Island hop to Koh Phangan

IT'S notorious for its monthly full moon parties, which attract hundreds of thousands of travellers from around the world every year, but this "party island" image does Koh Phangan no justice.

There is more than meets the eye with this mountainous island in the province of Suratthani in southern Thailand Koh Phangan is actually a very laidback and peaceful island.

Koh Phangan is located halfway between its sister islands, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Stretching to about 168 sq km, it is covered predominantly in mountainous jungle that envelops you as soon as you step onto the island. Being surrounded by the green beauty all around, it gives one a very calming feeling as if you don't have a care in the world.

I arrived in Koh Phangan on a ferry from Koh Tao, which takes about two hours and cost THB450 (around $18). As soon as we got on land, we were welcomed by hawkers selling food and souvenirs all lined up along the pier leading towards the town while its crowd of persistent and signboard waving taxi drivers swarm the incoming tourists to take them to their hotels.

My hotel was located at Chaloklum, on the opposite side of the island and far from Haad Rin beach, where the Full Moon Party is held. Lucky for me, as people who stayed at Haad Rin beach complained how they could not sleep at night from the booming music playing till the morning.

Going around by taxi (actually a pick-up truck, and they don't leave until the truck is full) usually costs about THB200 (around $8) per person for a one way trip. A cheaper transportation option would be to rent a motorcycle for THB100 (around $4) for 24 hours. Of course, it's at your own risk.

Riding a bike through the mountains and feeling the wind on your face as you ride through the slopesits the ultimate de-stress thing to do, at least at that time.

Being a nature lover, I was at awe, taking in the fact that I was surrounded by mountains, trees...and elephants. Really, there were elephants at the roadside, just lazing around in the trees. Not something you'd see everyday.

My travel buddies and I took a bike for a leisurely ride around the island, enjoying the scenery and tranquility of a place away from civilisation. I was in zen mode, that was pretty much it.

Koh Phangan is a place where, instead of doing the typical things of sightseeing, you learn something. There are plenty of places that offer lessons on Thai cooking, belly dancing, muay thai and yoga, among others.

Riding around the island, I found the place filled with beautiful, undisturbed spots for detox and meditation as a number of places offer yoga classes. I think this is the perfect getaway when you're stressed out by work and demands of life. Unfortunately, I was running on tight schedules, I hadn't had the time to try the classes out.

Instead, I went to check out one of the many waterfalls on the island, Phang waterfall from Thong Sala, which is the main town in the island. Phang waterfall is turned into a recreational park, with also a hostel for tourists who love being in touch with nature.

There was also a jungle-trek on elephants at Phang waterfall for THB500 (around $20) for a trip.

Phang waterfall is the most popular and biggest waterfall with a stunning view over the south and west of the island. There are two ways to get to the top: a well-paved walkway up the hill, or the more challenging hike up the rocks.



In all honesty, the waterfall wasn't the main attraction for me, but rather it was the atmosphere, and the hike as the trail is steep and very challenging.

Getting to the top, I met with other travellers who advised us to save our energy, as the middle point was the best spot of the waterfall to swim in. I went with the expectation of an epic waterfall but the reality was, the waterfall flowed down the rocks that I was hiking on and the best I could get from it was something like a puddle that I could only sit in.

Like its sister islands, Koh Phangan is another dive haven. There are several schools on the island mostly in the more popular beaches like Haad Rin which offer PADI courses.

If diving is not your thing, there's always snorkelling to enjoy the beautiful large coral reefs, fishes and clear waters of this chill-out island.

The Brunei Times