Koh Phangan, Thailand: Days 52 - 66

December 6, 2015 - December 21, 2015

Koh Phangan. Oh, Koh Phangan....

I spent two magical weeks on this island, sometimes referred to as "Purgatory," other times as "Boomerang Island." This post will be slightly different, where to begin...


I told myself I'd be honest, so here it goes: I came to this place because of a guy. A romantic at heart, I thought I'd say 'to hell' caution and just explore and see what would happen. Long story short - after day one I learned that feelings weren't exactly reciprocated. However, I firmly believe I was meant to arrive to this island and spend time here, because I learned a lot about myself and made amazing connections with people from around the world, who I'll never forget and always cherish.

On day one, I met an awesome guy from France,  who ended up becoming a close friend and showed me around the island and who I spent almost every day with. On day two, I really need girl talk, and ended up spending most of the day with a girl from Denmark, again someone with who I spent significant time. On day three, a girl from France arrived and we explored the island together for nearly 8 days. I truly believe God sent me these two girls; I had actually prayed on the morning of day 2 for some girl time, and He delivered. (I normally don't talk about religion, but had to put that in here because it was truly needed, amazing, and I am grateful). Saying goodbye to the three of them wasn't easy!

One more thing, I ended up being on this island for two weeks, largely because of credit card fraud. I had to wait for my new cards to arrive before I could leave. Fate, I think, because I am so happy with the time I spent here.

Beaches & Pools

Secret Beach

Introduced to this not so secret beach on day 1 - it has beautiful white sand, restaurants and bars, and gorgeous sunset.

Than Sadet Beach; Abandoned Beach 

A 40 minute motorbike ride up and down some curvy road took us to the East side of the island to this quiet beach. Lined with picturesque bungalows on one side, grainy sand wraps around towards the south to a wooden bridge and abandoned bungalows.

Cross over the bridge, pass through the out of use bungalows, you'll arrive to another beach - completely abandoned. Of course this also means that trash that is washed ashore is not cleaned up, but the graffiti on the empty buildings along with the lack of human life make this beach special.

(I guess it's common for buildings to be abandoned - some sort of scam where a Western investor buys land, starts building their business, only to find that they didn't actually own the land.)

Infinity Beach Club

Although they do host parties here, I went with a friend and simply recovered from Half Moon Party the night before. Nice, large, shallow pool to relax in while listening to a DJ and overlooking the beach wasn't a bad way to spend my last day on the island. A bar, an restaurant, and plenty of lounge chairs both next to the pool and on the beach....I wish I'd discovered this place sooner!

Sunset Spots & Bars

Secret Mountain

Also brought here on day 1 - a steep journey by motorbike on gravel (take a taxi). Well worth it to hang out and enjoy a memorable view. Bar, music, swimming pool. Very chill and perfect way to wind down the day. The jungle of Palm trees spreads out below you as the sky turns red. It started to rain, which actually enhanced the colors in a way I can't describe and my camera could never capture.

Two Rocks

Just down the road from my hostel in Baan Tai, this bar and restaurant sits ocean side, complete with hammocks, floor cushions, and relaxed beachy covers of popular songs. A palm tree reaches out towards the water as if it's posing, as dogs run around the shoreline below it. I went here a couple of times, the 2nd of which may have been the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen.

Amsterdam Bar

Towards the North Side of the West coast, this bar also has also pool and stunning view. I can't say much else about it, because we literally watched the sunset and left. But it's a huge place and has a bar.... so, good.

Golden Rock

Close to Secret Beach, this bar may be more of a secret. Small, super chill, with goodies for sale. Down the steps and you're in the ocean. Probably a good spot for sunset as well, but I'm not sure. Reggae Bar.

Hide on High 

Also a reggae bar - I could spend an entire day at this one. In reality, you can camp there, have dinner, and wake early to watch the sunrise. It sits at the top of a steep gravel road on the east side of the island, not far from Thad Sadet Beach. Parking your motorbike at the bottom is the safer option. The view is stunning and the environment is beyond relaxed. This man literally sits and smokes and makes jewelry in between serving customers. All the jewelry is for sale, of course. We ordered cocoa milkshakes (the best, honestly) and ended up napping and lounging for a few hours.

Parties

Loi Lay

This was my first party on my first night on the island. I really didn't know what to expect, or honestly that we were even going to a party. Loi Lay introduced me to this party life, I suppose. It's a weekly bar/party in a small building, floating on the water. The second time around I was a little more prepared. They play House music (not my thing, I learned), and people dance their asses off (♡). Enter before 10pm to get in free, have a drink, come back in a few hours when it's more packed. Stay until 6am if you want. Welcome to Koh Phangan  (I only made it to 2:30am.... weak I know)

Ban Sabaii 

Such an odd party, but one of my favorites. They throw a party on the beach after every large party, so almost weekly or more. Their "After Party" is more so for locals or longer stay people. They play heavy "Trans" music (this is all new to me), and all walks of party life are here. Some of the best people watching you'll find, as everyone is there to move their bodies to the music - in somewhat bizarre ways. And all are probably on drugs. (Not unlike other parties).

Sandcastle

Down in the South part of the island in Hadrin, where the Full Moon party takes place, this is a weekly party. Bar. DJ playing House music. I had a blast - but I think it was because of the crowd. We started a limbo line under my arm as I held hands with a local guy selling trinkets. I made new friends, danced, and left happy. Not a bad night.

Half Moon Festival 

A friend repeatedly told me this, and he was right: Half Moon is the best party on the island. The production gives it a true festival feel in the middle of the jungle. One main stage and DJ overlook a huge fake tree in the middle of the large dance area, while fire twirlers and a belly dancer do their thing. Bars flank the other three sides, while back towards the entrance you can find two more DJs and several more bars. They set large letters spelling "HALFMOON" on fire at the very top of the festival. Higher quality house music topped it off while crazy people like us, dressed in neon and glow paint, danced like crazy.

They have a first aid area, which is super helpful, as drunk people fall all the time and require attention. I tried boosting a friend up the big tree, fell over, and beelined to get my knee cleaned up. Infection in the tropics would not be fun.

Scuba Diving 

I knew that I wanted to scuba dive and get certified, so I figured since I would be on the island for awhile, that I should do it here. I didn't know that I'd love it so much and also take my advanced course the following week. I had an amazing instructor at Lotus Diving on the North part of the island. Classroom and pool training on day 1, then lots of ocean time. Turns out I'm pretty good in the water - my air consumption is at "instructor" level, according to him. True Aquarius I guess?

The dive center provides you breakfast at the center and lunch on the boat for each day of ocean diving. Obviously, they suit you up in all your needed gear. I highly recommend this center to anyone!

Sail Rock

I think I was spoiled to get my Open Water Diver certification in such a beautiful place. About 45 minutes to an hour from the North of Koh Phangan, a large, lonely rock rises above the water. Underneath, it is surrounded by and covered with life. I really wish I had an underwater camera - so many colorful fish and beautiful coral. There is a cylinder shaped passage in the rock that they call the "chimney," where you can enter around 12 meters and exit at 18. Or visa versa. For deep training, there is an artifical reef at 30 meters, but the viability is low down there.

On my very first ocean dive, no other boat ventured into the choppy waters that day, leaving us to explore the rock without competition. Around 45 minutes in, a cloud of small jellyfish floated in with the current. At first, I awed at their beauty. Then, I realized we were surround by literally billions of the pink, stinging creatures. Don't worry - these aren't the deadly kind. My instructor called them sea mosquitoes. However, as I was wearing a short wet suit, red, swollen spots coveres my arms and legs. Our whole group had to exit the water and pour vinegar on the itchy spots. Perfect time for lunch to wait for the cloud to pass.

I couldn't name everything we saw, but one of the highlights happened when a school of large, silver Jacks surrounded us, spinning round and round like a tornado, with my instructor and I in the eye. We saw short and long barracuda, eels, titan trigger fish, remora, sea slugs, nudibranchs,and more large jellyfish. One jellyfish, which looks like as plastic bag, was caught on the coral. My instructor waved his hand to push the water against it, helping to free it and save it's life. (FYI - sea turtles eat large jellyfish, so when plastic bags get into the ocean, the turtles mistake them for jellfish, eat them, and die.) On my final dive at Sail Rock, we saw a box jelly fish - which can be deadly.

Mae Haad Bay

To change it up a little bit, we sailed around the corner to Mae Haad Bay on one day of my Advanced course. More remora, cuttlefish, parrot fish, and a sting ray greeted us, along with shrimp, flounder, and sea cucumbers. Also as great place to snorkel, if you don't dive.

Chaloklum Bay

I did my very last dive of the course, and on the island, in Chaloklum Bay, where the boat loads each day. We were underwater for an hour and then 90 minutes on our dives at Sail Rock, so we finished our thurd duve here, otherwise the others on the boat would have had to wait more than an hour for us.

A shallow bay allowed us to dive for two hours! The coral is mostly dead, but we still saw crab and boxer shrimp. We ended up doing garbage clean up for the last hour or so, which I actually enjoyed. This also was my first shore exit, as the boat dropped us in the bay, but then returned to the dock to let the others off. We did the fish identification part of training here, and now I'm certified advanced!

Food

Restaurant next to the 7-11

I ate here nearly every day I was on this island. It is to the South side of the 7-11 by my hostel (Ban Tai Backpackers ), but I never actually noticed the name of it. Amazing curries - green being my favorite. Also - cheap and delicious fruit juices. The main guy that works there (and perhaps owner?) is very sweet. They never complain if you use large bills to pay; instead they just go buy something next door at the 7-11 to make change. Many times I ordered take-away and ate back at the hostel.

Lexy Pancake 

Steps away from my hostel, Lexy Pancake opens from 6pm-6am. Everyone adores her. Meet her once and you'll understand why. She is always smiling and genuinely sweet. She makes the best crepes filled with your choice combination or savory (ham, cheese, etc...) or sweet (Nutella,  banana, peanut butter, jam, etc...). She also makes giant, all beef hamburgers, with lettuce, onion, tomato, and options of cheese and BACON. Ate here quite frequently - got both a pancake and a burger after half moon....

"Food Court"

A bunch of street food vendors gather in one area of Thongsala every day and night selling anything you could possibly want to eat, for super cheap. Fried chicken, sushi, sticky mango rice, deep fried potatoes on a skewer, spring rolls, ....need i go on?

Perhaps my favorite of all were the fruit juices: only 30 Baht for endless combinations of fruits and vegetables. They even had beet and ginger, two of my favorite ingredients. Also a highlight - the slow cooked pork guy. Huge clay pot with racks of pork hanging on metal hooks, cooking all day. Mmmmm pork salad...

50 Baht

The girl who worked at my hostel brought me here one afternoon. As the name suggests, everything costs 50 Baht, for nice sized portions.

Mai Pen Rai

The day that we ventured to the East side of the island to Thad Sadet Beach, we ate at this beachside restaurant as a quick storm passed through. Very nice and laid back. The food came out piping hot - my friend's dish served on and metal plate and blew steam everywhere as they poured it in front of us. Delicious.

Friends Cafe

Further into Baan Tai you can find this Russian restaurant. I had eaten a bit at Food Court, so I simply went to try their mashed potatoes. It's more expensive than thai food, as you'd expect, but I really enjoyed the environment. A Russian family came in that I think were relatives of the owners, and their youngest son was adorable. He kept running up to me with toys and his mom's cellphone.

Other

Anodash Sauna

Looking for an relaxing afternoon, the Sauna, just past Ban Sabai party, 5 minutes walk from my hostel, was perfect. You steam in the sauna then switch to the natural pool. Back and forth for as long as you want to refresh and detox. 60 Baht. I went for a stroll down the beach and came back to steam again; they offer free lockers for your belongings while you enjoy their pools.

Slip N Fly

Open on the weekends and over party times, Slip N Fly opens its mini water park for adventure lovers. Their main attraction: two giant slides that throw you several meters into the air before you crash into the pool. Shoot and make a basket for a free drink! Next to these, you can slide down on a mat on a third, less steep slide. Another pool has a volleyball net. Bars and lounge chairs and food and pool table. 600 Baht for the entire weekend access.

Festival & Fire Competition on the Pier 

A guy we met at Ban Sabai invited us to watch him in a Fire Competition on the Pier one Saturday. So, we checked out the festival, got some juices and sat on the beach watching performer after performer amaze everyone with their talents. Fire Poi, Dragon stick, fire juggling, fire breathing, fire whip, fire sticks..... so much fire. Partners stood on each others shoulders, bent over backwards, and blew my mind. Some were as young as 7 years old, perhaps? Others had been twirling fire for 15 years or more.

Paeng Noi & Yai Waterfalls

On day one, I took a mini trek next to these waterfalls. We intended to go back and make the full 3km hike, but never did. Anyways - I did take a dip in the water and enjoy the view from the lowest viewpoint.

....

I'm sure there are countless things I've missed in this post. This island definitely left an impact on me and thus far stands as a highlight of this trip. It's so much more than the party reputation is been given!