This is the second part of our very first trip abroad as a family. Read Part 1: Backpacking Phang Nga and Phi Phi with a 1-year-old first.
After five incredible days on Phi Phi, we packed up and headed south to Koh Lanta. Noah was 1 year and 8 months old, Line was pregnant with Vitus, and we had no reservations — just a vague plan to follow the coast down to Krabi and eventually fly home. What we did not plan for was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, a tsunami warning, and a day spent on a mountaintop with nothing but the clothes on our backs.
Day 9 — April 9: Koh Lanta — beach life, wok cooking and the best sunset
We left Phi Phi and made our way to Koh Lanta. This was one of those perfect days that you remember forever. It started with Noah and Jesper playing in the warm, shallow water. Noah was getting more and more confident with his arm floaties and would paddle around by himself for a few seconds before reaching for dad again.
Our accommodation had a small balcony with a portable stove, so we cooked our own food — rice in a proper Thai wok. There is something very satisfying about cooking simple meals with fresh local ingredients in Thailand while your toddler naps inside.
In the afternoon, Jesper was throwing Noah high in the air on a completely empty stretch of beach. Noah laughing, palm trees in the background, warm sand under our feet. This was the moment it really hit us — this is what we want to do. Traveling with Noah was not a compromise, it was better. Seeing the world through his eyes turned every beach into an adventure, every meal into an experience, every ferry into an expedition.
And then came the sunset. A deep orange sun sinking into the Andaman Sea with the karst islands as silhouettes in the distance. We just stood there, the three of us (well, three and a half counting Vitus), watching it happen. No words needed.
Day 10 — April 10: Cave exploration
We did a trip to a dramatic limestone cave. Huge towering cliffs covered in lush green vegetation, and below them a natural cave opening where you could swim in. Lots of other tourists there too, but the scale of the rock formations was genuinely impressive. Noah stayed in the stroller for this one — he was more interested in his snacks than geology.
After the cave we moved on to our next accommodation — a nice room with wooden paneling and a big wardrobe. We were slowly making our way along the coast towards Krabi.
Day 11 — April 11: The tsunami warning
This was the day that could have ended very differently. We had been sleeping late and were walking along the beach on Koh Lanta with Noah in his stroller when a local man approached us and asked what we were doing. We had no idea what he was talking about. We had noticed it was strangely quiet — no people around at all — but hadn't thought much of it. He told us to get away from the beach as fast as possible because a tsunami was coming, and that it would be bigger than the one in 2004.
Just like that, the mood switched from lazy morning to sheer panic. With nothing but the clothes on our backs and Noah in his stroller — no passport, no food, no camera, nothing — we got to the main road as fast as we could. A pickup truck stopped and we climbed onto the back along with other people fleeing the coast. We drove along the coast road until we could turn onto a side road heading uphill, and ended up on the nearest mountain.
What had happened was a magnitude 8.6 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra — one of the largest strike-slip earthquakes ever recorded. Tsunami warnings were issued across the entire Indian Ocean. Six provinces along Thailand's Andaman coast were ordered to evacuate to high ground. Phuket airport was shut down. Given the devastation from the 2004 tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in the region, the panic was very real and very understandable.
We spent the entire day on that mountain. No food for Noah, no diapers, nothing. Just waiting and hoping. You don't really think about travel insurance or luggage when you're sitting on a hillside with your toddler and your pregnant wife wondering if a wall of water is about to wipe out everything below you. It was terrifying.
A tsunami did arrive at the Thai coast, but it measured only about 10 centimetres. By late evening the warning was finally called off and we could return to our accommodation. Everything was still there, untouched. We were shaken but safe. There are no photos from this day — for obvious reasons.
It put things in perspective. The next morning we packed up and continued towards Krabi, grateful for every boring, uneventful moment that followed.
Days 12–13 — April 12–13: Krabi, waterfront restaurants and exploring town
We found a lovely waterfront restaurant with a covered terrace looking out over the sea. Line was standing there looking out over the bay and we had one of those “is this really our life right now?” moments. Dinner was probably 100 baht for all of us. Thailand is ridiculous like that.
In the evenings we ate at the local Thai restaurants where they have the colorful snack signs hanging everywhere and all the sauces lined up on the table. Noah would sit on Jesper's lap sharing food and charming every single person at the neighbouring tables. Thai people really do love babies, and Noah loved the attention.
We spent time walking around town with Noah in the stroller, checking out the shops and soaking in the everyday Thai street life. Motorbikes everywhere, fruit stalls on every corner, and that constant warm humidity that you either love or hate (we love it).
Our hotel room had become a classic backpacker scene — two beds, clothes drying on every available surface, stroller parked in the corner, baby stuff everywhere. We had definitely not mastered the art of packing light yet. That would come later, many trips later.
Day 14 — April 14: Railay Beach
We saved one of the best for near the end. Railay Beach (or Ao Nang — the dramatic limestone cliffs are everywhere in this area) is one of the most photogenic beaches we have ever been to. The massive cliffs rise straight up from the sand, the water is turquoise, and the whole setting feels almost unreal. Noah was sitting in his stroller with the biggest smile, and behind him was this insane wall of limestone that looked like something from a movie set.
A perfect way to end two weeks in Thailand.
Day 15 — April 15: Heading home
All good things come to an end, and on April 15 we were at the airport heading back to Denmark. Noah was sitting by the big windows watching the planes come and go, completely fascinated. An AirAsia plane was parked right outside, bright red against the concrete — and Noah was pressing his face against the glass trying to get a closer look.
On the flight home, we looked at each other and both knew: this was just the beginning. Traveling with a toddler was not only possible — it was enjoyable and opened up a whole new world. Discovering things through Noah's eyes made everything more vivid, more exciting, more meaningful. Three years later we would take our first big trip and start this blog, but it was this trip — these two weeks backpacking around Phang Nga, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta and Krabi with a 1-year-and-8-month-old and a pregnant belly — that proved to us that our family was made for this.
← Read Part 1: Backpacking Phang Nga and Phi Phi with a 1-year-old — the trip that started it all
Our second trip: Christmas in Thailand with a 3-month-old — Krabi, elephants, and a reality check →
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