Day 16 - Ko Lanta Having read recommendations in the lonely planet and in some internet forums we decided to go to "Ko Lanta". Though some have mentioned Ko-Lanta being Muslim we were not worried - after all there were also Muslims in Ko Phi Phi. We imagined Ko Lanta to be a tropical island with white sand beaches only cheaper and less touristic than Ko Phi Phi. This time it was Sander's turn to catch a bug and so we split up determined to meet again the day after in Ko Lanta. We decided in advance to speak only English and to pass off as Italians (we were mistaken for Italians a lot anyway) until we can grasp how "Muslim" Ko-Lanta really is. The moment we stepped on the ferry to Ko Lanta (300 baht) we were "attacked" by guest-house owners and agents who tried to get us to stay at their place. We collected the brochures and finally decided to go with a woman that was very quiet and non-aggressive, who dressed casually and not in traditional Muslim clothing. The ride from Ko Lanta's docks to the "Lanta Nature Beach" was 20 minutes long and as soon as we arrived we realized that we landed straight into the heart of a Muslim "hamula" (big family): all services, guest houses and restaurants on that coast line were owned by the same family. We've notified them that our friends will join us the next day. We gave our cloths to the laundry service (at least those who had no Hebrew writings on them) and set out to the beach. The sand was very crude and brownish looking. The sea was very wavy. It was not as half as nice as Ko Phi Phi or the Israeli beaches to our opinion. We questioned the nearest by traveling agency (owned by the same family) about a fishing trip in a long tail boat and were told it would cost us 250 baht an hour per person while the plan was to sail 800 meters from the coast and fish there. It was overrated and so we decided to ask in another agency. We started walking along the road when we heard the muezzin singing and saw some old Muslim men looking like Taliban warriors. At that point, even Tomer who insisted that we can speak Hebrew wanted to leave. We decided to leave the next day to Krabi. We went back to the guest house to see if we can get the laundry back. We told the owners that our ill friends decided to stay at Krabi so we are leaving sooner than expected and that we are really bummed about it... They said we could get our laundry in the morning before we leave and that we can buy ferry tickets from them (they "forgot" to mention that the bus was faster and cheaper). For dinner we ate fish, which were smaller and not as tasty as in ko Phi Phi. One comment: eventually Jetty and Sander went to ko Lanta and stayed there a few days (fate or not, they also stayed in the "Nature Beach"). They said they had a really good time there. We guess it is all a matter of taste and perspective. We preferred not to stay there.