Travel Blog: Koh Phangan

I actually wish we had spent more time up north away from the islands. It is fun to lie on the beach and all, but I’m honestly a little bored with it. Don’t get me wrong, it is extremely beautiful and enjoyable, but everything is oriented to tourism down here so we are not really experiencing any of the local culture. We are just hanging out on the beach with a bunch of other foreigners. Oh well, it is what it is. When we come back next time we’ll spend more time up north, off the beaten path.

From Koh Phi Phi, we took a boat to Krabi, two buses across the Malay Peninsula, and another boat to Koh Phangan. It was a full day of travel. Along the way, we had some nice views of the limestone cliffs at Krabi.

One of our buses was a bit shabby.

But, we were rewarded with another beautiful sunset on our boat to Koh Phangan.

We didn’t get to Koh Phangan until late, and the place where we were supposed to stay was closed for the night. This was actually a good thing, since the coordinating resort put us up in a beachside bungalow for the night. It was the perfect paradise setting, and the air con was nice too.

We rented a motorbike the next day and explored some waterfalls. The roads on Koh Phangan are notoriously bad, so we had to be very careful not to wipe out. Good thing Darcy is an expert driver. I didn’t actually get any photos of the bad roads because I was too scared to let go of one hand to take the photo.

By the way, I haven’t seen any other men on the back of a motorbike behind a woman. They must be too manly for such an act. I say, if Darcy wants to drive let her drive. I’m all about expending the minimum amount of effort possible.

In the evening we came across a bunch of local kids flying kites. Life doesn’t look too bad here on the island.

The next day, we spent the entire day and night on Haad Rin, the site of the Full Moon Party. Every full moon, thousands of tourists descend on Haad Rin to party the night away. We were actually there a couple days before the full moon, but partying was still going on. I decided to call it the 7/8th moon party.

Haad Rin is probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen with its turquoise water, white sand, swaying palm trees, and strange gray rock formations. Even with all the people, it is a spectacular natural setting.

While on Haad Rin, Darcy and I were observing that most of the people down here generally look the same. They are young, fit, and tan. I don’t really fit in with this crowd and it is obvious to anyone that sees me darting down the beach from shade to shade to avoid the sun. But, that is basically the story of my life. Average, aloof guy at odds with the masses. I feel like Larry David without the comedic genius.

Side note: When you drink the shakes at Haad Rin, your eyesight becomes incredibly clear. I wonder what they put in those things. Whatever it is, it made me bob around in the water like a goon and stare intently at a mushroom shaped hut for a few hours.

Our last day on Koh Phangan, we rented a motorbike again and visited some wats and a beach on the north side of the island. We came across a Chinese temple that was in a perfect setting of paradise up in the hills.

We also did a bit of snorkeling, but I didn’t get any photos. The motorbike ride through some of the backcountry on the island was a lot of fun. We happened to come upon another beautiful wat on our way back to the bungalow.