Ko Pha Ngan

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Upon our arrival at the station, we were told by the attendant standing directly in front of the window, that there were no sleeper seats on the train south to Surat Thani. He said, “Would all of these people be waiting around if there were?” (as he pointed to the crowd laying about the station.) Dana’s ADD kicked in at this moment, and said to ask the person with the computer at the counter. That made sense to me, and sure enough there were exactly three seats for the train heading south. Usually you have to book sleeper trains in advance. Without hesitation we booked the train leaving in one hour for the southern route. We dragged our gear to the train, buying some beers just outside the car. Unfortunately, they were selling food and beverages just inside the train. When it came time to pay the bill, I believe they charged us for the beers that we had already bought. It was too hard to communicate to fix the problem. My Thai is lousy. Oh, well!

The train is set-up on both sides with sleeper compartments, both an up and down. I was on a lower berth. We talked for an hour but were thoroughly exhausted from our full day of travel: the mad dash to the Thailand border, followed by the old, fashioned windowless train to Bangkok, then finally our sleeper train south. But I’m not complaining, luck was in our favor to make all these connections without a hitch. I was happy to be on this train and to wake up in Southern Thailand, with no worries. I knew I was going to like this kind of train travel and am planning to do it again this year. It felt very safe, the trains go very slow, and the staff was helpful and attended to our needs. You literally rock to sleep as they ramble along. It was at this time that Dana started to mention about pains in his stomach, more exactly around his intestines. Being Dana, he smiled for my quick photo. He is never one to let on how ill he is feeling, until of course when he is actually dying.

At nine the next morning we pulled into the Surat Thani Station. Looking at Dana, it was apparent he was growing more ill. But we had to make connections for the coast, I could not focus on his problems just yet. As we left the train, people started to scream at us that we had missed the early morning boat, and needed to board the waiting buses. That’s strange! If we had already missed the morning ferry, why are they herding us onto these free buses we hadn’t planned to take. I resisted and said, “There’s something fishy here! Let me ask in the TAT station down the road.” At this point they pursued us and said, we are from T.A.T. I said, “I know, that’s the problem!” Back in Bangkok three weeks earlier, I had decided that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) really meant, "Trick All Tourists." I rushed towards the station, with the ushers screaming at me as I went. Unfortunately, there was no one to ask and Dana was too ill for the battle. I decided to join the other sheep on the bus. I was not a happy camper.

After about a 20 minute ride, we arrived at the docks for the island ferry. There were two ferrys there, but nothing leaving for Ko Phangan. Nothing to do, but wait and buy items at the restaurant and food stall. I think this might have been the point. There were two bus loads of bored, hungry people. There was supposed to be an 11:00 ferry, but it never materialized. Finally at 2:00 p.m., the slow boat loaded and disembarked for the islands. It was going to be a four hour ride. First stop was Ko Samui. I started to pour over travel brochures I had gathered at the ferry station and made an interesting discovery. There was a faster boat leaving from another dock about 20 minutes in another direction from Surat Thani. It finally mad sense about the yelling and screaming routine. They didn’t want us to make arrangements with the speed boat, the competition. I mentioned this to Elizabeth and Dana, but it was a done deal.

The ride was bouncy, yet interesting. On route we passed a group of islands that was designated as a national park. It was clear at this time, how uncomfortable Dana was becoming. He went up above deck and spread out on the piles of luggage and backpacks. He had to lie down. As the sun set, we landed first at Ko Samui, then finally at our destination of Ko Phangan. At the dock we were greeted by many open aired truck drivers, all quoting one fixed price. I decided not to accept it and headed for the nearby town called, “Thong Sala”, which was only a 5 minute walk. They didn’t like that and quickly negotiated the price down. Nothing works better in a negotiation than the image of your bum cheeks walking away! We loaded our gear and proceeded to have a bumpy ride on top. It occurred to me that if we ever hit anything, we would be flung from the open air truck. We would become human projectiles. Oh, the joys of being human cargo in the second world.

We arrived at our resort, Loy Fa Bungalos, that I had actually booked on the internet the summer before. I liked that fact that it was next to a fishing village and was on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. The great tsunami was only 12 months before and much of the world was still focused on the disaster that had struck Thailand, but not this island which was protected by the gulf. I do try to plan for every thing. It had a gorgeous view and was next to four other resorts which had different restaurants we could try, on a small peninsula with hundreds of coconut trees. My major concern in booking it was to have a tsunami proof place. The cost was supposed to be $14.00 for each cabin. As soon as Dana heard that there was no hot water, he decided to renegotiate the deal. I can’t blame him, he was sick and wanted to be comfortable. We went upscale and took a large cabin directly on the beach with hot water. I went to sleep thinking about my impending doom that night. Elizabeth went to her ocean cabin up above in the sky.

In the morning we had breakfast in the ocean view restaurant run by the resort. It was kind of funky with great music playing and pillows designed for reclining and just chilling out. Elizabeth wasn’t so happy after all. Her room was dirty and the neighbors were noisy. She decided to head for Haad Yao.

Dana continued to get worse. I was down in our bungalow and he called down to me, “Dick, do you want to come to the hospital with me?”

Chinese Temple
View from the front of the temple looking down to Chaloklum Bay and the thousands of coconut trees which dominate this island.
I shouted yes and quickly dressed and climbed up the 200 feet to the top of the hill. Dana had left. The resort owners were concerned about him and took him in their truck to the hospital. I was kind of panicked not knowing what was going on. I had no choice but to wait around for news. About three hours later Dana appeared. He arrived at the hospital around five. That’s closing time on this small island. Luckily, there is a clinic which is open later and is considered better. When he arrived, the doctor (in bare feet) recognized how bad he was and admitted him ahead of the people in the waiting room. He proceeded to give him a battery of tests, including x-rays. The results came back within the hour and he made his diagnosis. Apparently, the malaria drugs that we had both been taking since Cambodia were the culprit. He said, “We don’t pre-treat malaria here, we wait until you get it.” The cost of all his tests was only $35.00 and the care he received was immediate, not the kind of delayed response you get in the states. I was impressed. The doctor turned out to be the son of the Queen’s sister. I couldn’t believe it. This bare foot doctor was one of the royals. Apparently, Dana had gone right to the top tier of Thai society in seeking treatment. He had found a prince of Thailand! Dana was immediately taken off the malaria pills and given something for his stomach. It would take days before he improved enough to resume activities. He began his rest back at the room that night.

Elizabeth going by herself to Haad Yao turned out to be an excellent choice. When we finally visited her two days later (she was about 15 minutes away by car) it revealed itself to be one of the more beautiful beaches on the island. Her cottage was on the hill, with a gorgeous view looking down on one of the most beautiful beaches I’d ever seen. It was nicer than anything on Maui in Hawaii. Once again she had scored the coveted bird perch award and for only $14.00! It also had excellent snorkeling, great restaurants and a vibrant, night life. I was truly jealous. Our place was on this more or less dead beach. The snorkeling was cloudy and terrible!

1-17-2006

Once Dana was well enough for travel we decided to go visit the local, fishing village Chaloklum on the north side of the island. The village was sort of interesting in a low, key sort of way. We visited the shops and decided to get something to eat in town. We had the restaurant virtually to ourselves. The ocean water in the surrounding harbor was clear and a brilliant fluorescent, green color. Later we decided to hike out of town and came across a kind of zoo for Kamodo Dragons run by a local family. They are not the large ones found in Indonesia, but a smaller cousin that’s not as dangerous. They did warn us that you still have to watch out for their long tails, which they can swing and cut into your flesh. Warning taken! We then rented a sawngthaew to visit the Chinese temple in the island’s interior. After Chiang Mai and its beautiful temples this place kind of lacked luster. Being built on a hill, it did however, have a good view of the village of Chaloklum and the hundreds of coconut trees sweeping up the surrounding hills that are a main stay of the island economy.

After walking around, we decided to come back to rent a boat to visit the “Bottle Beach” a few days later. Since Elizabeth was on a tour of the other islands and to the national park, we decided to go snorkeling instead. We rented a small, long boat that was owned by a local fisherman. It was about $15.00. The trip to the beach was pleasant. The sun was shining and I tried taking the usual pictures as we rounded the corner to this remote bay. Unfortunately the sun was kind of bright and we seemed to always be at the wrong angle. Bottle Beach had two resorts and a very nice setting. We explored the beach and had cokes at one of the resorts. There were many younger people here. We kind of stuck out in this crowd. It didn’t really bother us. We decided to try the snorkeling. The water was warm and very clear, but no fish. We then snorkeled by the rocks and around some coral, but still nothing. It was still a refreshing swim.

On our way back, the fisherman realized that we were trying to snorkel. He asked us by using gestures if we wanted to stop to snorkel. He took us to a coral reef around the corner that was absolutely incredible. Dana stayed in the boat while I swam way above my head and saw many new species than what I’m use to while snorkeling in Hawaii; luckily none of the shark, sea snake or eel variety.
1-19-2006

We joined Elizabeth for dinner on her beach that night. We made plans to climb the tallest mountain in the center of the island. I had no idea what an adventure this was going to be. Dana needed recuperation time, so this seemed like a good plan for all concerned. Elizabeth and I rented the resort truck which took us to the island’s center. The cost is always $5.00. There is no real negotiation like the rest of Thailand. They know the tourists have plenty of money, at least by Thai standards. Once there we went to the park ranger’s station at the base of the mountain. Guides can be hired for what the book said is $15.00. Fair enough. A young guide had just returned from his hike, but had no trouble taking us on in the next half hour. He drove to a trail head, where we proceeded to climb up beyond we some farmers were farming. It started out easy and pleasant enough, but then became increasingly steep. For my age, I consider myself to be in shape, but this turned out to be the challenge of a lifetime. All along the way I looked for the poisonous, green snakes that are found all over this island. By about 2/3s of the way up, I was begging for one of the little bastards to bite me and put me out of my misery. Two fit Germans with their guide met us as they came down. They said the view was worth it. Finally, finally we emerged from the dense jungle to what seemed to be the top and some kind of clearing. I fell on my butt and lunged for my water bottle. I must have perspired half my body weight, even though I rested and drank the entire climb. My shirt was absolutely drenched. The guide then handed me a bag of chips that contained salt to replenish my system. I grabbed a breath of air, as I waited for my heart to recover from this activity. I said to myself if this didn’t kill me, nothing will for a few years to come. What an endurance test!

To my shear and utter bewilderment I looked out to a view that was only a dense patch of fog with no visibility whatsoever. Elizabeth and I just broke out laughing. The guide thought this was funny too! We had lunch and more to drink and finally the clouds broke for just a few minutes to see the fishing village, Chaloklum down below us. Then t just as quickly disappeared. We began our descent. The trip down was much easier and much more pleasurable. At the bottom, our guide took us to a stream overlooking a waterfall. Elizabeth dove off the rock above the waterfall fully clothed. I caught my breath and kind of fell off the rock more than jumped; my muscles were barely working. The water felt better than any water I have felt in my entire life. The guide jumped in to join us. We stayed there to cool off for a while and regain our humanity. We then hiked back to a point where the guide was telephoning his buddy to pick us up. We finally contacted him and met him below. We then asked him to take us back to Elizabeth’s beach where Dana would meet us. Upon reaching Haad Yao, we attempted to settle the bill. Instead of the $15.00 listed in the brochure for the price of a guided trip, he wanted $15.00 a piece. I was confident that the guide book had not said the amount he wanted. I was kind of mad and was looking for the book. Ever the lady, Elizabeth didn’t want to argue about it and paid his price. I acquiesced, since we were nowhere near park headquarters and couldn’t check with them anyway. What’s a traveler to do? When in Thailand you do what the Thais want you to do. Besides, I had another great life threatening tale to talk about over dinner. How could I complain?

That night we had dinner with Elizabeth at her beach and enjoyed a shark meat dinner, they called it dog fish. It was one of the tastiest meals in recent memory. At dinner, Elizabeth introduced us to a new friend she had met on the island. His name was Giles. Giles has since, invited us to visit him in Bali in a place he bought there. Maybe a future trip in the offing to Bali for our next adventure?

1-20-2006

For our last day there, the three of us went to one of the most scenic places there, at Ao Mae Head beach which overlooks the tiny island of Ko Ma. It was just simply a very stunning spot with the usual assortment of beach activities. People were sunning themselves, eating at the restaurant and under various tents getting the usual massages. It turned out to be another great snorkeling spot. We noticed two, long boats full of tourists diving to one side of Ko Ma. That turned out to be another patch of coral and yet another great diving spot to view tropical fish. We swam out to pretend we were with the tour and joined the relative safety of the long boats. All wet farang look like alike don’t they?

That night we had our last meal back at her beach and went snorkeling again off her beach, in what tuned out to be another fantastic spot. We had to swim out way over our heads this time. But the views below were amazing. When I surfaced, a boat was soaring above my head and an older Englishman was asking for directions. Like I might know anymore than him? We then returned ashore to clean up and went to a Bob Marley theme bar above Elizabeth’s bird perch, to have a few beers and watch the golden sunset, as it sank slowly over the Gulf of Thailand. It was the end of a near perfect day.

The next day, we traveled by air boat to Ko Samui for our plane ride back to Bangkok. This island was very glitzy and clearly much more over touristed; unlike the chilled-out experience of Ko Phangan. I was very glad about the choice to go there. Giles met us at the airport just to say goodbye. We flew back to the bustling capital for our last couple of days.


To be continued: Return to Bangkok

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Photos

Dana on train to Surat Thani
Dana somehow manages to smile, even when he is sick!

Spirit House
Paying hommage to the dead as it looks towards distant islands.

Fishing Village at Laem Sri Thanu.
The fishing village right next to our resort.

Loy Fa Bungalos
Our private little beach for the week on a peninsula at Laem Sri Thanu.

Bungalow
Dana on the front porch of our cottage. Unfortunately, it was not tsunami proof!

Fish Market
Woman attends to fish at the Chaloklum stall. The amazing thing is you can't see all the flies on the fish, the reason I took the photo in the first place.

Chinese Temple
View from the front of the temple looking down to Chaloklum Bay and the thousands of coconut trees which dominate this island.

Monitor Lizard (Varanus)
A much smaller cousin to the Komodo Dragon of Indonesia.

Return from Bottle Beach
A local fisherman takes us back in his long boat to Chaloklum Fishing Village after a great snorkeling experience.

Haad Yaao
Dana and Elizabeth at the one of the nicest beaches I've ever seen. The snorkeling was fantastic here!

The Amazing View, Not!
What can you do? Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Waterfall
I just jumped (fell off) this rock to the water below. It felt real good! I could barely swim because of the intensity of the climb we just did.

Elizabeth at Trail
Waiting for our ride as we emerge from the mountain jungle.

Ko Ma
A very idyllic scene with another great snorkeling spot to boot!

Massage on the Sand
Women massaging their customers on the beach at Had Mae Had

Chang Beer
Here I am enjoying my Chang Beer at the Bob Marley Bar at the top of the hill at Had Yao. Chang means, "elephant" in Thai.