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Published: January 21st 2005
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Had Sadet
A much needed break after loads of flying, sailing and 4x4's It's sunny, hot and we've finally managed to find a place to stay for
less than $10 per night. We left Bangkok a few days ago. They're
beginning to run together now. I heard a rumour that it might be
Friday. Not sure whether to believe it or not.
Had a great time in Bangkok. Ran into a colleague from CBC in
Banglamphu. Robin Barber was on his way home after a four month sojurn
through Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. We went to the redlight district
of Patpong and checked out the sights. We spent the better part of the
day wandering in and out of sex shows and beer bars picking Robin's
brain about where to go and what to see. It was a blast. Especially what some women can do with ping pong balls and a bit of string. Shocking. Thanks Robin!
We spent the rest of our time in the city roaming about visiting the
various Wats, shopping and eating from the street stalls. Basically soaking up all the humidity and waiting to go to the beach. We were treated to a
tuk tuk ride around town. It can be had for as little as 20B per
On the Rocks
The winds whipped up a huge surf on the island's east coast. Made sleeping tough. person. But be warned, no matter how many wats and cultural sights you
go to, you will eventually end up in a shop being fitted for a new
suit. No one forces you to buy but you do have to
look. The other downside is that the tuk tuks are low to the ground and
covered so the view is mostly passing curbs and dirty, rushing feet. A beautiful sight that’s not quite complete without a lung full of petrol fumes.
After leaving Bangkok we headed for Koh Samui on the east coast of the isthmas of southern Thailand. We arrived after having to dig ourselves out of bed in Bangkok at 3:30am. The only redeeming part was the free food and internet access in the Bangkok Airways departure lounge. We caught a six am flight to the island, arriving about an hour later. While we were at the airport on Koh Samui we decided since we were both up and keen to keep traveling we’d head to Koh Phangan. It's an hour ferry ride north from
the Samui pier. We only had to wait for three hours at the pier. We
sat around baking in the sun listening
Moving On
Taking a truck and heading to the island's north coast to kids set off firecrackers. At one point the air was so thick with blue smoke you couldn't see much in front of you. They had a great time. Dogs were
howling. Wonder how those trying to sleep in the nearby resort felt?
Once on Phangan we set off for the east coast in a combination of 4x4
trucks. The roads are bumpy and most are dirt tracks through the
mountains. It was a blast riding along in the burning sun. It felt
like we were almost in the middle of nowhere. Our first place was
called Mai Pen Rai. A resort on the beach named Had Sadet. The
monsoon season is apparently just ending and the surf on the east
coast is very high. We stayed in a bungalow built into the rocks
overlooking a crescent bay with mountains all around. The waves
crashed constantly over the rocks about 50 feet below our bungalow.
There was so much water sloshing around that it sounded like a storm
was raging outside the window. It was the oddest thing. It sounded
like the waves were going to slam into the bungalow at any moment but
as soon as you went
Chaloklum Beach
Not a bad view for 300B per night. outside everything was normal. There were no high
winds, just the waves slamming into the rocks and the water sloshing around. It took a lot of getting used to at night.
After three nights we thought it was a little more expensive
than we were willing to pay for what we were getting. The food was
good and the people friendly enough. But we both had a different
idea of what we wanted and this wasn't it. So we packed up, threw our
bags in the back of a pickup and found our way down to the big town on
the island, Thong Sala
Once there we ditched our bags at an internet café, rented a
motorbike for 150B and set out to find a beach we liked and a place
that was more affordable. After several minor mishaps. Like I said,
the roads aren't that good. We almost wiped out three times due
to large rocks and deep ditches that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the road. After an hour or so of riding we found a little village on the north coast of the island. The beach is called Chaloklum. And near there
The Beach
View from the Malibu Beach Huts. we found the perfect spot. It's called Malibu Bungalows. We've got a nice little
beach hut that comes complete with a fan, private bathroom and six of
our very own geckos to keep the moths and mozzies at bay. The beach
itself is fine white sand, with all kinds of trees for shade and
hammocks. There are several restaurants nearby. At the moment we have
no plans to leave. Some have said it's hard to find a place
like this on the island. I guess we were lucky. We just saw a sign
leading down a dirt path not taken and we followed it.
We’ll stay here at least until the 26th of January. There’s a full moon party that night. All the tourists on the island seem to be going. Just about every one of the 3000 available rooms are apparently filled. There’s expected to be tens of thousands of people on the beach that night engaging in any number of debaucherous activites. It’ll be a one stop shop for pickpockets. Looking forward to it though.
We managed to save some stranded Londoners one afternoon who had run out of gas and didn’t have any money. It
Gecko
Local residents fighting away mozzies and providing Charlotte with hours upon hours of amusement was so nice not to be the one asking why this damn bike had stalled and then having someone ride up and ask whether you were out of fuel. We found a gas station of sorts. More like a gas shack. Then went and drank beer and watched the sun set over Had Salad beach. A good afternoon’s worth of karmic banking.
So for now, it's all good. We're working on our tans and getting some
much needed sleep. Charlotte's tan is good but mine is still hiding under
the burn.
I would just like to add a wee note to say Happy Birthday to Mike as he is officially an old git (he he) today. On the serious side of the day though, it's just the two of us over here and there is no pressies and balloons, but I hope that it's still a brilliant Birthday. Have a good day. xxx
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anonymous
non-member comment
watch out for those mosquitos!
Hey guys... I got Dengue Fever staying in the hills there. Spent a week in the hospital on Koh Samui. Still managed to get back for a full moon party that just happened to be New Years Eve too. Have fun! And wear the Muskol... - Anna-May