This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from January 19 to January 25. We took a ferry from the Malaysian island of Langkawi to the Thai island of Ko Lipe (also spelled Koh Lipe) on Monday. On Thursday, we took another ferry to Ko Lanta (Koh Lanta) to meet Megan’s dad, who flew in from the United States for a visit.
Favorite thing we ate: Our Lonely Planet ebook recommended Yasmin Syrian Restaurant as the best Middle Eastern food in Pantai Cenang (Langkawi), so we had to check it out. The meze platter was delicious and was Jonathan’s favorite dish of the week [pictured above left]. And we could see the bread being freshly made from our table! Yum. Megan loved her fish tacos at The Box, a tapas restaurant in Ko Lipe [above right].
Favorite thing we drank: Jonathan enjoyed a refreshing coconut at the very empty and very chill Tanjung Rhu Beach in Langkawi. Megan’s house cocktail at The Box was also quite good.
Favorite thing we did: This was a tough one this week! We both loved renting a motorbike in Langkawi (Megan even drove it! which neither of us expected haha), but getting scuba certified in Ko Lipe was pretty cool too. So instead of picking one activity each this week, we’re picking these two activities together.
Biggest splurge: Definitely the scuba certification. It was 10,000 THB each for the two-day course and certification (including all equipment, certification materials and two delicious lunches), which is about $320 USD each. (But this is also significantly less expensive than other places in the world; getting certified in California where we lived, for example, would have cost at least $500.) Also, our scuba certifications don’t expire, so we’re set for life!
Best deal: The scooter rental was only 50 RM for 24 hours (about $12 USD), and we got half a tank of gas during our drive for 3 RM (~$0.75). Pretty sweet deal!
Biggest oops: Jonathan hurt his ankle when he kicked the bag at his first-ever Muay Thai lesson on Ko Lanta. Whoops. Nothing major, just a little tender for now and a good reminder of his fragility as he ages. 😉
What we’re reading: Jonathan is reading The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. Megan finished The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat, read Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker and A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum, and started Long Bright River by Liz Moore (one of her most anticipated winter reads).
Total walking distance: 24.75 miles
Up next: Exploring more of Thailand.
Featured image: Longtail boats waiting by the shore of Pattaya Beach, Ko Lipe, Thailand
