Scooterin’ on Ko Phangan

October 2^nd, 2024

From Lamai Beach where I was staying, I ordered a Grab (the Uber of Southeast Asia) and on the ride I clued in that probably every Thai person, whether they speak English or not, know how to say two English numbers:  7 and 11.  I had heard that there were a lot of 7-11 convenience stores in Thailand, but this was taken to the next level.  In my 11-kilometre ride to the ferry terminal, I saw at least twelve 7-11s!  There was one instance that I think there was only 500 meters between two of the stores…crazy!

 

I hopped on the 30 minute, midday ferry from Ko Samui over to the slightly smaller island, Ko Phangan, which is about 15 kilometres to the north.  The resort (yes, resort!) that I was staying at called Salad Buri had sent a driver to pick me up.  Salad is the name of the beach where it is located.  I had decided to splurge a little bit for this four night stay…and when I say a little bit, it was only $45/night, but that it higher than my average nightly expense for accommodations as that will add up quickly when you are travelling for 4 months.

The pier on Ko Samu.  That's the ferry boat which could seat at least 100 people.

Arriving at Ko Tao...some kind of military ship.  It was hard to tell if it was still operational.

Wow!  Was I surprised by my room.  Located on a steep hillside, it had a fabulous view of the small, sandy Salad Beach!  That sealed the deal on my plan to have a chill day tomorrow, relaxing and catching up on my blogging and some travel planning.

My room for the next 4 nights...pretty sweet.

And look at the view from my room!!!

The restaurant at the resort.  The food was okay but they closed early in the evenings.  I ate a lot of my meals at another restaurant about 100 metres down the beach called the Salad Hut (no, they didn't specialize in salads...that's the name of the beach).

I felt like I was at an all-inclusive resort.

After a day of rest, it was time to rent a scooter to cruise around the island.  I hired a 125cc scooter for 500 baht for two days ($20).  It was a pretty new bike and it served me well.  It had enough power to climb some of the super steep roads.

Good to go...

I loved these scooters that I saw on my ride...but maybe not secure enough in my masculinity to rent one!

My first plan was to head to the other side of the island, to Haad Rin Beach, which is where the infamous Full Moon Parties are held.  There are parties not just for full moons, but half moons and new moons…but I’m sure almost any day of the week some kind of party can be found here.  The “moon parties” tend to be all-night trance and techno music raves…not my cup of tea (never understood the monotonous thumping of techno) but it attracts a lot of young partiers, especially Israelis.

Arriving at Haad Rin.

Unfortunately this pick didn't come out, but it was "I ♥ Koh Phangan".

I walked up and down the beach, along some of the small side streets, had a beer and then decided to try and find a nearby lookout point at the head of the peninsula before heading to another section of the island.

One end of the beach:

Looking towards the other end.

A narrow, colourful street by the beach.  Most businesses were closed as they cater to the evening and all-night partiers.

Some words of wisdom from a place where you can get buckets of beer and free body paint!

I liked these seats made from an oil drum.

Some Japanese restaurant:

Okay, time to relax.  Even though the sun wasn't out, it was hot and humid.

Love the name!

Looking back towards Ko Samui from a viewpoint on the peninsula by Haad Rin.

The beach I was on is on the right.

Just a random pic on my ride out of Haad Rin:

This place was interesting...it's not a temple, it was a hotel that closed down in 2020.  I guess the owners got in trouble for "cultural appropriation" of  Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

But to add to the intrigue..this sign was on the locked door, and it states "Do not enter, authorized personnel only.  Photography or filming of pornographic videos is prohibited.  If found guilty, will notify the police immediately."  Huh...somebody did something they shouldn't have...

Hard to tell, but this is a pretty steep road.

Looking on a map, I noticed that there was a single road that accessed a few beaches on the northeast side of the island.  I was staying on the northwest side, but could not drive directly from there so I figured since I was already a bit more than halfway there…today would be my big scootering day and tomorrow I would explore closer to my neck of the woods, or jungle, I guess.

A roundabout...the first one I've seen in Thailand.

It was nice to get on a quieter road and enjoy the hilly, jungle scenery.  There was a pretty significant climb up a small mountain, and I was starting to get a little concerned as to how much gas was left in my tank.  The rental place gives you the bike with next to no fuel in it, but I had purchased a couple of litres from them, which they keep in glass bottles.  I asked the guy how many kilometres I could expect from a litre, and he stated about 40. 

Heading towards Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach on the northeast side of the island.

I hadn’t done 80 clicks yet, but at least 60-70 and when I had checked the tank before heading up this big hill, it didn’t look like I had a whole lot left so I wasn’t racing up the steep incline, trying to be economical with the gas.  I was thinking to myself “Why didn’t I just buy a couple more litres at the rental place, which would have cost another $4, and I wouldn’t have had any worries?!?”.  I stopped at a house by the road that had 4-5 ATVs for rent and a little stand with a sign saying “Gazoline” but all the bottles were empty and tipped over and no one was around.  I continued on, and a few kilometres later I found a lady sitting at her little stand with a collection of gas filled bottles and purchased a few litres from her…stress over.

This colourful dragon statue was outside of the entrance of some yoga retreat...not sure what the connection is...

I found my way down to Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach which was in a nice little cove.  It was time for a mid to late afternoon snack as I hadn’t had lunch yet.

Thong Nai Pan Yai Beach:

I liked someone's Egyptian Giza Pyramid sand sculpture, including the Sphinx.

Interesting bathroom sign, the pee stream was animated.

Even more interesting urinal...I felt like I was peeing into some African clay oven.

My late lunch snack...gambling a bit here as it's usually wise to stick to cooked food to avoid "Thai Tummy", but this was yummy and I was no worse for wear.

Recharged, I decided that it was time to work my way back to my beach as it was a bit of a circuitous route to get there.

There must be alot of accidents around this corner.

A strange looking entrance for a now abandoned park.  The eyes had red light bulbs and it must have been pretty spooky at night.

I saw a few of these signs but I'm not sure what it was about.  Looks like a young Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State.

On my way back to Salad Beach.

Some kind of quirky art display made from garbage like old plastic bottles.

This was right beside the photo above...cool dragon.  Its skin was made of seashells.

I liked the freaked out mushroom.  In the little cartoon bubble he is saying "Color Fighter".  And above the green guy, it looks like the chemical symbol for LSD.  Yup, I think a lot of this type of activity goes on on this island.

It was a great day of exploring the island on a scooter.