December 18, 2025
I went to Koh Laan (above) on a day trip.
On that day I caught a sawngthaew (สองแถว) from my hotel near the Runway Market to Bali Hai wharf, then a boat to Tawaen beach on Koh Laan, and then returned the way I came.
At the coffeeshop near my hotel, about 8:30am. The temperature was in the mid-20s; it’s the coolest time of the year, and the dry season. There were a few coffeeshops together, but tourists always gathered at one coffeeshop – I don’t know why. The tourists preferred fresh coffee, delicious but expensive, about THB 60 ($AUD 3, NTD 60).
However, most of the Thais preferred ancient coffee (Thai:กาแฟ โบราณ), “which is in general not to the taste of westerners. It is brewed coffee with sweet condensed milk. The preparation of this ‘ancient coffee’ is interesting. It is brewed coffee that they pour through something that looks like a giant, brown old sock.” It is about half the price.
After breakfast – fresh iced coffee and an omelette without rice, about THB 100 ($AUD 5, NTD 100) – I looked for a songthaew. The songthaews have fixed loops, some travelling south down Beach Road until Walking Street, then back north again one street over.
A note about names transliterated from Thai. when I use a Thai word like “สองแถว”, I could transliterate it “songthaew”, or “sawngthaeo”, or “sawngthaew”. The English spelling is different, even though the Thai word is the same. There is a system for rendering Thai words in the Latin alphabet, the Royal Thai General System of Transcription, “the closest method to a standard of transcription for Thai, but its use, even by the government, is inconsistent.”
The above picture is looking out the back of a songthaew.
I believe the procedure for traveling by songthaew is as follows. You stand by the side of the road, and when the songthaew comes (above) you signal towards it by scooping horizontally with your hand. The songthaew stops, and you go immediately to the back of the songthaew and climb up without speaking to the driver. The songthaew then starts moving. When you want to get off, there are buzzers in the back which you press. The songthaew then stops, and you get out the back, walk to the front passenger’s side, and pay THB 10 ($AUD 0.50, NTD 10).
I got off at the northern end of Walking Street.
“Stretching from Pattaya Beach Road to Bali Hai Plaza, Walking Street is the epicenter of Pattaya’s notorious red-light district, with pubs, nightclubs, and go-go bars galore. Experience the electric atmosphere, catch a free Muay Thai match, and enjoy the live bands and cabarets. When the sensory overload gets too much, take a breather at Pattaya Pier—an iconic landmark in the city. Food-wise, there are a plethora of stalls, casual eateries, and restaurants that stay open to accommodate late-night revelers. Stay safe, and if you feel uncomfortable, look for tourist police stationed in the area.”
Unfortunately, the nightlife is absent at 9am.
But I did find a moto-sai driver (above). He whisked me to Bali Hai for THB 60 ($AUD 3, NTD 60). I disregarded a helmet, and then had a vision of a newspaper recording my death in a traffic accident.
In front of Bali Hai. In the photo there is a sign advertising island tours for several thousand baht (centre right), but I ignored that.
This is just below the famous PATTAYA CITY sign, which is visible for kilometers.
I walked up a passageway filled with tourists.
Then I looked for the boat (above).
A close-up look. I paid THB 30 ($AUD 1.50, NTD 30) for passage; the server took my cash and waved me onwards.
At the entrance to the boat. The boat was resting on old tires at the edge of the pier; no gangway, you scrambled aboard. It’s not apparent in the photo, but the gunwale is maybe a meter high. By holding on to that knob in the lower left in the photo I managed to lift my legs over that obstruction and got onboard, helped by the boatman.
I climbed up the stairs and took this photo of passengers still boarding.
Under weigh at last.
Nice view of the harbour.
The boat passed a similar boat .
Wikipedia says “Ko Lan lies 7.5 km from the nearest shore, Pattaya. ‘Ko Lan’ is the name of the island in the Royal Thai General System of Transcription. It is also known as ‘Koh Larn’ and ‘Ko Laan’. … About four kilometres long and two kilometres wide … It is an island of hills covered with low tropical forest. A Buddhist shrine is located at its highest point, 180 metres above sea level.” It is also called Coral Island.
The boat curved around the northernmost point of the island and headed south.
Pretty soon we were heading towards Tawaen Beach (above centre on the shore) and the ferry wharf.
Coming in to dock.
There were a few ferries, all doing the run from Pattaya to Tawaen Beach.
The passengers get off.
A view of the walkway.
Moving along the walkway.
There was a portrait of King Rama X set up prominently at the entrance.
According to a TripAdvisor review, Tawaen Beach is “very scenic. Blue water and white sand. !! It’s like a giant swimming pool. And the boat ride itself is worth it. Only the locals need to be more tourist friendly”. On the other hand, another review stated “Dirty water, overcrowded, hundreds of the speed boats and water scooters make air unbreathable and create unbearable noise. Food and services are overpriced comparing to other places in Thailand. Try going to the Monkey beach, same island.”
I bought some food from the 7-11, then suddenly had to use the bathroom. Fortunately there was one close by, though I had to pay THB 20 ($AUD 1, NTD 20).
There was another beach just to the south of Tawaen Beach.
This was more photogenic.
There were many Chinese tourists here on an organized tour. I heard snatches of Chinese.
I found a webpage, Notes on Koh Larn, one traveler’s opinion. “Koh Larn was a surprise for me. It has a nice beach and I liked the town vibe. It’s just too bad it is too small and too close to Bangkok and Pattaya. If it was anywhere else in Thailand it would probably be famous as an island with few visitors.”
Back on Tawaen wharf, watching another boat pull up.
The crew were securing the lines…
… then helping passengers on to the wharf.
This was the boat I took.
Off we go!
I got a beautiful view of Pattaya.
Getting close now.
Back to where we docked before, with the PATTAYA CITY sign in the background. I waited until all the passengers had disembarked, then tried to get over the gunwale. But I couldn’t do it! I was stuck, hanging on precariously; I could see the sea way down below my feet. Then a boatman reached up, lifted me clear, and set me down on the pier.
I walked a long way to the northern entrance to Walking Street, reflecting that it was a good thing finding the motor-sai guy before. After that it was a short songthaew ride to my hotel.
Wandering Richard 