Koh Jam

Koh Jam is really difficult to get to. From Phi Phi we would have had to get an hour long ferry south to Koh Lanta and then get on the Krabi ferry. While this ferry passes Koh Jam the longtail boats come out to meet it and pick you up. The two ferry times didn't even allow for a connection. But we really wanted to go to Koh Jam because not many people do and it's quiet and peaceful. There is always a way around a difficult situation to I just started phoning the accommodation on Koh Jam to ask about how to get there. A lovely woman called Maoie at Golden Pearl bungalows said they would send a longtail to Koh Phi Phi the following day to PICK US UP. Amazing. It cost about 4 Euro more than the ferries and was only an hour long.



We stayed out a little later than we should have that night and had only had about three hours sleep when we had to check out. The hotel manager was giving us grief because we were ten minutes late and was trying to charge us. I said 'Amanda do you mind if I lay into this fella before he charges us?' and Amanda gave me permission. I told him it was a disgrace that our safe broke three times during our two day stay and in fact he should refund us because it's not like we have a problem with hotel safes and can’t work them. Which is actually hilarious because we have broken almost every hotel safe we've had.


So we skidaddled out of there, got banana nutella crepes for breakfast and found our longtail and boat man. We spent a lovely hour from island to island and when we came ashore the boat men took our bags for us, helped us off the boat and brought us up the beach to our hotel, where the reception had a fresh pineapple juice with a flower in it waiting for us. They gave of a choice of two huts in a coconut grove. We settled out stuff in our new pixi-pad and hit the beach and realised we had found "happy hangover land'.


This island was amazing, only dirt roads and motorbikes. The taxis are a sheepcart stuck on the side of a motorbike. We had a beautiful dinner at the Koh Jam Lodge just down the beach from our Golden Pearl Bungalows. Koh Jam Lodge is so lovely, beautiful Thai teak carved panels and hanging lanterns. It's designed in such a way that no mechanical ventilation is necessary, taking advantage of the off shore breezes I would definitely like to come back here on holiday. It's so safe and tranquil. The kids can run around naked and play on the beach and swing on the coconut trees. Most of the visitors are northern European and Scandinavian. We found an amazing bar run by the local postman Bung called Coco Bar. It had a giant swing with cushions. We saw wild monkeys. New Bungalows next door had actual tree-houses to rent on the beach. I'm telling ya, happy hangover land.


Everything was so easy here, when we asked at our hotel reception where to buy tickets to get off the island we were told the hotel longtail collect us at 8.30 the next morning and bring us to meet the Krabi ferry. Off we went the following morning, Amanda and Maeve and our two boat men. They stopped the engine in the middle of the sea which confused us until we saw 4 or 5 more longtails coming towards us. The boat men tied the boats together and sat drinking beer smoking cigarettes, singing songs and taking the mick out of the tourists. Talk about the chilled out life style. No worries. Hakuna matata


The Krabi ferry loomed on the horizon and it was all action. The boat men scurried back to their respective longtails and revved up their engines. I think they were having a race to see who could tie up to the ferry first. Initially I wasn’t sure the ferry would even stop and that we would have to ‘Indiana Jones’ ourselves onto it, but it did stop. Unfortunately. All the longtails tied up to the ferry and we were helped onto the big boat. We gave a sad wave goodbye to our remote island paradise and looked forwards to Krabi, the airport and our flight to Koh Samui.