Koh Lipe

Satun province, southwestern most point in Thailand
May 2009

Tarutao National Park off Satun

Lipe is the only private island in the park, and therefore its well-developed

stopping off on Tarutao Island en route

hordes of vacationing Thais, enjoying the low season prices

my bungalow at Viewpoint Resort on the southern end of Sunrise Beach
run by a local Moken fisherman, and a bargain at 300 baht (about $9) a night

what a view from the balcony!!

with its own little private beach

looking north up Sunrise Beach, with Adang Island in the background

rows of boring bungalows on Sunrise Beach

Koh Lipe was protected from the 2004 tsunami (east of Aceh), but warning signs abound now

strange place to site the new school

Mountain View Resort at the north end of Sunrise Beach

ahhh, vacation

early monsoon storms hit for a couple days though

some simple bungalows in the casurina pines

the 'spectacular' Varin Beach Resort

there are some serious recycling/solid waste management issues on the island

as well as tons of dive spots

heading out on a dive trip on a sunny day

diving off Adang Island (the big one in the background)

Adang Island

Adang is big enough to even has some waterfalls and freshwater springs

hangout spot on Lipe

'Pattaya beach' on Lipe

they really pack 'em in at some resorts.
I counted 200 units on this map of the Varin..

an 'aloe wrap' massage to cool my burned skin

the creatively-named 'beautiful stone island',
where visitors have stacked up neat little rock towers

'white sand beach' (another creative name) out on Rawi Island in the national park

coral in the crystal clear waters

some local kids at the annual village party

fancy beachfront, air-conditioned bungalow (not where I stayed)

ceremonial decorations for the village celebration (not sure what exactly it meant)

cool two-story bungalow

small school of fishing swarming near the shore

entrance to the village shrine and cemetery, all decked out for the annual celebration

I'd never seen a Muslim cemetery like this before..

making a ceremonial boat out of some special balsa-like wood

map at the school showing the route of the original island settlers from Aceh, Indonesia

a turtle on the bow

all day dance stage

monsoon thunderstorm moving in...

a few minutes later, the downpour sent people scrambling for cover.

the hi-so Sita resort

the finished boat on parade

turtle hunting