After three days in Bangkok, it is time for us to say goodbye to Luc and Ploy (for just a few days) and go to the islands in the South of Thailand.
We had a hard time deciding on which island to go to. Indeed, a big storm hit the South of the country a few days ago. The biggest damage seem to have occurred on the islands that are in the Andaman sea, and we are afraid the storm might also have damaged the islands that are in the Gulf of Thailand. But according to our Swiss friends who were on Koh Samui during the storm, the media has overblown the extent of the storm, and really all they had was very heavy rain, at least for the islands in the Gulf.
So we decide to go to Koh Phangan, because it is close to Bangkok : there is only an hour flight to Surat Thani, and from there a two and a half hour ferry ride to the island of Koh Phangan. But that is the theory, in reality we first have to take a taxi to the airport in Bangkok (with traffic and all it can become messy), then there is the bus from the airport in Surat Thani to the ferry, and finally once we arrive on Koh Phangan we still have to walk to the hostel. Overall we left Luc and Ploy’s place at 6 am and arrived at the hostel at 7 pm. All of that with not much sleep and a slight hangover… BUT everything went smoothly and we arrived at destination.
Koh Phangan is a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. About 14,000 people live on the island, and it is mostly known for it’s crazy Full Moon parties. But it is also one of the wildest and most preserved islands of the Gulf. That is why we decided to stay 5 days on this island.
We booked a room in a hostel very close to the harbor for the first night on the island since the ferry arrived at 7 pm. We check-in with Freddo, a Belgian who has been living on the island for the past 3 years and owns the hostel called La Patate (which means potato in French).
We are very surprised to learn that we are the only guests of the hostel. As we chit chat with Freddo, we learn that the storm that hit the island a few days ago made the tourists flee. A lot canceled their reservations. But according to him there was absolutely no damage on the island, just very heavy rain that is not typical for this time of year.
Our host is super nice. We sit down together around a cold beer and he grabs a map and starts to show us everything nice to do on the island.
Basically the beaches in the South part are the Full Moon party beaches, meaning there are just bars all along the coast and the beaches aren’t that pretty; in the North, he calls this part the Jet Set, because there are many huge luxurious resorts, most of them only accessible by boat; the North West of the island is still very wild and pretty, and there are many nice diving areas; the West coast is also very pretty and a lot less crowded than the South of the Island; and finally in the middle lies the jungle, and a large national park that can only be visited by scooter, on foot or with a 4X4, where you can find many waterfalls and temples.
The program for our days on the island are as follows : the next day the guys will try to get a hair cut in the morning before heading to a very secluded beach on the East coast of the island for a party, then we will rent some scooters for 3 days to go visit the North West to discover the beautiful beaches and the jungle. Before coming back and sleep at Freddo’s on the last night before catching an early morning ferry the next day.
A first evening pretty chill where we go grab dinner in the local market just behind the hostel.
Once again all the dishes look incredible… It is hard to choose what we want for dinner. We then go for a drink in a local pub that is absolutely empty… Freddo was right, there are no tourists, the town looks almost dead.
First experience with a Thai hairdresser
After a nice night of sleep (longer than the previous night) we go to the same market than last night to grab breakfast. This local market became our go-to on the island.
And then the guys try to find a hair dresser. Which is apparently harder than it seems because there aren’t many around. We finally find one where the old Thai owner doesn’t speak a word of English… This isn’t going to be easy. Especially when we notice the ugly hair cut this gentleman has, we hope he won’t try to do the same to the guys. Verdier starts and we soon notice that the hair cut looks absolutely terrible, of course we are behind and can’t stop laughing. Verdier tries to explain that if it’s to end up with an ugly haircut, he might as well cut shorter. And in the end he ends up with something that doesn’t look too terrible.
Matt isn’t afraid and asks for a haircut as well, and ends up with something OK. Pretty fun experience, especially for Maider who was sitting in the back and laughing the entire time.
Lost Paradise on the Haad Yao East beach
We get lunch at the local market again (3rd meal here already) and then go to a party that Freddo mentioned, the Lost Paradise.
This is a party that takes place every two weeks on the Haad Yao East beach, on the East coast of the island. The beach is only accessible by boat or by 4X4 since the road leading there is way too rough for 2WD. The beach is still very wild, meaning there is no hotel or shop there.
This event was first created by two DJs to celebrate their birthday far from the huge crowds, on a secluded beach.
The first party was so successful that they decided to continue. The concept is to throw a party far from the crowds and the loud commercial music, and simply enjoy some good music, on a beautiful isolated beach during 20 hours. The line up is always different with talented DJs. Initially the party started at midnight to end the following afternoon. Today it starts at 11 am and ends the next day around 5 am.
This concept seemed pretty cool so we decided to go. And during the afternoon we hop in the back of a 4X4 that brings us to the beach.
Freddo had promised a great experience riding in the back of the 4X4 in the middle of the jungle and we weren’t disappointed. It took us almost 2 hours to get to the beach, the road is really in a terrible condition.
But the ride through the jungle is awesome. Sitting in the back gives us a forefront view to the jungle.
At the top of the hill we have a beautiful view on the ocean. And despite having to hold on tight we manage to take a few pictures during the ride.
It’s in the middle of the afternoon that we finally make it to the party, with the hope of going for a swim before starting to party. When we arrive there aren’t many people. We discover that there is a large wooden dance floor with the DJ booth and a bar right next to it and a small food stand just a little further. Very basic setup but with everything we need for the night.
Unfortunately when we get to the beach we discover that it is filled with rubbish and plastic bottles. We are shocked, even in the water there are plenty of pieces of plastic. We learn that this is not usually the case but with the storm that hit a few days ago it brought along all this rubbish from the ocean. Another proof that our planet Earth isn’t going too well and our oceans are disgusting. It is really sad to see…
We quickly forget about going for a swim, and after walking around the beach a little bit, we sit down and grab a beer with the music in the background.
Early evening the 4X4s and boats keep arriving filled with people and the party can truly start. We meet up with Freddo who is celebrating his birthday, accompanied by another French fellow who lives on the island as well (we actually learn that 1,400 French people live on the island, which makes for 10% of the population! When we tell you that the French are everywhere we aren’t lying).
We spend a great night to the very good sound of the DJ.
We leave the party around 2 am (we weren’t courageous enough to stay until 5 am) by boat this time. The issue is that the waves are pretty massive and the boat is just a tiny wooden boat with a motor tied to the back. To leave the beach we have to hang on tight, the start is very impressive as we have to ride over these big waves, which means the boat is almost vertical at some point. We hit these huge waves and are afraid the boat with flip over.
We are finally far from the shore, but the ocean is still very agitated. As we are having a great time and laughing at how unusual this trip is (it’s not every day that your ride home from a party is on a tiny wooden boat), tragedy strikes. One of the Thai in charge of the boat faints, he falls inside the boat and is completely unconscious. It takes us a while to understand what happened as the engine is super loud, and we are concentrated on looking in front of us and keeping hold of the boat. But one of the other crew member explains the situation. We try to call an ambulance to come to the nearest beach, as the captain accelerates and tries to reach the beach as fast as he can. The problem is that we still have another 20 minutes ride and the guy isn’t breathing anymore. We try to administer CPR but it is really hard on this tiny boat and with all these waves hitting us. We finally get to the beach and carry the guy to the nearest hospital. We are on the Full Moon Party beach, so there is a hospital just a few yards from the beach. Unfortunately we don’t know what happened to the guy as he was taken into the ER and there was nothing else we could do to help, but we sincerely hope the guy made it alive. This event of course totally upset us, and it’s without a word that we get back to our hostel. Not the ending you were hoping to read I am sure, but this is the sad reality. A reminder that life can be unexpectedly short and it is important to try to make the most out of it.
Heading North for a few days relaxing on the island
After a short night, and a 4th meal at the local market, we go rent a couple of scooters for the next three days. And drive towards the North West of the island, to Salad beach, to a hotel we have seen on Booking.com.
It takes us only 20 minutes to get to this white sand beach, where the color of the water is amazing.
The color of the water isn’t the only thing that amazes us. The hotel itself, the Cookie Salad Resort, looks stunning. Located in the hills facing the ocean and the Salad beach, there are several bungalows with a little patio and a hammock and direct access to the beach.
The receptionist offers a way better price than what we saw on Booking, so we don’t hesitate a single second and book a family bungalow for the next two nights. And the bungalow is gorgeous : a huge room with a king size bed, and two full beds, a sofa, a huge bathroom and of course a patio with a hammock.
And all of that with an ocean view ! Welcome to paradise.
The Haad Salad beach is a very pretty isolated beach (and it is clean), with a coral reef just a few yards away from the coast, that is a well known diving spot.
Unfortunately, a French couple we met at the hotel told us that the water was still pretty hazy because of the storm so you can’t see much under water. But that’s not an issue, we are happy to just go for a swim. And the water is just at the perfect temperature ! We will spend the afternoon at the hotel between the beach, the pool and the bungalow, the dream !
The hotel has of course a restaurant with a nice view on the beach and the ocean, where we will get almost all our meals.
If this isn’t heaven, it’s pretty close !
Hiking in the jungle and deserted beaches
The next morning we grab breakfast facing the ocean.
And hop back on our scooters to go towards the North of the island to the jungle.
On the way we get the amazing surprise (especially for Maider who is super excited) to see monkeys on the road. Our presence does not disturb them at all and the noise of the scooters don’t even scare them.
This morning we planned on leaving our scooters at the top of the Haad Khom beach (also called coconut beach) and go hike in the jungle towards Haad Khuat beach (also called bottle beach), just 2 miles further. This beach is only accessible on foot or by boat.
It’s under an unbearable humid heat (even though it is only 10 am) that we start our short hike inside the jungle. We are covered in sweat pretty quickly, and the hike is more difficult than it sounds. The heat is really exhausting. On top of that Maider isn’t feeling too good. She has been feeling tired and queasy for the past couple of days, so the hike quickly becomes a nightmare for her.
But the reward at the end is totally worth it. The arrival on Bottle Beach is gorgeous.
This beach on the North of the island is amazing. And one of the rare on the island to still be so wild, indeed it is completely isolated and there are only 3 small resorts with a few bungalows on the beach.
We are almost all alone on the beach when we arrive, and we immediately jump into the water after having sweat so much during the hike. And boy does it feel amazing !
We spend a few hours on the beach, where we grab a bite in a restaurant on the beach before returning by boat…
Way more tempting than having to hike back through the jungle. The boat ride is pretty nice and we land at Haad Khom beach.
Today there is still no village or permanent inhabitants on this beach, even-though the number of bungalows has grown recently, but only a few are occupied.
This beach houses a coral reef that is pretty shallow, which creates a very nice blue lagoon at high tide.
There is also a little swing perfect for Instagram-able pictures !
We then hop back on our scooters.
And drive to the calm little fisherman town of Chaloklum.
Before heading to the Haad Thong Lang beach, this one is even more isolated and secluded than the ones we have been to so far. And here there is almost nobody.
Another short swim with a nice cold beer before heading to the last beach Haad Mae Haad.
On this last beach, there is a white sand bank that joins the mainland to the little island of Koh Ma, very well known for its beautiful diving spots. When we get to the parking lot we are shocked by the number of scooters parked. So far today we only went to empty beaches, but here it’s the exact opposite. The beach is pretty, but there are way too many people. On top of that the weather is starting to turn grey, so we quickly ride back to the hotel.
The colors of the water when we arrive on the Haad Salad beach are just incredible. And just two minutes after we get to our bungalow it starts pouring rain. What a timing !
Perfect timing for Maider as well who gets sick… this good old diarrhea decided to come visit for the first time since Bolivia. And strangely we didn’t miss it. So we won’t do anything crazy tonight.
Last day on the island : ultimate hike in the jungle
For this last day on the island, it rained all night, but the sun is coming back out. Maider is still sick so she won’t do anything all day except sleep and go to the toilet. After dropping off Maider and the bags at Freddo’s hostel, the boys go to discover the jungle a little deeper.
Maider in bed, Matt and Verdier hop back on the scooters for a 4 mile hike to the highest point on the island at around 2,000 ft altitude. The hike starts by having to pay a 20 Baht fee ($0.60) for the trail maintenance. And after the hike we think the 20 Baht go inside the guards pocket and doesn’t go towards any trail maintenance, because it was probably the worst maintained trail we have ever seen…
The first few miles up are pretty easy. But the last mile is really tough. The humidity and heat is killing us. We sweat so much it feels like we just jumped all dressed inside a swimming pool.
And to make things harder, the markings seem dead wrong. Matt is still dead sure there was way more than 500 meters from the sign saying the summit was only 500 meters away…
We finally reach the top, absolutely exhausted but with an awesome view on the island.
We hike back down, and the way down is way easier… But after about a mile we get completely lost, impossible to find the trail. And we aren’t alone, there is another tourist also lost in the middle of the jungle trying to find the trail. After a few minutes trying to get a GPS signal we finally find the trail. Before getting lost AGAIN a few miles further. And thinking we paid for the trail maintenance…
Once we were done with the hike, we drove back towards the village and stopped at a few waterfalls on the way. Where we go for a well deserved swim after the efforts of the day.
We drop off the scooters at the rental agency before meeting up with Maider at the hostel.
Last night on the island pretty quiet, as the boys are tired from their hike and Maider is still sick. We go for one last meal at our favorite local market.
The next morning we leave this heavenly place, where we spent an awesome 5 days, before going back to Bangkok where we left most of our stuff. Indeed, we decided to ship a package to France with all our cold clothes that we needed in South America but won’t need anymore. That way our backpacks now become way lighter and easier to pack, and of course now Maider is happy to have space in her backpack to buy souvenirs 🙂 .
We spend one last evening with Luc and Ploy and thank them for their amazing hospitality during our stay in Bangkok. Before leaving the next day to the North of Thailand, in Chiang Mai.