Ko Phangan, Thailand
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
After the dissapointment of Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan comes as a relief. This place is not only beautiful, but it is also not overdeveloped and there's no prostitution scene here. The travellers are different too: you get more backpackers in love with nature and with paradise, couples and families who come here to get away from it all. There's little doubt that this island is one of the most naturally beautiful places we've seen on our trip so far. Since hanging out at the beach all day does get boring though, even in paradise, we went on a trip. First we endured a bone-jarring 45 minute ride in the back of a pick-up truck hanging on to a bar for dear life as the truck rushed through an unpaved road running through the island's jungle to get to a port where we embarked on a boat heading to the uninhabited Ang Thong archipelago. We took another hour to get there through the opean ocean and arrived at a cluster of jagged rocks, which could convince people with one glance that they were simply not worth colonizing
. The place had a savage beauty on land and even more so under the sea. We dove in for some snorkelling amongst the pristine coral reefs. We did not have an underwater camera, so you'll have to take our word that we found ourselves surrounded by thousands of fish and invertebrates decked out in amazing colours. Snorkelling is very fun, but an hour or two of swimming in the ocean can drain one to a surprising extent so we had to get back on the boat for lunch. After which, we visited an island where the jagged coral rocks jutted out of the sea ringing around a deep green lagoon teeming with life. And then the piece de resistance in the three course menu of the trip: a deserted beach only accesible by boat and some snorkelling equipment needed to navigate the coral reefs which could injure an unsuspecting swimmer. We stayed on that picture perfect beach in the hot sun contemplating the unbelievable beauty of the place; when we got hungry some of the Thai crew climbed up a coconut tree and treated all of us to coconut juice and pulp, as fresh as it gets, while we sat in the 30+C water. Anyone out there in the cubicles in cold Canada feel like joining us?
Sadly in a day or two we will have to leave this place. We are having some problems with the visa. What would you do if your country depended upon tourism as its main industry, there was a global economic crisis, and you were fresh off the heels of a political crisis which impacted tourism to a large extent? Why of course, make it harder for tourists to come! Starting a couple of months ago, they changed the regulations such that tourists coming overland can only get a two week visa, and visa extensions can only be gotten now for 1 week at a cost which for us is about equivalent to room and board for the same time period! So it looks like we will have to do a complicated journey to the Burmese border, cross it for about an hour and then come back to Thailand for a new 14day free visa. A lot of trouble and pain, and we met very few tourists who are not angry about it.
