KO PHANGAN

Coconut Joy
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The sister island to the internationally known Ko Samui, Ko Phangan is known for firstly it's full moon parties around the southern peninsula and also it's quite secluded beach resorts and fishing towns. I can confirm that after all the action Anne and I had seen with the rest of Thailand we were definitely going there for the relaxed secluded lost paradise feeling.

After the plane journey we hopped on a sea cat and headed north from Ko Samui for about half an hour before being dropped off on Ko Phangan. A Hotel taxi then took us to our resort which was located down a dirt track that you would not want to attempt in anything other than a truck/4x4 or motor bike. Lets say that the path needed some grading. However, this did only add to the secluded feeling of the little bay we stayed in called Hat Salat, definitely the island paradise that we were looking for. Fortunately we were able to secure one of the beach front bungelos meaning that each morning we woke up to the surf and each evening we watched the sun set over the beautiful blue ocean, magnificent.

...and watched the waters change colour as the sunset...

Hermit Crab
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Our fist activity besides relaxing and enjoying the scenery was going on a dive trip north of the island to a site called 'the island'. This dive site was a large coral outcrop that delved into the depths of the ocean. On this particular dive we went to 18 metre's amid the abundance of fish and coral. We spotted species such as Baramundy, Gropers, Angle Fish and the odd Mooré Eel.

Still starved for a little bit of adventure we decided to hire a scooter for the day on which to explore as much of the island as possible. We headed for the small port town of Thong Sala. On the way we bumped into a Monitor Lizard, relaxing in the days heat on the middle of the road. I guess that it would have been about 5 feet long from head to tail. Out of concern for its safety

Supply Boat
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I shooed it back into the scrub in an attempt to save it from being squashed by the next mad bike rider to breach the hill. Once safe we continued on to our destination. Once in town we lunched at a local cafe and looked around at the shops, most of which were selling designer ware copies.... In true Thai travel style we made sure that we supported the local community and purchased what we were sure to be original 'Croc's' (as in the rubber sandals).

After parting this little town we headed to the centre of the island to a waterfall aptly named Phang Waterfall. Though a very hot day we proceeded to hike up the valley to the top of the waterfall before turning out towards a lookout which gave us a glorious view of the south west side of the island. The waterfall, though small was beautiful in that tropical island sort of way and a refreshing dip in one of the falls pools did make the rest of the walk a lot more bearable. Descending the islands mountain we made our was back to the start of the national park, meeting a number of lizards and a lone monkey on the way. Once back on the scooter we headed for a fishing village called 'Bam Chalok Lam.' Settling into a local cafe/bar and watched the waters change colour as the sun set, a magnificent sight to remember.

Sun Set
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The next two days was spent relaxing, drinking out of coconuts, snorkeling and having massages so to prepare us for the trip back to Australia and into reality.....

Thailand was a magnificent adventure and I would recommend it to all.