Hello there everyone!
Apologies for not posting anything for over a week! Crazy time in my life - faaaar too many responsibilities ;) But I ain’t complaining, no nooooo!
Anyways...
Let’s go to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao!
These two absolutely amazing islands are located on the south of Thailand, in the Surat Thani Province. Why did I choose to go there instead of heading to Koh Phi Phi or Krabi or Phuket? Weeeeell, there were few reasons, for instance:
- less touristic (so I was told);
- one of the most beautiful places for diving (Koh Tao);
- time pressure (as you probably remember from my last post, I went to Thailand only for 2 weeks);
- distance to Surat Thani airport.**
Of course if I could I would love to visit the other places as well, you know me already a lil’ bit ;)
On the road
From Khao Sok it took me few hours to get to Koh Phangan. First bus to Surat Thani, then another bus to go to the pier and finally the boat!
I don’t know about you, but if I am not in a hurry and have some time, I really enjoy traveling with sightseeing. I mean sitting in a comfortable (sometimes less comfortable as well ;)) seat, looking through the window and admire the nature. Mountains, lakes, sea, trees, valleys, fields, just name it :) Then I feel that I can stop myself and appreciate. Appreciate the moment :) I am thinking then how lucky I am to have the opportunity to experience all this. And also I am feeling very grateful and blessed :) How about you guys? Sounds familiar?
Anyways, back to the boat. I couldn’t sit away from the sun and delicate breeze so I went on the top of the boat :) Sitting on the floor and having my backpack as a pillow was a nice experience. Of course I didn’t put any sunscreen, why would I? I was supposed to be only few hourse on the boat, so of course my common sense went asleep. But there are no free lunches - I got burnt a little bit and felt the consequences for few days ;)
Sooooo my dears, don’t repeat my mistakes ;) and don’t trust yourself thinking that you don’t need any protection ;)
Koh Phangan
Once I got to Koh Phangan and found my hostel, I met a nice guy from Russia who asked if I want to join him and go to see the sunset. The answear was ‚hell yeah!’ as always =) Even though the journey was a little bit exhausting, I didn’t want to miss a thing. The funny thing about sunsets in this latitude is that it lasts for absolutely few moments and then it gets dark almost immediately.
Goodies for your taste buds
One of the great places in Koh Phangan is… yes… the FOOD MARKEEEEEEET!!! It is open round noon till late night hours. You can find there absolutely everything! Starting from lovely Thai cuisine (including many types of worms), through Italian, vegetarian, Japanese and many more! Everybody will definitely find something for themselves. Me personally, when I am traveling I choose the local food.
In Koh Phangan I ate the first and the best Pahthai EVER! And when I say ever, I really do mean so - starting from that moment I had been trying Padthai almost every day in different places ;)
Certainly, I cannot forget to mention about fruit shakes! Prepared in few seconds from fresh fruits (veggies as well) shakes are one of the things that I really miss back in Poland. My favourite one - mango shake is my TOP number 1! My record was about 4 shakes one day, but I think that I can have them even more ;)
Muay Thai for your body
Having my belly filled, my body relaxed, I decided to go to Muay Thai training. As you recall, I have been practising this sport in Poland over 3 and a half years so far, so that was an absolutely MUST DO in Thailand. A matter of respect and honour ;) I went to Chinnarach Thai Boxing gym - not far away from the pier, fully equiped and the price was also nice ;) If anybody would like to sweat a little bit and experience Thai national sport, I would highly recommend this. If you worry that you have never tried this before - don’t hesitate as well - the staff always adapt the exercises to your abilities. If you still have second thoughts, then ask yourself what more Thai can you do/try in Thailand? And how cool it is to practise Thai boxing in Thailand? I hope that I don’t need to encourage you more ;) Also you can take some pics with the two-time world champion - master Chin (Chinnarach) =)
Chillout zone for your soul
Sweet Koh Phangan apart from delicious food, Muay Thai gyms has also or of course beatiful views, beaches and waterfalls. I would deifnitely recommend Zen Beach - quite and peaceful place where everyday round sunset people gather for jam sessions. A great place to chill out, enjoy the water and sun. Of course there are other beaches, but I fell in love with that one ;)
What I would also recommend you to see in Koh Phangan is one of the roof top bar called Amsterdam. Yupe my dear friends in Thailand you can find a smell of Netherlands but with totally different surroundings, just look at this ;)
Diving paradise - Koh Tao
Having taken care of my stomach, body and soul I decided to feed my eyes and explore the underwater world. One of the top places in the whole wide world where you can admire coral reefs and its inhabitants is located in the waters flowing around Koh Tao. This island is located just next to Koh Phangan.
How to get there?
Of course by boat ;) If your schedule is tight, you need to bare in mind that the boats are not flowing too often between the islands.
The island, fish, turtles and stunning coral reef
Koh Tao is a very small however very beutiful island. Starting from the very pier you will find tons of companies which organize diving trips in the best spots around the island. I picked one of them and as I hadn’t been diving for at least two years, I decided to get a review refresher course. After the refresher we headed straight to the water for 2 fun dives. To be honest I was a little bit scared. Really, a two year break between diving is quite a long time. But I overcame my fear and once I was in the water I felt this excitement and curiosity. We went down approx. 15 metres. The view under the water was absolutely priceless! We were very lucky and we met sea turtle, triggerfish, scribbled filefish and many other small fish. Not to mention the reef…. Even now, typing on my computer I have the underwater views just in front of my eyes. What an experience! It is definitely worth any monies =)
Apart from the views I also love the silence while diving. You can devote full attention to this extraordinary activity and just BE there :)
If you don’t feel like diving, you can always try snoarkling anywhere in the water on any of the islands. The views are also breath taking :) You just need some snoarkling equipment or swimming goggles would also do the work. Or you can invest in some fancy stuff like below ;)
Night life
Although Koh Tao is known as a quite and peaceful place, there are many bars, discos at the seaside near to the pier. If you are a party animal don’t worry - you will easily find your spot for a crazy night. For these of you who love silence, you will also find many many many places where you can chill out and get a nice rest :)
How will I remember two lovely Thai islands
These two islands stole my heart. Literally. I love sun, water, turtles, fish, food, bikes and the atmosphere of these places. Everyone will definitely find something for themselves. If you like exhausting sports - try Muay Thai. If you like silence - discover the underwater world. If you fancy local cuisine - explore the food markets. If you wish to charge your inner batteries - lay down on one of numerous beaches. Convinced? Encouraged? I hope so ;)
Next stop - we will be moving north to Chiang Mai - the third largest city in Thailand. Wanna learn something abou elephants, rafting, how to prepare padthai? I hope that the answear is HELL YEAH ;) Therefore, stay tuned dear Steemities!
Lynxia
P.S. Some practical tips:
- Bus + boat from Khao Sok to Koh Phangan - THB 650
- Accommodation in hostel in Koh Phangan - I paid THB 150 per night in a 16-bed room :)
- Boat from Koh Phangan to Koh Tao - the prices start from THB 350-500 one-way ticket. There are not so many boats flowing on a daily basis, so plan your trip carefully if you have limited time to spend.
- Accommodation in hostel in Koh Tao - I paid THB 299 per night for a bed in a 6-bed room :)