I would like to call this post Thailand for beginners. I am sure that there are many people like myself that have never travelled outside Europe before and have this unreal perception of the East.
I would like to begin by saying that I had the richest experience in terms of travelling so far. Maybe because, despite my 29 years of age, I have never been backpacking before. My unexperinced advise: rather take more money and buy stuff on the way, then carry all the things with you. You may never use some of them! My backpack was only 10 kg but after a while it felt that I was carrying an elephant! If you're a woman, never carry make-up or beauty products, you'll not use them. Thake some antiseptic cream instead: you are bound to end up with bruises and cuts, especially on the bottom of your foot. I've had one since the New Years night and it is still swallen.
Travel to Thailand:
The flight from London is exhausting. We changed flights in Bahrain so we had a chance to move a bit before taking on another 7 hours journey on the plane. If I were to go again, I would take a flight to somewhere in the Middle East (provided there is not some war going on), spend there a day of two and then continue my journey. You will feel less tired if you've had some sleep in between flights. We travelled with Gulf Air and it was ok. Can't really complain. Though in the last plane the seats were very uncomfortable. Watching "The Dutchess" on the kind of made up for it.
Bangkok
We flew into Bangkok and had almost a day in between taking another plane to Koh Samui, so we thought about visiting Bangkok. I don't know what I was expecting, but certainly not what I saw: and overpoluted city, full of motorbikes and big cars, people frying greasy food on the sidewalk (the smell became unbearable at some point), people sleeping on the pavement or on the benches.
If you have not been to Thailand before, expect to pay between 600 to 800 bhats (11 - 18 pounds) for a taxi ride into the city. Well, all the people I have spoken before to advised me to take a taxi with a meter. They all have meters but you can hardly find a driver that will want to use the meter. If you do find one, it will cost you between 200 and 300 bhats, but you are expected to pay for the highway tolls. If they don't want to use a meter, just tell them you won't pay more than 300 bhats, they will accept as they will realise you know the prices. Don't trust anybody, not even the information desk at the airport. The only people that will look after you will be the hosts at the place where you have accomodation. They treat guests like family. If they ask you personal questions, don't take it the wrong way! :)
Suvarnabhumi airport is huge and impressive. We were knackered and tried to get some sleep on a bench, but the air conditioning is too strong, my eyes were dripping. I also had a cold and was coughing hard, so decided to go out. We found a bit o green space and slept outside on some kind of pyramind. The weather was amazing, but we were so tired and so traumatized by Bangkok that I started to wonder wether coming to Thailand was a good idea after all...
Travelling inside Thailand
To get to Koh Phagnan most people take the night train from Bangkok: it's cheaper and you have sleepers, so a good chance to catch up with some sleep. By the time we decided to plan our journey to Koh Phagnan, it was already too late: all the trains were fully booked. I couldn't bring myself to spend another 12 hours on a bus, so decided to book a flight with Bangkok Airways. They were quite expensive as not many tickets were left, but it was well worth it. Bangkok Airways flies to Koh Samui (which is 30-40 mins by ferry from Koh Phagnan) and it's the most straightforward way to get to Koh Phagnan. Air Asia has low prices, but it flies to Suratthani which is on the mainland, a few hours away by ferry. If you've got time on your hands it is worth it to save some extra Bhats.
I was impressed with two things: Bangkok Airways had a customer's lounge, with free tea, coffee, juice and snacks and 15 minutes free internet connection. They are a very professional and reliable airline and flies many destinations in Asia (Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, India etc). The second thing that impressed me is the Samui Airport. That place is absolutely amazing: it is in open air and looks like a 5 stars spa or something similar. It has shops and restaurants and an avenue and you can easily kill a few hours there.
Koh Phagnan
Finally there. Our friends waited for us at the port in Thongsala (main ferry port on the island, on the south-west) and took us by motorbikes to our bungalows, which were on the west side of the island in Suratan. The place were we stayed, Moon Beach Bungalows, was a little piece of heaven. I would go back there anytime if it wasn't so far from the buzz of the island. It is a nice spot for people looking for peace and quiet,but not so great for people looking for fun :) If I were to go back to Koh Phagnan, I'd choose to live closer to Haad Riin. It may be buzzing all the time, but once you find yourself a nice secluded bungalow, you've got nothing to worry about.
Our friends lived at the Or-Rawarn Resorts (well, we joked calling it a stable, as it wasn't as posh as our place,but the atmosfere was unbeatable) between Thongsala and Haad Rin. The owner of the "stable", Mr. T. is the nicest and funniest man I have ever seen, Mrs. T. is good fun, great cook and improvised nurse (she was picking everyone's wounds with a tooth pick and cleaning them with lime juice, a natural antiseptic, which aparently was excruciating painfull, but well worth it) and their 3 sons the cutest thai boys I've ever seen.
Full Moon Party was crazy. I hardly remember anything as I was drinking so many buckets of vodka with red bull (they don't do glasses, just buckets :)), that I actually missed midnight, got lost from everyone else (we all got lost from one another) and got myself a cut on the bottom of my foot. If I were to do it again, I'd do it differenlty, but it was good fun nevertheless. :)
Koh Phagnan is not all about Full Moon Parties though. The island is full of surprises: there are three waterfalls and mountains and there are day trips that anyone can take and enjoy the great outdoors.
Thai food is surely fantastic, but for those who are staying longer on the island and get fed up of eating Thai food everyday or simply miss a good old English meal, there are good news: a proper English Pub can be found close to Thong Sala. Just ask any tuk-tuk driver to take you down to Mason's Arms.
I strongly recommend to anyone that goes to Thailand to try the famous Thai Massage. I've had one on my birthday (probably the best present I could have offered myself) and it was a marvelous experience. There are places that offer Thai Massage almost everywhere around the island. However, we went to a quite dodgy looking place somewhere in Thong Sala and there were only some curtains shivering in the wind that separated us from the street. I can only imagine how the effect of the massage can be enhanced by a nice scented room with relaxing music if I totally enjoyed a thai massage in a dump by the main road with hip-hop music that could be heard from a bar near by :)
All and all, the most amazing experience. I am only sorry I didn't stay longer and am now determined to come back and explore the amazing treasures of the East.
More about my Thai experience and travelling tips to come on www.haihuiprinlume.com
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