Kho Phangan – Day Two and beyond

Friday night was spent at the beach at the Black Moon Party which went on until well in the morning so Saturday was a wash and we lazed around the beach all day, moving from bed to beach to hammock to bed just sleeping.

Sunday we moved up to the northeast coast, to Chaclclom Bay, were we got a really nice room for 500 bhat. Unfortunately the room was the only nice thing about the beach because you couldn’t swim as the water in the Bay was only two feet deep and boiling hot. We decided to walk into town and found a really quaint little fishing village with wooden homes and shops and racks full of squid drying in the street. In the middle of all this, very out of place, stood a gleaming white, trendy looking restaurant with a bar and a patio in the back with beds surrounding low tables where you could sit and enjoy a drink or a meal. It was all very trendy with black tables, white mattresses, and very tastefully placed art. We decided to come back that evening, which we did after another lazy afternoon on the beach. Since I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, Lucy and Eleanor were great traveling companions and I really enjoyed their company throughout the whole adventure.

The next day we moved on to Haat Kuat (or Bottle Beach) which the guide book had said was the best beach on the island. It was accessible only by boat, so we headed for the taxi boat stand.

The taxi boats on Kho Phangan are like wide canoes with a very rudimentary engine (a propeller blade on the end of a metal pole that they lift to stop, drop in to go and steer to maneuver from place to place). We all waded into kneed deep water and climbed a metal ladder into to boat. Along with the three of us, were the driver and two other women and all of our packs loaded on to the bow. As he started up the engine to turn the boat out of the harbor, I could see all of our bags dumping overboard never to be seen again, but amazingly enough they made the journey without mishap. We left the bay and headed around rocky outcropping of large boulders and little caves between the rocks. The beach the appeared around the corner was absolutely beautiful – white sand beaches, small bungalows and beach side restaurants tucked under the tree, every surrounded by a backdrop of lush green mountains. When we let off at the beach, we split up to find a bungalow and settled on a cute little hut, right on the beach, next to a restaurant and another raised wooden platform with triangular Thai mattresses. I could have stayed on Bottle Beach forever.

We spent the days reading, sunbathing and visiting at the various beach side restaurants. One day Lucy and I went for a hike we had heard about from our neighbor, Matt. We walked along a wide sandy road that led us up into the mountains and out to an outcropping that overlooked the whole of Bottle Beach. While most of the journey was easy, the last few yards required you to climb up on a boulder, shimmy along the edge, crouch down into an opening in the rock, out the other side and up on yet another boulder to get to the vantage point to see the whole view. Unfortunately, Lucy was not much for heights and I was the only one able to see this absolutely beautiful spot. I could have stayed there for hours, but couldn’t leave Lucy alone, so we headed back down. Upon making our way back, we found that we had taken the long way around, and although our circuitous route took us to where we were headed, there was a much more direct route straight from the beach – and straight up the mountain. Needless to say, going down was a bit steep, but thanks to my new favorite footwear – Columbia Hiking sandals – and Lucy’s walking stick (that someone generously left on the path) we made it down without a scratch.

That night we went back to our favorite restaurant and were challenged to a game of connect four by one of the waiters. We agreed, saying that if we won, he’d have to buy us a round of Singha’s and if we won, we’d treat him (which I now realize is quite unfair, but we wouldn’t have really kept him to it). Because it had been a while since I’d played, I declared the first game practice. To his astonishment, I won, but it was only beginners luck. He won the next game and we bought him his beer. From there we were joined by two other Thai waiters (the first 25, then 22 and 15) and spent the next few hours talking and laughing over our connect-four tournament. That was probably my favorite day on the beach.