koh phangan - take2

Last weekend, I decided it was time to give Koh Phangan another chance. I jumped the 2:30 bus to the Don Sak Pier. I arrived at 3:45 and the boat took off at 4. I found out soon enough that I was on the same ferry as my housemate, Marie-Eve. We talked shore to shore, watching giant jellyfish and flying fish (Insane how far these fish can skim the water, UNBELIEVABLE). I arrived in Tong Sala around 6:30 pm, after a beautiful ferry ride near sunset. And the weekend started. I arrived at the Pier and was about to look for my destination area when a Thai lady found me. At first I was turned off. She had a handful of brochures of hotels and bungalows.  I told her I wanted a particular NW area, far north. I chose the area because of the said beautiful beaches, fishing areas, hiking, waterfalls, and lookout points. I actually did more research that I usually do, mostly because this was my second shot on the island - hoping to not get rained out like I did in April.

 Surat Thani to Don Sak via mega bus (1 hour), 220 baht - ferry included. 

>>Don Sak ferry to Tong Sala Beach (SW island, 2.5 hours). 

>>Motorbike taxi to Chao Pao Beach from Tong Sala Pier, 70 baht. (10-12 minutes)

The Thai brochure lady made it clear that she did not advise me to got there because there were not enough lights, the roads were steep, and that there weren't many people there, "it not safe, you travel alone." She caught my attention, sounded less like a salesman and more like someone that wanted to help me.  Just then Marie said goodbye to me, as she was staying in Tong Sala. She told the lady to take good care of her friend. The lady gave Marie a look like, 'why wouldn't I?'  The lady said, "Yes, yes, I am a woman too. I will help her find a good, safe place. I am a woman too." The lady handed me a brochure. She advised a bungalow in Chao Pao Beach, just south of Haad Yao.  She called the location to double check on pricing, 300 baht for a bungalow. I agreed, jumped on a motorbike taxi with a Thai gentleman and took off.  Motor taxi, 70 baht (helmet included, important), good deal.
The bike stopped after about 12 minutes up and down steep curvy roads. I was greeted by a young Thai lady. In typical Thai lodging fashion, she brought me to the bungalow for me to take a look. I saw the front and was more than interested. The scene was quiet and perfect, just what I wanted.  In low season Koh Phangan, 300 baht will get you: a queen size bed, blankets to hide the bed springs (certainly the blankets aren't for keeping warm), a mosquito net, towels, a cold shower, sink, pour-toilet, sink, fan, a front porch hammock, bay air through the simple windows, and a 30 second walk to the beach. Not bad at all.

Bungalow 5. Me and my bag. Pack light, hike heavy.

Cashew Chicken

 That evening I set out to find some food. I walked several hundred yards down the gradually sloping paved roads. The roads were dark, quiet, and only a bit of walking traffic from the locals. I settled on a quaint little restaurant on the edge of the road. There were no customers. In fact, the few cafes I passed were either closed or completely vacant. I rather enjoyed the feel of it. I was looking for something interesting, but the menu was large. Sometimes Thai menu are more like the index of a book..so much going on. Lots of options (whether they have the ingredients at the time to make those dishes is another story), the beauty of Thai food culture. I actually chose a Thai favorite of mine.  I was aiming for something new, but after asking the chef what the best dish in the house was, he smiled at me and said, "cashew chicken very nice." I have missed this dish and almost forgot about it, so I did what my heart told me. Yum, no let down even after the hefty island price of 120 baht.

 My morning view of Chaopao Beach, 6 am. I was up with the sun, but on the west side of the island.

 Get some water. Some good shoes. Hike.

 No picture can detail the depth of this hike.

Thai island home

 Aquaponics.. I'm stopping.

 It's getting warm. Interested in some salty, cool blues?

 Lets walk out to the raft, check it out.

 Koh Maa.. the water is low enough given the season and time of day to walk from Koh Phangan to Koh Maa.

 Koh Maa via sand bridge. My Thai friends were amazed when I told them I could walk there. They have only seen the island via boat.

 Banana flower. Makes me think of a new delicious Thai dish I recently experienced. I have actually seen banana flowers in WI. Maybe I could fix the cheese natives upon my return.

 Go bananas. There is just something amazing that I can walk most anywhere in Thailand and find a wild banana tree, so many varieties. Also makes me think of my 20 page college paper on banana production and food systems.

 Down, down, down. Watch out for motorbikes. Keep left.

Up, up, up.

 And down some more. I decided I better back track my 4 hours up, after all I had the goal of meeting some friends in the evening in Haad Yuan (SE corner of the island). I actually had no idea how long it would take to get there. My goal was to see how far I could hike per hour to see what distance I could cover. However, I was pretty sure that I would need some sort of transportation midway down if I wanted any sort of relaxation in my day.

 I have to stop. Lets chill on this rock. So beautiful. So peaceful. It's 9 in the morning and I already know this is going to be one of my favorite moments of my weekend.

 Oh look! Colorful stuff. Lets stop.
Hmm. Wait a minute.. What did I just find?

 Yes.

 Just fishing boats?

 Nope.

 Squiders! If you are wondering if that's the official name, I am choosing not to answer. Given my dedication to this blog I feel it's only fair to define and label as I see fit.

 So cool. So cool!

 I'm sure nobody will mind if we explore some, for the love of experiential learning.

 Simple, practical.

 A way of life.

 I find this beautiful and it makes me smile.

 View looking back.

I always thought the squiders were bigger. A bit deceiving when you only see them at night. Typically, all you can see are lines of neon lights. Squiding is interesting. What is it about neon lights that attracts squid. Almost seems like cheating - yet, I'm still intrigued and would jump on board given the opportunity.

As the later morning and early afternoon carried on, so did my feet. Up and down inclines. I had a map guiding me from the upper to the more northern limits. Several look out points and bottles of water later, I heard someone up the road from me. It was a man on a motorbike. He asked if I wanted a ride. I had some hesitation as I felt pretty content walking, but he insisted and seemed genuine. It was a young Australian man. I rode down the side of the island for about 10 minutes with him, we talked quite a bit. He told me of his travels and such on the way down. I learned a little more about the island. I would say his generosity was a reminder of all those happy things in life.

Would you pick up a stranger on the side of a mountain?

I then carried on my walk. I saw lots of beach area and the Thai vegetation and scenery that I just can't seem to get enough of.

If there's something Thai men love, it might just be whiskey and motorbikes. Recycle, reuse.
I walked until about 1:30 in the afternoon. I ignored nearly all songtow that passed. However, a Thai man pulled over on the side of the road and asked me where I was going. He had such a gentle tone about him. I told him and pulled out my map. I was going to get some insight on Haad Yuan (SE) from him, as it was a spot I had never visited. He said he would take me south to Haad Rin if I wished. He gave me a more than reasonable price, 100 baht. I decided that beat the 400 baht the host woman at my bungalow was going to offer me earlier in the day. I hopped in and I learned about 15 minutes into the ride, how much I was appreciating the lift. It was nice feeling the breeze and seeing all the views at the tops of the slopes, overlooking the water. I had forgotten how steep the hills were, even in the southern areas.

I took a quick shot of this cool temple on the way down. I wasn't even sure if the picture would turn out, we were moving so fast. After about a 25 minute ride via songtow, weaving around the hills, I made it to Haad Rin beach. Haad Rin is known as the party area. That is where all the crazy psychedelic full moon parties take place each month. I was thankful I was there in the off time, not my cup of tea while traveling alone.

Though not pictured, I took advantage of calm, clear, teal waters. I set my bag down and spent some hours in the water. I watched lot of fish swimming around in the low tide. The craziest fish I saw was a clear, narrow, needle looking fish. It reminded me of a fish I would see in a cartoon, didn't seem real.  There was not many people on the beach, rather peaceful. I enjoyed watching two Thai men catching small fish in the sand. The small clear, tropical fish, no more than 2-3" in length, if not fast enough, were locked into fishing nets and hauled away in a waterbag.  I was told by Thai friends that the small fish are really good in a special fried dish. Around 4:30 I decided I wanted to see a sunset, so I walked around the southern tip and slightly west.

 I found a nice rock to hang out on. And not without a few hellos from the passing fishermen.

A beautiful evening near the water. Nobody around.

Time to head back with the sunlight that's left.

My plan for the evening was to wait for my Thai friend, Tamagan to call me. She took the later ferry that afternoon with her boyfriend. Upon her arrival, we would head to Haad Yuan to hang out.  The best way to Haad Yuan in the night is via longtail boat.  The east side of the island is very rock and mountainous. There are trials and one road, but you need time for hiking or a good off-road vehicle.

 I think I'll sit here and enjoy the water and night life.

 ..and just wait.

 It's rather amazing how fast the feel of the beach changes, afternoon to early evening. The bars and restaurants start to light up and night life sets in. The music starts and things heat up - flame dancers make their presence known.

 As I waited for my friends, I started to become popular with the longtail boat taxis. They all wanted my business, but were kind.  I ended up finding the best deal at 150 baht per person. The general rule of thumb for longtails is 1000 baht per boat. Therefore, if you fill the boat up, low cost. To my surprise my friends showed up around 10pm, with several other friends. We boarded and headed over to Haad Yuan, 10 minute ride.

Tamagan had previously booked a bungalow, so I stayed with her and her boyfriend. The bungalow had 2 beds and a bathroom. They told me they were excited to take me to a bar around the bend of the rocks. After some time, we made it to the bar around 1am, yep. The bar was called Eden, lets just say it's not a place I would go to with just anyone. Maybe ask me more about this later if you are interested. It made for some fun people watching. I also had some good conversation with a couple travelers, most of the conversation was American politics and international cuisine.  I left the party when my day of hiking caught up to me, maybe 3:30am. I only got lost twice trying to find the bungalow, after crossing matchstick bridges, and tons of granite overlooking the bay.
Finally a bit of rest before I would see Sunday by day.

View from the bungalow area.

 Good morning.

The perfect bridge.

My weekend concluded with a longtail back to Haad Rin beach, around 1:30 to catch the said 2:30 ferry. How about that ride back, it sure was interesting. I had quite the company, a persistent Australian dude. There is certainly and interesting story to go with that short LONG ride back. Back to the Haad Rin I was, making a dive to the first songtow I could find, without anyone trailing me. Almost worked. For 100 baht, I made it to the ferry station. But wait, is there a 2:30 ferry back to Don Sak? Nope. But there is a 5pm ferry. Oh dear. Whatever will I do with the rest of my time?

I'm feeling market deprived.

I'm a sucker for the market scene.
Food systems are fascinating.
I pity the fool that ever chooses to argue - don't go there.
I will eat you up.
As a final note, I would appreciate a hug right about now. Even a small hug. The effort and time it took to bring this post to you was testing, but gratefully fueled by love.