Diary "Thailand -2019"

27.02.2019 – 20.03.2019
Our program: islands Kho Samui – Kho Phangan – national park Khao Sok – Phuket.

Part 2 Kho Phangan

8/03/19
We arrived on Koh Phangan from Samui by ferry. The taxi driver requested 400 THB for two before Salad beach. I bargained for 300 (it's a small island). Decided to stay on Salad beach in a place called Pap's place (900ТHB за ночь на двоих). I liked the design. Here, in this house:

Everything around is creatively designed and handmade too.
Although, the house is situated on a hill, it is not very convinient for elderly or small children.

The beach has pleased us: very clean whith fine and white sand, not so many people, but there is almost no shade afternoon, since it looks to the west.

In the evening we ran to shoot the sunset, but of course were late. Instead, made photos the evening beach with tables on the sand. We sat down and celebrated March, 8 (International women's day) with a bottle of beer (110 бат), papaya salad with shrimps (70 THB) and fried chicken with cashew (100 THB).

9/03/19
We rented a motorbike, finally! Everywhere at Salad Beach they ask 250 ТНВ per day, but we bargained for 600 per 3 days with a girl from the supermarket.

In the morning we swam from Salad Beach with masks and snorkels, looking at the bottom. Onli sea cucumbers, hundreds of them, just a few meters away from the beach. There are sea urchins, different fish, but there are no corals. So sorry, I forgot to take my underwater camera with me to this trip.

After that we sat on the bike and drove to the nearby Koh Ma Beach. Next to this beach there is a small island of Ko Ma, to which you can wade. Water was just up to my waist.

Numerous boats bring tourists to this island for snorkeling. Therefore, we swam to see what is there at the bottom. There are corals, colorful fish, many different varieties and sizes. Here bottom is richer than on our Salad beach.

On the way back, we stopped at a nearby waterfall, bathed there too. The water is also warm here as in the bathroom. The waterfall is dedicated to immortal love, people lays out towers of stones.

Returned to Salad beach and had lunch at a Seasalad restaurant, very cheap and tasty. Finally we went to the beach to shoot the sunset. This is what we've got:

10/03/19
Went to explore the centre of the island, namely the waterfalls. First, we looked at Paradise waterfall: not impressed. The waterfall is small, also dried out this season. At the same time, the entrance costs 20 ТНВ per person, though a bottle of water was given for this and a toilet was provided.

Then we went to the cascade of waterfalls, in ThanSadet National Park, this is more interesting. And the road there is very beautiful.

Parking the bike costs 20ТНВ. However, a bottle of water is already 450ТНВ. The cascade consists of 6 waterfalls, though they are all thin, because there was no rain for a long time. There are wooden staps in a shady forest to reach the first three waterfalls. We only got to the 5th waterfall, climbing rocks is difficult in this heat (+35), even in the shade.

The forest is also interesting, with educational signs in Thai and English. The nature trail is very long, you can spend a whole day there. Many families were with children, children bathe in the river, natural stone bathrooms. However, my husband saw a snake. Still, it's a jungle.

Not far from this park there is a Buddhist temple of Wat Ma Due Wan. We have stopped to look. Buddhas are everywhere in Thailand, including Phangan.

However, I haven't yet seen such long red stairs with golden snakes and huge vats for donations. My husband decided that we have to climb upstairs; such a red starecase should lead to something interesting.

We climbed up... And what do you think at the top ??

Nothing but stone benches. Oddly enough, it was what we needed after the ascent ... Just a Zen Buddhism.

The top view is of course beautiful.

We arrived at Thong Sala Pier, had lunch at a big market and set off back along the west coast, checking the beaches along the way. Most were very small, not for swimming. Good thing I chose Salad. We liked the Secret Beach, which is beautiful and small. But so many people were there, - there is no place for the apple to fall. Apparently, he has long been declassified ...

11/03/19
We explored the western part of the island, the remaining waterfalls and beaches and liked everything very much.Sometimes the road passes through palm plantations, really beautiful. Closer to the north - through the rainforest, tall trees, they are probably more than hundred years old. Would be great if they weren't cut down, but could arrange some Top-tree park to walk at the height of the trees along the bridges and look at the birds and different plants.

But at the moment it is a fantasy, construction is everywhere underway, mainly housing for tourists of various kinds, as it brings real profit. Although several national parks are marked on the map.

First of all, we visited the Than Sadet and Thong Nang waterfalls. I didn’t make photos of them, enough waterfalls already... I turned a little to the side and found a wonderful place where there was no anybody, not a soul, but huge boulders and a small river. There we sat in the cool water in a shadow.

We didn’t want to leave the coolness of the forest, but half the island was still unexplored. So, we bought red hairy fruit and drove further to the waterfalls Saampan and Dean.

Then closer to the coast, then cooler the wind, the road all in flowers and palm trees, real beauty ... Saampan turned to be full-flowing, with a deep bath under it, so we bathed in it.

If you take a closer look, a girl sits right on the waterfall and meditates. At every waterfall there are yogis and hippies with kids and uncombed hair in braids. And certainly the Russian language is heard (but not from the hippies, of course). Roger every time is saying: probably there is no one left in Russia now ...

If Samui was French, then Phangan is more Russian. Although here all the languages are heard, there are many Americans, and even finally I've heard Spanish, English and German. In general, it turned out to be an international island. For this I especially like Phangan.

Just a few minutes drive, and we are on Than Sadet beach. Posh beach, nothing to say. And most importantly - a deep bottom, immediately goes down. Finally managed to swim normally! But the water is a bit cool, at first I did not understand, - why? But then realised: the river joined directly at the southern end of the beach, it is cool.

And the water in the sea is not very salty, but clean, because the sand is coarse. There are not so many people, but there is, just right. The only minus - expensive restaurant on the beach. We had to eat Pad Thai with vegetables for 120BTH. Then we looked up, people sat high up on the mountain at the tables. But it was too late :) And also sometimes someone invisible bites us in the water like a mosquito, but rarely. However, we got used to it during past trips to Thailand.

Such a strange bridge was built over the river. A Briton who has lived on the island for 4 years, said that the construction of hotels and new housing was forbidden on this beach, since many years ago one of the kings of Thailand liked to rest here.

After we have had enough swimming, we drove further north to Ta Pan Yai beach. The place is beautiful with some unusual palm trees, but we didn’t like the beach itself and didn’t photographed it. Very long, but quite shallow. Here people walk in the sea, right there the longtale boats sail, crowds of people on the sand and houses across the beach. It seemed uncomfortable.

It was time to go back, the sun was already low. It's a long way home: first south up to the end of island, then again north to the end, and then already to the west. Roads from east to west are not built yet.

12/03/19
Our last day in Phangan. It's a little sad, we don't want to leave, we love the island. We didn't want to strain, took a canoe and paddled to nearby small beaches, which we hadn't visited yet: Haad Gruad and Haad Thian (West). Both beaches were almost deserted and it is clear why: there is no sand on them, but broken corals and stones of quite large size. It hurts to enter the water. Both beaches are neat, with houses for tourists, and the first with swings, a hammock and a restaurant. Beauty, only there is people.

So, it's time to summarize. Phangan gets 5 points out of 5. What are the criteria? Nature has been preserved in its original form, there are tall rainforests, dozens of waterfalls, not possible to visit all of them... The roads are good and almost empty, except for towns, of course. Traffic jams are not seen. Even a pensioner can drive a moped. Of course there are mountains, but not as steep as on Koh Chang. Quiet, no crowds of tourists like on Samui. Prices are also lower on average. And also the flavour of Thai life is still preserved - wooden houses on legs. We have not seen them on Samui. Taxi drivers are more accommodating. All these criteria are of course selected on the basis of short-term vacation, a week or two. If you go for wintering, as some people do, it may be boring on Phangan. Samui for this purpose may be better suited. But for the short holiday Samui gets 3 and a half points. Too noisy, crowded and commercialized. Although the two islands are not very different in size, apparently the presence of the airport on Samui makes a huge difference (crowds of western tourists arrive by air).

Yesterday we booked a taxi from Salad Beach Resort at 150THB per person to the pier at 11:00. The ferry starts at 12:30. A joint ferry-bus ticket from Phangan to the national park of Khao Sok was purchased in advance on the BusOnlineTicket website for THB 500.

Goodbye, Phangan! Hope to see you again.