Back "home" - Koh Pha Ngan
Trip Start
Nov 22, 2004
1
7
9
Trip End
Dec 09, 2004
Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
We did the same boat-bus-boat trip and arrived 'home' after another long day. A Thai man with a book of photographs approached us on the boat and talked to us about his hotel. We were going to brush him off, like other travelers recommend, but we talked to him and ended up staying at his place for 150 baht, which is five dollars. They were bungalows in the sand, absolute beachfront. Small and bare, with a manual flush toilet and only cold water, they were all we needed.
We'd booked two nights there and paid, but we went to find another place we'd seen over the full moon party. We'd actually run into some people from home at Lazy House just before the full moon party, which turned out to be a blessing. Friends of my Mum, and Simon's, these people were fun and nice and great to party with. After meeting up with them and seeing where they were staying, we wanted to stay there too, but we were still at Drop In. So when we got back we went to check the vacancy. We couldn't reserve the one we wanted for tomorrow, but it was vacant for today so we just booked it and stayed there three nights. We left some stuff at the other place so Simon went to get it on the bike while I relaxed at Lazy House. He finally returned an hour later, one enormous pack on his back, one on the front, blocking his view. That along with the treacherous road was enough to make even the Thai's think he was crazy.
The trip to Lighthouse Bungalows was another adventure. Sy had the bike, so he rode, but I jumped in the back of a ute with the packs and bumped my way there the whole time. More of a goat track than a road, the driver picked his way through the eroded rocky gully, deep with ditches and obstacles. I bounced around on the back with Simon looking on from behind with alarm. After surviving the ten-minute trip that should of taken one, we arrived at the "bridge" that took us around the boulders and over the water to Lighthouse Bungalows. The "bridge" was the width of a footpath, made of old wooden planks and on one side a pointless, sagging, pipe acted as a rail. Apart from only being ankle high most of the way, the pipe also protruded onto the path. You could either try to avoid nicking your leg on it by moving over to the other side, and risk the fall or fly past and hope not to get cut. I was not so lucky.
The first night I crossed the bridge was at night, our companion showed us how its done by flying across on his scooter. I was not so game so Simon and I walked, and to me even that was sketchy. The bridge was long, probably half a K and precariously balancing on suspect pieces of wood. Planks were missing, and through the gaps were reminders not to fall, jaggered rocks slicing up between the calm lapping ocean. By the end of it Simon and I were doubling our little scooter over it six or eight times a day.
The bungalows here are built into the boulders here and in our bathroom a big boulder formed a wall behind the toilet. Big sliding glass doors revealed an extensive balcony with a view to die for. Its right on the water, built into the cliff, a few meters above the water. Private, clean, and only seventeen dollars a night. The only problem is in the morning you hear the long tails coming around the point. They are impossible to miss. No sleep in's.
This place was great because it feels removed from the chaos of 'town' but for the full moon party it would be hard. Riding in on the scooters when sober was indeed a challenge, so I'm sure the incident numbers rose over the party. Most people sported what was called a "Samui tattoo", a giant blistered burn on the calf where the leg touches the exhaust. Both Simon and I survived any great injury, which was amazing considering we doubled most of the time.
