Posted: 3/15/18 | March 15th, 2018 (Updated 2020 with new links!)
In November 2006, I was 5 months into my (supposed) year long trip around the world. While emailing my parents to let them know I was still OK, I saw a message in my inbox:
“Matt, I’m stuck in this place called Ko Lipe. I’m not going to meet you as planned, but you should come down here. It’s paradise! I’ve been here a week already. Find me on Sunset Beach. — Olivia”
Olivia, a friend from MySpace, was supposed to meet me in Krabi, a tourist destination famed for its limestone karsts, rock climbing, and kayaking.
I looked up Ko Lipe on a map. There was only a small mention of it in my guidebook. It was really out of the way and would require a solid day of travel to get to.
As I looked around the crowded Internet café and onto the busy street, it was clear that Phi Phi was not the tropical island paradise I had envisioned. The crowds were coming back, the beach was filled with dead coral, boats seemed to ring the island, and the water was polluted with a thin film of…well, I don’t want to know. A quieter, calmer paradise held great appeal.
“I’ll be there in two days,” I replied. “Just let me know where you are staying.”
Two days later, I took the ferry to mainland, a long bus to the port city of Pak Bara, and then the ferry to Ko Lipe. As we passed deserted, jungle-covered islands, I wandered to the top deck where a guy was playing guitar for the few people going to Lipe.
After he finished, we struck up a conversation.
Paul was tall, muscular, and thin, with a shaved head and slight stubble. His girlfriend Jane was equally tall and athletic, with curly brownish-red hair and ocean-blue eyes. Both British, they were meandering around Asia until they were ready to move to New Zealand, where they planned to work, buy a house, and eventually get married.
“Where are you guys staying?” I asked as we lounged in the sun.
“We found a resort on the far end of the island. It’s supposed to be cheap. You?”
“Not sure. I’m supposed to stay with my friend, but I haven’t heard back yet. I don’t have a place.”
The ferry neared the island and came to a stop. There was no dock on Ko Lipe. Years before, a developer tried to build one, but the project was canceled after protests from the local fishermen who take passengers to the island for a small fee, and the developer mysteriously disappeared.
As I got in one of the longtail boats, I dropped my flip-flops into the ocean.
Watching them sink, I yelled, “Shit! That was my only pair! I hope I can get some on the island.”
Paul, Jane, and I went to their hotel, joined by Pat, an older Irish guy, who also lacked a place to stay. The hotel overlooked a little reef and the small Sunrise Beach, which would become our main hangout spots during our time on the island.
I decided to bunk with Pat since I hadn’t heard from my friend Olivia and splitting a room was a more budget friendly. Back then saving a few hundred baht was the difference of one more or less day on the road. Paul and Jane took a bungalow overlooking the ocean. (Their terrace would be another of our little group’s most popular hangouts.)
We headed out to find my friend, who had said she could be found on Sunset Beach at the Monkey Bar.
As we walked to the other side of the island, I could see Olivia was right: Ko Lipe was paradise. It was all gorgeous jungles, deserted beaches, warm, crystal-clear blue water, and friendly locals. Electricity was only available for a few hours at night, there were few hotels or tourists, and the streets were simple dirt paths. Ko Lipe was the place I had dreamed of.
We found Olivia pretty quickly. Sunset Beach was not big, and Monkey Bar, a small thatch-covered shack with a cooler for cold drinks and a few chairs, was the only bar on the beach. After quick introductions, we ordered beers, asked the typical traveler questions, and sat around chatting about nothing.
Pat turned out to be a snorer so, after two nights, I moved into a bungalow in the middle of the island for 100 baht ($3 USD) a night. Nestled behind a restaurant that served the best squid around, this hardwood structure painted red, with a white roof, small porch, and near-barren interior — a bed, a fan, and mosquito net — seemed to be built by the family for a wave of tourism that had never come.
I gave up trying to find new flip-flops. There was nothing I liked or fit. I’d wait until the mainland and just go barefoot in the meantime.
The five of us formed a core group that grew and shrank with the arrival and departure of other travelers. Other than Dave, a young Frenchman, and Sam, a weathered British expat who had been on the island every season for a decade (having once been trapped there after the last boat left), we were the only permanent Western fixtures on the island.
Our days were spent playing backgammon, reading, and swimming. We rotated beaches, though we mostly hung out at the beach by Paul and Jane’s. Within swimming distance was a mini-rock with a sheer drop that provided excellent snorkeling. We’d occasionally leave the Ko Lipe to explore the deserted islands in the nearby national park, fish, and dive. There’s nothing quite as lovely as having a whole tropical island to yourself.
At night, we would rotate restaurants: my guesthouse owner’s restaurant, Mama’s for fresh squid and spicy curry, Castaway on Sunset Beach for massaman curry, and Coco for everything else. Afterward, we’d move to Monkey Bar for beach games, beer, the occasional joint, and more backgammon. When the power generators were switched off, we would drink by flashlight before going to bed.
The days seemed to pass by endlessly. My original three-day visit came and went. I lost any concept of time.
“I’ll leave tomorrow” became my mantra. I had no reason to leave. I was in paradise.
Paul, Jane, and I became close friends as time went by. We formed a mini-group within the group.
“What are you guys going to do when you get to New Zealand?” I asked.
“We’re going to work for a few years and build a life there. We have nothing that’s pulling us back the UK,” said Paul.
“I’m going there on this trip so I’ll visit. It’s my last stop on the way home,” I replied.
“You can stay with us. Wherever we are,” said Jane as she passed the joint to me.
Sitting on the beach one day, I had an idea.
“You know what would be cool? An eco-friendly hostel. New Zealand would be the perfect place. Wouldn’t it be cool to own a hostel?”
“Yeah, that would be fun,” said Paul.
“We could call it The Greenhouse,” replied Jane.
“That’s a great name.”
“Yeah, seriously.”
Paul said, “I bet we could do it pretty easily. Eco-friendly places are all the rage, and there’s a lot of space there. We’ll have a garden, solar panels, and all the other bells and whistles.”
We were half-serious about our hostel, discussing the details every day: what it would look like, how we would get funding, the number of beds. It was a pipe dream — but dreams like this helped us pass the days on the beach.
We became aware of time again when, one day, our bill at Mama’s was suddenly double.
“What’s going on? This fish was half the price yesterday!”
“It’s Christmas! More Europeans this time of the year, so we raised our prices.”
Ahhh, capitalism at its best.
Christmas also meant something else: I would have to leave soon.
My visa ran only until just before New Year’s, so I would have to leave to renew it before heading to Ko Phangan for the holiday.
I didn’t want to leave.
We were in paradise. Paul, Jane, Pat, and Olivia were staying and I felt like I was being ripped apart from my family, never knowing when I would see them again.
But the visa forced my hand.
Paul, Jane, and I decided to have our own Christmas together. It was only fitting. We wore our best clean shirts and wandered over to Coco’s for its luxury Western dinner.
“I got you guys a gift.”
I handed Jane a necklace I saw her eyeing a few days before and Paul a ring he had admired.
“Wow. That’s amazing, mate! Thanks!” said Paul.
“But this is funny,” he continued. “We got you something too.”
It was a hand-carved necklace with a Maori fishhook on it. It was their symbol for traveler. I wore it for years afterward, a symbol of our friendship, my time on the island, and of who I was.
Traveling quickens the bonds of friendship. When you are on the road, there’s no past. None of the baggage of home is with you or anyone you met. There’s only who you are right now. There’s nothing to get in the way of the now. No meetings to attend, errands to run, bills to pay, or responsibilities.
I once heard that the average couple spends four waking hours a day together. If that is true, then we had just spent the equivalent of four months together, but it felt like triple that since there was nothing to keep our minds off the “now.”
I’ve never been back to Ko Lipe. The development that’s sprouted would burst my image of perfection. I’ve seen the photos of the concrete streets, the huge resorts, and the mass of people. I can’t bear to see that. Ko Lipe was my beach. The perfect traveler community. I want it to remain that way.
I would run into Paul and Jane again years later in New Zealand, but I would never see the rest of the group again. They are out there in the world doing their thing. Yet for that month, we were the best of friends.
As I packed my bags and put on my shoes for the first time in a month, I said goodbye to Plick Bear, the raggedy teddy bear I found on my porch that became our mascot, and I hoped that the journey ahead would be as good as the one I was leaving behind.
Get the In-Depth Budget Guide to Thailand!
My 350+ page guidebook cuts out the fluff found in other guidebooks and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money while in Thailand, a country I used to call home. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars, and much more!! Click here to learn more.
Book Your Trip to Thailand: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner or Momondo to find a cheap flight. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. Start with Skyscanner first though because they have the biggest reach!
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. My favorite places to stay are:
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.
Want More Information on Thailand?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Thailand for even more planning tips!
Candice Walsh
100% sold on Ko Lipe. Adding it to my SE Asia bucket list.
Katie
I loved Koh Lipe, definitely no big resorts when I was there 2.5 years ago, or masses of people, but I don’t know about now. It’s always different when you go back somewhere, you can never quite capture that same magic the second time around
Colby
Literally just got back from Ko Lipe, and while there was a little bit of people, it was by no means packed. There are still dirt roads and little concrete to be seen. No dock, no super massive resorts like other islands. I personally stayed in adjacent Ko Adang and that was amazing, I could easily catch a 5 to 10 long tail to Koh Lipe everyday. Really recommend that.
Paul
This is the first season we havent gone to Lipe in a long time. We’d been going to Lipe from Canada for a month every winter since we discovered it in December 2005. Big resorts, traffic jams on “walking street” and insanely packed during high season has been the norm on Lipe for a few years now. Ever since they paved over the paths. Can’t believe there are 2 711s. You can still have a good time but the glory days are long gone. ?
Slavi
Damn! i Feel like I started traveling too late and missed all those gorgeous places. Nowadays, it feels like every hidden gem island is SEA has become a concrete,resorts stuffed,private beaches pakced nightmare 🙁 Are there any wild islands left to explore?
Lana
Still some quiet islands left, even in busy Thailand! Recommend checking out Koh Phayam, Koh Jum, and Koh Tarutao. Tarutao is 100% protected national park with only park-run bungalows and tents — Tarutao close to Lipe so you could combine a trip to both.
Veronika
Such beautiful memories, Matt..! I can’t remember when I last experienced the fully unplugged time just spent with friends.. not to mention on the road.
And you’re right – I’ve been hearing about Koh Lipe a lot, so there must be a lot going on right now. Some places should not be revisited I guess…
Btw. no New Zealand hostel yet? I’m sure you could get it off the ground for Jane and Paul just by mentioning it on your blog 🙂
Ana
I had this exact thought…. an eco hotel in New Zealand would be amazing. What happened to that idea?
caroline
Great travel memory and story. I don’t blame you for not going back, you can’t redo epic.
Kat Weiss
It took us forever to decide on which island to go to on our honeymoon, and I think this is it. Your story is so beautiful, I think any trip to some place you held so dearly will never be the same, development or no. The island seems to have it all, crystal clear water, lack of party scene (heaven for honeymooners-no full moon parties here), and remote islands to venture around. I know there are more resorts and electricity than before, but I’m sure it’s still a lovely place. We can’t wait to visit, and if we leave with half of your love of the island, it would have been well worth it.
Ryan Biddulph
Hi Matt,
Really awesome dude. All Thai islands have that paradise feel; even the heavily touristed ones have some stunning beauty, albeit muted from over development. Ko Lipe is likely still pretty but nothing like the 2005 version. Koh Lanta is the one Thai island I personally visited brimming with beauty, most of it being undeveloped save a few tourist towns on the Andaman Sea.
Cool deal too on those friendships you developed over a month. Even if you never saw these folks again, you enjoyed all those moments over that magical month. We feel the same way here in Pong Noi, Thailand, with so many rocking ex-pats and travelers we have befriended.
Ryan
Lana
Lipe! Yes, it’s becoming a bit too-much-loved these days, I’ve heard. I was there about 2011 and could see that things were changing rapidly with a lot of construction inland especially. My view from my bungalow on Pattaya beach was of a large floating platform piled up with garbage, waiting for transfer off the island. Not exactly what I’d dreamed of! It always hurts to see our cherished pockets of paradise get paved over and overrun. (living in Phuket, I feel the pain daily…)
Oliver
I’ve just started travelling, and I’m beginning to discover that it’s the friendships that make the difference. Most of my best experiences are the ones I shared with someone else. Thanks for this memory, Matt!
rick be
Once a place has been reviewed or recommended,it is doomed to become a tourist destination.The world is getting smaller every day,the only way to find a new place to play is to go to more obscure countries.Thailand is fabulous from Burma to Pattaya-love it for what it is.
Amy Morgan
I went to Koh Lipe back in 2013 and development was already hitting it pretty hard then, although in comparison to other Thai islands it was still very much undeveloped. I know what you mean though, sometimes change ruins a perfectly good memory.
Todd
I have only ever travelled to Thailand twice. Both times to Phuket and both times to hide out in a cheap resort and relax. Last time we went we also stupidly decided on taking a whirlwind trip out to Phi Phi. I do hope your island of Ko Lipe hasn’t turned into anything that resembles Phi Phi.
Personally I always look out for the small hard to get to or little know places as the tourist crowds are too much for me. But I guess these jewels eventually get ‘discovered’ for the amazing places they are. I can only hope that the locals still enjoy the benefits from the tourism dollar and its not just some might conglomerate milking the tourist cow.
Bertahan Luxing
I remember meeting friends in PhiPhi and not being very impressed by it. Next time I go to Thailand I’ll be checking out Ko Lipe for sure!
Gina
Man I wish I had seen this place before it was over taken by tourism. I have been in Thailand for 5 months now and it just feels like anywhere else, but cheaper and hotter. It is not the same place that many of the original travel bloggers spoke about all those years ago. Your story made me feel like I was really there though, as I write this from my hostel in Krabi. Keep these stories coming, we can live vicariously through you Matt.
Tiffany Grigg
Wonderful, I love this article, Its an amazing trip on ko line and the beautiful place for travel. You guys are enjoyed there a lot, I am also a traveler and I fall in love this place. The weather and the environment of this place are awesome. I want to visit this place, want to enjoy the sunset, and also fishing with kayaking. Fishing is a part of my all travel. Thanks for sharing this beautiful trip.
Marianne
What a lovely story – and how lucky you are to have had that experience before the crowds came in. I was shocked recently to see a photo from a friend of a national park in Costa Rica – when we visited in 1996 we practically had the place to ourselves. In this photo there were crowds of people, I was shocked. It’s the way the world is and it’s good that more people have the opportunity to travel and see the world, I just feel lucky that I got to do so much traveling a while ago.
Rachel
I think your article highlights how important sustainable and responsible travel is in order to protect these unique places for future generations.
As more people can afford to travel, places that were once beautifully serene become overrun by tourists who expect fancy hotels, pools and bars on the beach.
We see it so often on our travels through Asia. On our recent visit to Phu Quoc in Vietnam we were horrified by the development going on and really didn’t enjoy our time there. We were moved along from the beach because a bar had claimed the sand, we couldn’t even get to the beach due to over development of resorts. It is so sad.
But unless governments control development and travellers are more conscious of what they are asking for, I can’t see it changing.
LJ
One of our best times was in Ko Samui some 27 years ago. Even at that time, people say next time they would go to Ko Tao because Ko Samui was over developed…
Love reading your writings. You are a great writer.
Nur
I look forward to reading the rest of your book. This excerpt brought back memories of our travel. I agree that it is the people you meet along the way (and the weather) that make a place most memorable and enjoyable. We traveled for a year, I would like to do it again but like your trepidation of revisiting Ko Lipe because it has changed, I fear that traveling again for a year, which unlike the first time where there were no expectations, will not live up to my expectations and memories. Could another year long trip be as great? Well, perhaps I would be surprised and the new experiences would be even better.
Note- as an older person traveling, it gave us the ability to mix and mingle with people of all age groups. This is not often available in day to day home life.
Lisa
Hi Matt,
I truely enjoyed reading this article. You got me on the “Traveling quickens the bonds of friendship” paragraph and the necklace for your frienship symbol. Brought a tear to my eye. Why? because I can relate.
Thank you for sharing from your heart.
Looking forward to meeting up with you in Rotterdam in May.
Until then, success with your Memoir.
Greetings, Lisa
Jen
“Traveling quickens the bonds of friendship. When you are on the road, there’s no past. None of the baggage of home is with you or anyone you met. There’s only who you are right now. There’s nothing to get in the way of the now. No meetings to attend, errands to run, bills to pay, or responsibilities.” Perfectly worded!!! 🙂 I’ve been in Thailand for nearly a year now and still haven’t made it to Koh Lipe…. I can’t imagine it as what it once was but I’ve heard it’s still paradise. Wondering if you’ve been to Koh Lanta? …My favorite place on the planet!
Diana
It is better to cherish your memories you had, rather than return to some commercialized place you don’t recognize. It is hard when you go back to places you love and they are not the same anymore! Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer C
Hi Matt,
I love the story, the best times happen when you are open for an opportunity. I miss my days of travel, your story helped bring back those exciting feelings of adventure. Thanks for sharing, can’t wait for the book!
april hope
I’m not sure why this story made me tear up a bit. I like to think of myself as a tough New Yorker, but once in awhile something like this will trigger memories of experiences and people and places I haven’t thought of in years. I think it was because your story reminded me of the relationships I’ve formed over the years, some romantic, others platonic buddies I thought I’d never forget. But many of those memories have faded away over time and I’m only left with a joke someone told, or a torn, blurry photo, or an intense but brief memory as I pass by a restaurant and I’m assaulted by the scent of a dish I shared long ago.
Yannick Van Winkel
Really beautiful, well-composed nostalgic story, Matt. Got me me musing about my travels and the people I’ve met while on the road… Can’t wait to get truckin’ again. Looking forward to your book!
James P.
Great story Matt. Brought back memories of my first trip to Koh Samui in 1982. Quiet, laid back island with empty beaches. Stayed in a nice bungalow on Chaweng Beach for $2 a day. Only a couple of other people staying at the bungalows I was at. Had to talk the bungalow owner into renting me his personal motorbike so I could explore the island. I haven’t been back to Koh Samui since that trip.
I guess we all have, or will have, stories/memories of “the way it was”.
David
Reminds me of my early days in Indonesia. I hung out there in 1980 through 1981, and then again in 1984. I was in Ubud, Bali, in 1981, the night Ronald Regan was elected. There were just two or three cheap places to stay. Nowhere fancy. No restaurants. No bars. No shops to speak of. No bank, no money changer (you had to go to Denpasar). Intermittent electricity. It was fabulous. You could sit and eat in a warung, go watch a cockfight, attend a cremation. The only noise at night was barking dogs.
The first time I went to the Gili Islands, I went to Gili Air. I think it was in 1984. No one even bothered visiting the other two islands back then. On Gili Air there were a total of 10 tourists, and just 2 places to stay, both on the beach. They were rattan huts on stilts. There was one place to eat. No where to have a drink, nothing to buy, no raves, no hordes. Just hang out with the local people, do a bit of swimming, watch the sunsets, that was it. I went back about 3 years ago, and it was unrecognisable.
You know how all of us who were alive at the time remember where we were the night John Lennon was murdered? I was sitting on the side of bed in a village in West Sumatra listening to BBC World Service on a small transistor radio. I was stunned. Then I walked down the road to a small warung where the men would play dominoes. No one knew who John Lennon was, so I just sat with them, smoked kretek and got my ass kicked at dominoes!
Carol
Hi Matt! I’m so jealous of you going to “-Paradise”. There aren’t many places like that left in the world that I know of. Great hearing from you again! I’ve made many friends in my travels but seems like we all go our own way after the visas expire. HAPPY travels to you. Love reading about the places you visit! Carol
Carl
Well done Matt, this post perfectly captures the joys that can be had in long term travel. We rocked up to an out of season Koh Lanta in 2007 with a view to spending just a couple of days there. 20 days later we finally moved on as we had flights booked to our next destination and felt just like you that we were being thrown out of paradise.
It always sits in our mind as one of our perfect destinations and I would be scared to go back in case it had changed.
Chloe
Awesome!
No way we stayed at hostel called the greenhouse in Argentina in Bariloche, great place BTW
Terry
I thought your story was great, I understand that you don’t want to go back but like everything else you should give it a chance. Cant wait to read your book.
Jenny Sayer
Wow Matt those amazing memories will stay with you forever & yes it will never be the same if you go back. Sadly our special places disappear when extreme capitalism finds out about them.
I have exactly the same memories of Bali & Crete way back in the 70’s. Few to no resorts, no bitumen, curbs or channelling just beach shacks. Sleeping on beaches as no accommodation & buying freshly caught seafood from local fisherman daily & cooking it on your beach fire. I to will never return to those places as my memories are too precious to distroy. If only we could find all those “Happy Places” in the world before they were destroyed! Love your blogs Happy travelling!? Jenny
depobola
Hey Matt, Thankyou for sharing… I go travelling in a couple of weeks time for a year around Asia and Australia and I have been debating starting a blog for a while – this post has encouraged me to definitely start one, thank you.
One question I do have though, is what device do you use to blog on? I’m not taking a MacBook or laptop and was wondering if it is even possible me to run a successful blog from just an iPhone?
Ben
Sound lovely but why bother when we already live in “paradise” right here. Some of the best unspoilt, unpolluted, white sandy beaches in the world with hardly a person as far as the eye can see in either direction. This is an unbiased (ha ha) opinion from an Ozzie.
Reza
I went to Koh Lipe twice in 2016. First in Jan/Feb, then in May.
The first time I went, the weather was great and the sea water was crystal clear. I was able to go snorkelling around the marine park. But it was peak season so it was pretty crowded.
When I went at the end of May, the low season had already started so most of the tourists had left. And because of that some of the shops and F&B outlets on the island had closed, though most were still open. The monsoon had also just begun, resulting in not so clear sea water and the closure of the marine park.
FYI, the peak season in Koh Lipe is in December/January. This is when Lipe is the most crowded and the most expensive. If you want to go when there are less tourists but still decent weather you should go during the shoulder period which is from the middle of April till the middle of May. After that, establishments start closing and so does the marine park.
In my opinion I had a great time the first time I went despite the crowd. It is true that there has been over-development on the island (I found about 100 accommodation listings in Koh Lipe for an island that’s not more than 2-3 kilometers at its widest). Even before I first set foot in Koh Lipe I had read about the waste management problems it was having from said over-development. Some parts of the island can be dirty.
It still is somewhat of a paradise, though a sightly faded paradise. I would have loved to have been there about the time Matt was there. It must have been phenomenal.
Alexander Roberts
Ko Lipe is absolutely beautiful. You’re a great storyteller too. You describe it all so vividly.
Kal Reece
Gr8 story. Almost like you were leaving Gilligan’s Island! I was just in Thailand and kept hearing that I shud never even think of taking, buying or smoking a joint there. Your trip wasn’t that long ago, so were the restrictions looser then or were you guys taking chances?
Jesica Monica
The first time I went, the weather was great and the sea water was crystal clear. I was able to go snorkelling around the marine park. But it was peak season so it was pretty crowded.
When I went at the end of May, the low season had already started so most of the tourists had left. And because of that some of the shops and F&B outlets on the island had closed, though most were still open. The monsoon had also just begun, resulting in not so clear sea water and the closure of the marine park.