is there the vibe and bar scene that many party-going travellers might seek. The island received electricity only 10 years ago and telephones five years ago.
On this laid-back island, about 30 kilometres long and six kilometres wide, a basic bamboo and palm-leaf bungalow can be rented for a mere Bt450 ($20) a night at places like Lanta River Sand Resort and even cheaper if you hunt for a bargain.
A meal of delicious green chicken curry is only Bt95 from any of the streetside cafes.
The Pimalai Resort represents the high end of the island's accommodation, with five-star villas from Bt4950 a night, set in rainforest on hilly terrain overlooking a pristine beach.
There are many tourist operators based in the island's main town of Saladan, as well as cheap souvenir shops, outdoor waterfront restaurants and tattooists injecting ink with bamboo. Despite its immaturity, tourism is one of Ko Lanta's bigger industries, alongside the cultivation of rubber and fishing.
Lying on the sand, getting a beach massage for about $15, scuba diving, elephant trekking and visiting Lanta Old Town and the village of the sea gypsies, the island's indigenous settlers, are popular tourist activities. And snorkelling; we venture out for a day of snorkelling on a speedboat shared with some young Thais who consume Marlboros like the next tsunami is coming.
Ko Lanta, our guide says, was spared mass destruction and death during the 2004 tsunami although a heavy toll was exacted on beachfront property.
As the young Thais puff away, we jump into the sea for our first snorkel near some towering rock formations. The snorkelling doesn't match the Great Barrier Reef but, nevertheless, it is colourful. The highlight comes later when we stop at another massive rock formation at Ko Mook Island and swim into Emerald Cave. With the help of torchlight, we make our way through the darkness to a cavern where the sun penetrates to a small sandy beach and rainforest plants cling to 100-metre high cliffs around us. It's the sort of place you imagine old-fashioned pirates would hide, but now every snorkel tour visits.
On firmer ground, elephant treks are as essential to Ko Lanta as cobras are to Indian snake charmers. And there are cobras here, too, according to our elephant guide, and tarantulas, which the locals like to eat.
As we make our way to a jungle waterfall I ask about the black scorpions.
"Oh, they only come out when it's raining," he says.
Thank heavens, it's another blue-sky day in southern Thailand.
The closest airport to Ko Lanta is Krabi, about 21/2 hours' by mini-bus and two car ferries. A speedboat from Phuket to Ko Lanta takes two hours. For more information, see lantalanta.com, ko-lanta.com, lantariversand.com, pimalai.com and www.lantadiver.com.
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