Finally, it was time to hit the beaches of Thailand. We have been looking forward to this portion of our trip for a long time and were excited to start with a couple of low-key islands in the Gulf of Thailand: Ko Samui and Ko Pha-Ngan.
We left Bangkok on December 14 on an overnight bus. This was our first bus ride in Thailand, and it was a vast improvement over Nepal’s buses. Bottled water, juice and donuts were provided in addition to warm blankets and comfortable seats. We weren’t even on the VIP bus, so I can only imagine what they got! As we settled in for the night, we couldn’t help but watch the movie, which was a mix of sci-fi and soft porn and was produced, written and directed by one guy! Wow, can’t say I have ever seen anything like it before.
In the morning, we arrived at the port of Dansak to catch our ferry. Ko Pha-Ngan is known for its full moon parties which can be quite crazy from what we have heard. Mike and I were both seeking quiet and seclusion, so we skipped the party beach and stayed in Hat Than Sadet. It was a 45 minute ride in the back of a pick-up truck across the island, through the jungle, and it poured rain the whole time! But, when we arrived, it was paradise.Â
Our bungalow was rustic but charming and only 20′ from the beach. We had a second story to our porch, so amazing views, and the bathroom, although it lacked hot water, was done completely in stone which added to the warm feeling. I was in love and so happy to be here. The beach was a small cove backing up to a river and the jungle. It was isolated and quiet – just what we needed to re-charge!
The next morning, we were awakened by thunder and a downpour. It was raining so hard that we could hardly see the beach, and the wind was blowing the palm trees like crazy. It rained on and off all day, and we only got a quick dip in the ocean in the afternoon. The waves were huge, so I had to time my entry just perfectly to avoid getting pulled under. After being tossed around for about 5 minutes, we had had enough and went back inside. Luckily, the common area was cozy, so we passed the day reading and chatting with the super friendly family running the place.Â
The weather slightly improved for the next two days, allowing us to enjoy the beach a little and brave the waves, which continued to be enormous. The weather didn’t really bother us though as it was just nice to relax, read, play cards and eat yummy food. Oh and I fell in love with their pineapple-lime shakes!
On December 19, it was time to island hop to Ko Samui. During our taxi ride back to the pier, we learned from another traveler that the tropical storm that hit the Philippines was headed for southern Thailand and that rain was forecasted for the next 14 days! Ugh, Mike and I had some decisions to make about our itinerary as we planned to be at the beach through the 30th!
Ko Samui is only 15km away from Ko Pha-Ngan so it was a quick ferry. We again opted for a quiet beach but less isolated. Our bungalow was modern, super close to the beach, and we had electricity 24 hours a day plus wi-fi too. It was like we stepped back into the 21st century but didn’t hold quite the same charm as the last place. They did have a Christmas tree, so it helped us get in the holiday spirit!
Happy hour was required when we arrived so that we could figure out what to do about the tropical storm. Luckily, when we checked the weather again the storm was downgraded, and now just rain was forecasted. So rain at the beach and during the time that we were supposed to be rock climbing didn’t sound like it had a high fun factor. So we tried to manipulate our plans around, but we would lose many additional days due to travel. Our solution was to stick it out on the beach and hope the weather improved; otherwise, we would read a lot and play hours of cards:)Â
One highlight of our stay in Ko Samui was getting a Thai massage in a cabana right on the beach! I had heard great things about these massages, and I was not let down. It was so relaxing listening to the waves while having every knot rubbed out of my shoulders. The lady changed between lots of pressure (including walking on me!), gentle kneading and stretching. It was awesome!
We were treated to one day of perfect sunshine which we enjoyed swimming and walking the beach. Finally, I started to get a bit of a tan! The sun did not stick around, and on our last day in Ko Samui, it poured again. We did explore the village in the rain, and I found Cheetos in the 7-11 store, which were the first of the trip. Cheesy goodness:)Â
The other culinary highlight of the day was dinner at a local restaurant where it was all Thai people except for us. Mike was treated to an entire plate of cucumbers to help cool his mouth in between bites of his incredibly spicy dish. I could see the sweat beads forming on his forehead! My noodles were excellent, but thankfully not spicy:)
Our week spent on the islands was amazing and refreshing. Even though we were plagued with rain, I was re-energized and past halfway on my goal to read 52 books in 52 weeks! But we were still worried about the next 10 days…would it rain or would the sun shine…
