Ko Lanta is a small sleepy island in the Andaman Sea. In June, it’s the rainy season and we were one of the few tourists around. With a three-year-old toddler, this was a great way to start our travels.

Getting to the beach from our villa, we would walk by men hammering away, building crab nets and women chopping meat, as roosters ran around in the slush. And everyone always smiles the big broad Thai smile. Our path went by a talking Hill Mynah and past beautiful altars dedicated to Buddha and another intricately carved ancestor worship house.

Kho Khwang beach was perfect for Arjun, with miles of gently sloping sand and warm low waves. Arjun would immediately take off all his clothes and loved bathing in the sea. We chased moon crabs, dug out wedge clams, and made our own tide pools.

Some mornings we waited for the rains to stop and then took off for the beach, played in the water then returned for a home-cooked lunch. I was in fifth heaven since the local market had ingredients that I had dreamt of for a long time. Fresh lemongrass, lemon leaves, an excellent quality fish sauce that made one’s mouth pucker with delight, fragrant jasmine tea with actual dry jasmine flowers distinguishable in it.

Often we made our own version of Thai curry with chicken, Shrimp, or fish. Some days we made spaghetti with canned Sardines for a quick meal. Everything tasted delightful somehow. Some days not wanting to miss the local cuisine we took to going to the few local restaurants that were still open.

The hospitality and warmth are unforgettable. Chef Chalong is a modest establishment and a family cooks and serves the food. Kerid the elder daughter takes your order and makes suggestions. A large screen TV played a soap opera and we were told that this one was made for Sikkim and Nepal.

Kerid’s sister’s baby slept close by on a mechanized baby hammock and Arjun was totally smitten with chubby Na’da. They waved at us whenever we passed them on the road and Arjun was told he could go play even without us eating there. It felt lovely to be included like this but then we went to another restaurant called Maladee and here Mu and her chef made the most delectable whole fresh fish in yellow sauce or crabs in sweet sauce and she plied us with extra soups and whole dishes and to top it all would fry plantain and give it for dessert just because we were the only people who had come by in so long to eat. Also, she was clearly a very kind woman.