KOH PHANGAN, THAILAND
Today I got motivated enough to take an afternoon boat trip around the island, along with nine other tourists (five Australians, two Brits, and two Thais) and a crew of two. We took one of the island's famous longtail boats, so named because the outboard motor is basically a car engine on a pole with a ten-foot propellor shaft projecting out behind it (no, I don't know why).
We left from the beach at Haad Rin Nok at noon, and headed around the eastern coast to the north end of the island, which took made me realize how big Koh Phangan really is! Unlike the west side of the island, which is fairly developed with roads, businesses, etc., most of the eastern side of Koh Phangan is just mountains, forest, and beaches, and is only reachable by boat, as there are no roads connecting it yet with the rest of the island.
We motored for a half hour or so past a number of beaches, rocky headlands, and cliffside resorts before reaching our first stop, supposedly the best snorkeling spot on the island, where we all jumped overboard and snorkeled around for twenty minutes or so. The coral here was maybe a little nicer than in the Perhentians (meaning, it didn't look like anyone had been dynamite fishing there lately), but the water was fairly murky, so there wasn't really that much to see; just a few butterfly fish, parrot fish, and sergeant majors. Afterward, we anchored beside the small fishing village of Chaloklum and had lunch on the beach, where a local dog tried to befriend me--or maybe he just wanted my fried rice.
We then headed south to Than Sadet, where we went ashore, then were taken inland by pickup truck to one of the island's waterfalls. Actually, there are several small falls in the river that made for some good swimming and sitting under, which was nice. Our last stop was a really secluded cove with a great beach, where did some more swimming and laying about, before heading back to the beach at Haad Rin. All in all, it was a good break from the crowds of Haad Rin, and a pretty relaxing day.
Today I got motivated enough to take an afternoon boat trip around the island, along with nine other tourists (five Australians, two Brits, and two Thais) and a crew of two. We took one of the island's famous longtail boats, so named because the outboard motor is basically a car engine on a pole with a ten-foot propellor shaft projecting out behind it (no, I don't know why).
We left from the beach at Haad Rin Nok at noon, and headed around the eastern coast to the north end of the island, which took made me realize how big Koh Phangan really is! Unlike the west side of the island, which is fairly developed with roads, businesses, etc., most of the eastern side of Koh Phangan is just mountains, forest, and beaches, and is only reachable by boat, as there are no roads connecting it yet with the rest of the island.
We motored for a half hour or so past a number of beaches, rocky headlands, and cliffside resorts before reaching our first stop, supposedly the best snorkeling spot on the island, where we all jumped overboard and snorkeled around for twenty minutes or so. The coral here was maybe a little nicer than in the Perhentians (meaning, it didn't look like anyone had been dynamite fishing there lately), but the water was fairly murky, so there wasn't really that much to see; just a few butterfly fish, parrot fish, and sergeant majors. Afterward, we anchored beside the small fishing village of Chaloklum and had lunch on the beach, where a local dog tried to befriend me--or maybe he just wanted my fried rice.
We then headed south to Than Sadet, where we went ashore, then were taken inland by pickup truck to one of the island's waterfalls. Actually, there are several small falls in the river that made for some good swimming and sitting under, which was nice. Our last stop was a really secluded cove with a great beach, where did some more swimming and laying about, before heading back to the beach at Haad Rin. All in all, it was a good break from the crowds of Haad Rin, and a pretty relaxing day.
posted by John Kuge at 9:36 PM
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