Ko Phayam

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I am now recovering from Bangkok and bedbugs on a southwest Thailand island, Ko Phayam.

I originally only planned to be on the island for 3 or 4 days but that stretched to a week. It was hard to leave!

I had a bungalow to myself at Goldkey Bungalows, not on the beach, but maybe 100 meters. I added a couple of pics of my favorite day spots to relax in the shade while watching the waves. They used a generator for electricity and only provided lights and power (for the fan) between 6 pm and 11 pm. Unfortunately, I wasn't often in my bungalow at this time to enjoy it. Out enjoying dinner or relaxing in a bar or at a party.

Ocean swimming was wonderful and helped heal my sores. The salt water bit my sores the first couple of days and I didn't enjoy occasionally touching a jellyfish tail, but their stings didn't over irritate my skin. The jellyfish are small and infrequent in the bay.

I rented a kayak for a day with a new friend, Annette, of Germany. We enjoyed paddling around the bay for the full day - too bad the wind was too strong to leave the bay, we could have paddled to several remote beaches.

About food - I had two of the best meals of my trip on the island! On the second eve, I enjoyed a barbaqued baracuda steak with roast potatoes and salad at Multi Culti near the pier. On my last eve on the island, I had a barbaqued makerrel steak with salad sitting on cushios on a raised oceanside platform at P.Tao Restaurant & Bar. Both were fresh from the ocean - never frozen! And I only paid about $7US for each meal!

On the friday eve, I attended a Thai party - an evening of watching local bands play, interspersed with disc jockey techno (could have done without the techno). Late in the evening fire dancers performed with several of the songs. They dance with two lit balls on chains that had been soaked in parfum (sp). The dance is beautiful, with the spinning balls crossing in front and behind the dancer's body. On the last evening at P.Tao Bar, an Austrian woman also performed to Pink Flloyd. She had spent some time in Thailand and decided to learn how to fire dance. I want to learn to dance with fire as well! - definitely a reason to return to the islands one day.

I rented a scooter for the week I was on the island - there are no cars on the island and the few existing roads are narrow and often turn from pavement to dirt tracks. Its the best way to explore the island.

The island is full of Germans, German Swiss and Austrians - their guidebooks advise that Ko Phayam is a must visit, while the lonely planet gives the island a pass. It was odd to be overwhelmed by German speaking groups everywhere on the island.

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