Remembering Wally Sanger of Ko Kradan, Hawaii and the open seas

Island Daze #6

Last week I wrote about Ko Mook, the first island that I visited on my very first assignment for Travelfish back in October 2011. It started a three-week swing through nine islands in the Lower Thai Andaman — and that whole trip turned me into an island lover.

My second island on that swing was Ko Kradan. There I met Wally Sanger, the co-owner of Paradise Lost Resort, and I was able to interview him for my first-ever paid piece of writing. Originally published on the old Travelfish blog in early November of that year, I now present it to you largely unchanged save an update at the end.

Ever notice how avid world travelers — and especially sailors — seem to see the world a little differently than most? They don’t lock up their homes and go on vacation; they part with their possessions and set forth on a journey. They don’t see the world as a big, scary, insurmountable planet, but a perfectly accessible playground. They don’t have a plan and an itinerary. Instead, they have a thirst and a vision.

At Paradise Lost on the island of Ko Kradan off Thailand’s southwest coast, I spent a few hours chatting with one such world traveler: 71-year-old Wally Sanger.

Wally in his element at Paradise Lost.

Originally from Hawaii, Wally grew up sailing from island to island while encountering diverse people, so he felt at home when he first came to Southeast Asia in the 1960s. In 1980, at the age of 40, he set out to sail the world for good. More than 30 years later, he’s yet to return to Hawaii or anywhere else in his native country.

“I’ve been to just about every state, country, territory and island in the Pacific,” he recalls.

After spending years in and around Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, he began to sail competitively in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. He did well enough to make some cash in several races, he recalls.

Approaching Ko Kradan, coming from Ko Mook, in late October 2011.

Wally then reached a crossroads. “Too much time on the open seas and you become your own worst enemy,” he says. So, about a dozen years ago, he began to look around in Thailand’s Andaman Sea for some dry land to call home.

But not too dry. 

Ko Kradan with the weather turned on. Good choice, Wally, good choice.

Ko Kradan is a sliver of an island inhabited by only a few resort owners, park rangers and beach dogs. There are no roads — just one of Thailand’s finest beaches — and when Wally first arrived there was only one small resort available.

So Wally decided to drop anchor for good and began clearing a small plot of land out of Ko Kradan’s interior jungle to build Paradise Lost alongside his wife, Nok, and his Italian business partner, Marco. Taking them two years of hard work, it’s still the only resort on the island with a location away from the beach. I ask if people thought he was crazy. “They still do,” he replies. “Hell, I still do.”

A shot of Wally (right) and Marco when Paradise Lost was still materializing in the early 2000s.

Whatever people think of Wally, his little bungalow joint now books up almost entirely during Thailand’s high season. Many travelers return year after year for Paradise Lost’s chilled out atmosphere, rustic bungalows and outstanding restaurant. More than that, perhaps, they come for Wally himself.

A glimpse of Paradise Lost. Or paradise found?

Our interview pauses as a group of local Thais stop by to drop off supplies. “Paw sawasdee krap (hello papa),” they say to Wally with palms together.

I ask, “They call you papa eh?”

“Well,” he replies, “all Thais call older men that. It’s just the customary term that’s used.” True as that may be, the respect these locals have for Wally is evident in their eyes and demeanor. Given his humble and generous attitude, it’s no surprise that they treat him like some kind of island saint.

Wally takes good care of the dogs at Paradise Lost. I connected this one, perhaps because his name is also David.

Wally’s not the sort to force his views on anyone, but I manage to reel in a few bits of his sailor wisdom.

On nations: “The more simple and grassroots a society, the better.”
On Thailand: “You don’t see children crying much and you don’t see many hungry people. Families take care of each other. The people take care of their own.”
On travel: “You’ll learn a whole lot more by traveling than sitting in a classroom.”

This way to Paradise Lost.

When I ask if he has any advice for a 30-year-old traveler like me, he first replies, “No, nothing like that… We just try to teach the kids to take care of each other.” But then he pauses. A smile emerges from beneath his scratchy white beard as his eyes focus on mine and he says, “It’s better to be a ‘has been’ than a ‘never will be!’”

Indeed, Wally has been around, and he’s seen what most can only dream of. His life is a reminder of what travel is all about: exploring the world and discovering one’s place within it. So next time you’re in Thailand, head to Ko Kradan and hang at Paradise Lost. As long as Wally’s around, you’ll be met with a warm welcome.

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Update, August 20th, 2020:

Wally and I became friends after that visit. The article led to him reconnecting with some of his long-lost sailing buddies who reached out to me in search of Wally after reading it. Over the next few years, I returned to Ko Kradan three more times to stay with Wally and Nok, a terrific host in her own right.

The perch above Sunset Beach, where Wally often picked up tidal garbage when he was more mobile.

“I love it here,” Wally told me the last time we sat down together to sip some scotch in December 2014. Hip pain had made it difficult for him to get around, but he was still happy to plop himself down under a thatch roof and get to know the travelers who passed through. While I know that Wally loved Ko Kradan and the sea, I think he enjoyed the people he met there above all else.

On February 24th, 2015, Wally died of natural causes at Paradise Lost and was put to rest at a Buddhist funeral in Trang. He is missed.

Last I heard, you can still stay at Paradise Lost. Marco runs it now. 🌴