Kho Pha-Ngan and back again

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This will probably be one of my last entries until the next trip. With just a few days left, I am back in Bangkok awaiting my flight home. Rather than move around too much, I went south to Kho Pha-Ngan and stayed put for the last few weeks. Quite literally really. The journey down was the usual for travelling in Asia. I was supposed to be picked up at six, which turned out to be half seven. A bus journey that lasted until five the following morning with a single stop. Followed by three hours of waiting for another bus for an hours journey to the ferry. A couple of hours on the ferry, and then finally a songthaew to the resort I was staying at in Haad Gruad on the west coast, arriving around two in the afternoon. I had done the cardinal sin by signing up for my resort at six in the morning whilst sitting in Surat Thani waiting for the bus to the ferry. For me this turned out to be a blessing, but by all accounts the feedback on trip advisor is somewhat derogatory, and I am glad that I never read the stuff before I arrived.

In the following two weeks, I made it to Haad Yao and Haad Salad beaches once each. I took the twenty minute walk to the nearest seven-eleven twice. This was to stock up on both cash and tobacco. And I managed a day trip to Koh Samui once. This was for a visa extension, but due to the timing I ended up spending all day in Nathon. Unfortunately whilst there I managed to pick up a case of the trots, and had all sorts of unpleasantness using the squat toilets at the ferry terminal. That was certainly a day I won't forget in a hurry.

Apart from that, I never left the resort. I failed to be bothered to attend the full quota of parties. Full, half and then black moon parties passed me by. I have been before, and felt no need to adventure out to these particular moments of madness.

If the resort had sold tobacco and an ATM I think I would have been happy to sit there forever, money permitting. The western food was better than the thai food there, so I have had a distinct lack of Thai food for the last few weeks. Although I did try most of the menu at least once, and had a really nice korean BBQ there one night, which was wonderful. The bar was sufficient for sitting near the sea, and the barman was a guy from Birmingham that I clicked with straight away. Great bloke. Shakes and smokes were also available at the bar, and I had some magic evenings there with some of the ex-pats, residents of the resort and three great guys from Brum who were over to see the barman.

Oh I forgot, I did leave once more, to attend a BBQ at one of the ex-pats houses, as he was leaving the next day. His wife cooked wonderful seafood, and even sat there and peeled all the prawns for me as I was a little worse for wear.

The days were spent mainly sitting either by the pool, on the beach, or just swinging in my Hammock. The evenings were spent at the bar. Apart from the last three days where it rained. the weather was lovely throughout my stay. The last of the group that had gathered left three days before me. The day the rains started. In hindsight, I should have left then but resisted the urge and stayed on for a few quiet rainy nights at the bar.

Finally leaving yesterday, I had a somewhat nicer journey back, taking the high speed cat to Chumpon and then bus to Bangkok. This taking a surprisingly pleasant fourteen hours from pick up to arrival. And strangely this was 50 Baht cheaper than the ticket they were trying to sell me taking the route by which I had come.

One thing that I had never thought of before was just how dangerous coconuts were! Honestly they are deadly. All you hear is a rustle of leaves and a huge thump as it hits the ground. One night we had to retire from the beach as three landed all around where we were sitting. Believe me when I say that these things will cause you possibly fatal damage if they connect with you. After this the owner got a local in with a couple of trained monkeys to climb the trees and remove the coconuts that are ready to fall. I found this out by being woken up to coconuts falling on the roof of my hut! The guy in the hut next to mine had one come through his window whilst he was sitting on the toilet. At least he was in the right place at the time, and so didn't need a change of underwear.

If I don't blog again from here, then I may make one last post when I am home. More to put my thoughts down somewhere, so I can look back in the future. Especially if I think that I should come traveling alone again any time in the near future. I do think that thirty something (just) is possibly the wrong age to be traveling alone in Asia. I think with somebody may be the better option for when next I get the bug (South America I think next time). If you are coming alone to Asia, come when you are young and there are lots of people your age here. Or come when you want to be a Sexy Man. You will always find someone to love you here for a price, I'm just not ready for that yet.

Overall it has been fun. I have had many moments of happiness, and a few of loneliness on the way. On the whole though, the trip was definitely worth it and I am glad I made the decision to stop blowing up tanks and do something really interesting instead.



Take care all, I hope to see you soon.

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