December 18-25, 2006

This is the first trip that i did it alone. More than 12 hours from bangkok, spent one week there. Nice trip that changed someone to be stronger.
           

Something made me ran away from bangkok.
Really needed a quiet place to focus on myself on empty days.
Somewhere in my country should be the best place for a person who has never travelled alone.
I love the sea so Koh Pangan was the destination.

Koh Pangan  is in Surat Thani  south of  Thailand. It's far from bangkok around 12 hours by bus. And another 3 hours by ferri. You can go by plane too but no plane goes straight on to Koh Pangan, have to take plane from bkk-surat thani then take ferri from Surat to Koh Samui and take another one from Samui to Pangan.

Why Pangan?
I wanted to be alone so Hua Hin beach, Pattaya beach or Koh Samed which are favourite beaches for thai people and close to bangkok but crowded are not a place for me.
And I heard about this island for a long time but have no chance to go yet.
The name of it was popped up in my head at that time and i knew if i was there,  no one - nothing in bangkok will follow me.

Then ...
1. I searched for Koh Pangan's info on www.pantip.com, famous webboard in Thailand.
There has every answers for every questions. People who knows 'thing' give an information to people who don't know.

2. Bought VIP bus ticket at Sai Tai Mai Bus Station. (There has another one on Kao Sarn Road by LOM PRA YA company)

3. Which beach?
Koh Pangan has many beaches, Had Rin beach is a favourite one which known as Full Moon Party beach.
There has party every week, full moon, half moon, dark moon, ..... Had Rin has never been alone.
But i didn't go there. Eventhough i went to Koh Pangan around full moon but i need a quiet place so i chose Tong Nai Parn Yai Beach. White sand, quiet, peace and calm. Many people call it as an adult beach.
Because most of people who come here are old :-)

If you are the one who always travels alone, you never know how scared am i!!
Excited, scared, scared, excited. The bus started at 7pm and will be there around 6.30 am.
I can't sleep but a beautiful view outside and the moonshine made me calm down.
I told myself, new, you're having a holiday, Fresh air is waiting for you which bangkok has none. You are going to feel the sand and smell the sea so whatever will be, will be.

After a marathon sitting on the bus, and three more hours on the ferri, finally i was on Pa ngan. The cabs to Tong nai parn beach are parking at the bo tree. 100 baht per person so i had to wait until the cab is full. But if i don't want to wait for the other, i can do it for 700 baht per cab. No, i can wait.

I waited from 10am-12pm, no one wants to go to my beach, people came but they all went to Had Rin. The cab drivers came and offer new price, 600 baht and go now. I said no, 500, 400 and the last price  they said was 300 baht. I still said no, i can wait. (don't know why don't i go). Until 1pm, P'dam, a cab driver said "come with me". "only me?, i  don't wanna pay for 700." He said "don't worry, come with me". P' Dam has moustache, look a bit wild. I was hesitating ... if i'm safe? But he said come in come in. Ok ok, go go go!!!

Along the way to Tong Nai Parn P'Dam told me about Pangan history. He was borned there. Many thing he said was different from what i heard before. If someone came and shared a cab with me, i might sit on the back of the cab and i might not have a chance to talk to him (local guy) and know about pangan in detail like this.  

He thought i was going to work there. Don't i look like a tourist at all? He said , thai people don't travel alone especially women, never seen, most people who came alone are come to work. Hmmm....!

One hour later, we're here, tong nai parn. Safe, and he charged me only 100 baht :-D  So i gave him a tip. Thank you for your information :-D

I stayed at Central Cottage Resort, it's in the middle of Tong Nai Parn Beach. P'Pong, a manager at that time, helped me a lot and always checked me every day and night, he was worried that i came alone :-D All guests are foriegners and came with their mates or family. I was an only one who's Thai and came alone. P'Pong told me that most of Thai people stayed at Had Rin or Tong Nai Parn Noi because it has many many parties overthere.

After finished doing my hammock, time to go to feel fresh air!! Yuppy!!! This is the first trip that i can see a beautiful nature clearly. Different from coming with friends. They always has many activities to do, holiday with them is like school camping. Wake up, swim, play cards, lunch, swim, play cards, photos, dinner, play cards like this everyday.But now i'm alone, i can do what i want,  have more time to look back to myself.
I looked at the sea, it is a mirror, what i saw was a light shadow in there. Ahh..Bangkok, something and someone that i ran away already took my spirit away. Tong Nai Parn had to help me get it back!!!

Normally I wake up very late. If i take days off, i wake up around 3pm. But here, wave sound was automatically an alarm clock.  Thought it was noon but just 6 o'clock in the morning. Haven't swum that day because i was not comfortable to swim with bikini, alone. Wearing a few pieces of clothes on the beach is not appropriate in my culture. But no, i didn't care about that, i have more than 20 bikinis in my closet.
But what i care was my "big" tummy. Afraid that they're gonna think A WHALE IS COMING!!!
So i just walked around the beach :-D  It's really nice. Why isn't my office here? POKE!!! Rapped on the head once. Holiday holiday, don't even think about office again!!!

First night was beautiful, i chose the best place to laid down to see a beautiful sky, stars up there and the moon has shone upon me. If someone turn off the bar light, i might be a little star on a sand stage for sure. hahaha  ...... I ordered some food with Singha beer .... eat, drink, eat drink, ... then blank ... my mind was gone to somewhere else, don't know how long. When back here again i thought  i was making a bowling score record? 8 bottles of Singha beer stood up in front of me as bowling pins! ... If I was on a TV show, doing a world record of singha beer book? Shit, I was acting as a broken heart, sad, drank it as it was water. I thouht i saw twins, everybody's a twin. The beach has twin too???? Enough!!! And go to bed before you see it four!

Next morning i woke up at 6am, oh dear wave, woke me up again.
I swam today and gave yellow liquid back to the nature, no one in the morning so had more confident to wear bikini today!!! :-D  4 hours in the sea from 7-11am, crazy? But really feel good. While i was going to go back to the bungalow, i saw an old english guy came to me so fast .. i moved back. He said Hi and blah blah blah. He thought i was singaporean or indonesian cos he has never seen thai people came alone. (AGAIN), I had a few words with him and excused myself before things happened.
I'm happy to be alone, grandpa.

What i got from here?
Hmmm....
I wanted to take a rest and i did.
I wanted to run away from the chaos, i can do it.
Didn't switch on my mobile. Didn't check emails.
Didn't call my friends, That's really nice. 
I had many paintings from this trip and write some strories also.
Learned how to stay alone, learned how to be calm.
First start to live all by myself was just happened.
Never thought that being alone for just one week can change someone to be a stronger.

Great!

Back to bangkok, stop thinking to live my life only for 'someone'.
Live for myself, be happy and share a happiness to people around me,
not only to one person as i ever did anymore.

After that trip, i went there again for another 3 times and stayed there not less than one week. One of four, i went with friends, we took a long boat with the other tourists to Had Rin to join full moon party.
When i stepped there, i thought i was on Pattaya beach!!! Crowded!! People and bars. I don't like it at all but can't go back because friends wanted to stay so i took 3 buckets which means i drank 3 bottles of Sangsom thai whisky by myself to cheer me up!!! I can't remember much, just knew that around 4am i stood in the sea and next to me were foreigners who're peeing. They drunk. I looked at them for a while, don't know why, then a boat driver took me away and said 'don't look at them, they pee!!" haha, ok ok.

Then we went back to our bungalow by a long tail boat at 4am. From Had Rin to Tong Nai Parn takes 30 mins. I was totally drunk. The sea splashed on us made us so wet. Drunk and wet .... wet and drunk....  happy hour on the boat.

I don't go to Had rin anymore. My friends who stayed there over that night shared me some photos after party of Had Rin. Full of garbage along the beach, and many many people slept on the beach as dead people. I'm glad that i stayed in Tong Nai Parn.

After i went there often which made people remember me. Pangan is not a stranger anymore but became a friend. "come here when you need someone", I heard the beach said.  Also a whisper that  "Actually there has another beautiful beache on the other side of thailand too. Want to try to make new friend????"

Really? Yeah, why not???

That's why Lipe's trip has happened!!!

Having ahd to change the flight because the earlier one would have involved us getting a night boat we got on the air asia plane, very nice, newly fitted on the inside and the air hostesses were quite anal about electronics on boardd, anyway a pleasant enough flight and there was a bit of space to spread out which felt luxurious in comparison to being wedged in between the two guys from sydney to singapore.

got to the airport and john realised he had lost his credit card so he had to try and sort that out, it turned out to have been swallowed up by a machine. we then got on two buses and then the worlds sweatiest boat and got to ko phangan. whilst waiting for the boat we were suddenly swamped with girls of around 12-14. at first there was a little bit of panic but they were in school uniform on a school trip to the dock to practice their english on us, they interviewed us which was good fun and they spoke very good english.

Well ... we were awake early in day 7 as the sleeper train was due to get into the station at 6:30 .... but it turned out to be late ... and didn't get into the station until about 7:30! It was a good thing that we asked a nice english speaking gentleman, were we at the right station because we would of gotten off about an hour train ride from where we were supposed to be getting off!!. When you really don't know where you are going, or the full names of the stations then its an easy mistake to make i guess!

When we got off in Surat Thani, we got the usual harrassment of people trying to sell us a bus and boat trip ... and bundle us on to buses before we knew better ..... but we knew what company we were looking for already so we just found them and got on to a lovel air conditioned bus! It was old but the air conditioning still worked .. so i was happy enough! The bus took us about an hour away to the ferry port, this drive was much more relaxed and slower than anything we had experienced in Bangkok so it was a nice change of pace. The Thailand countryside outside of Bangkok is far more beautiful than the city .... and anyone that is thinking of heading to Thailand, and only staying in Bangkok should consider heading further afield!

The bus arrived at the ferry port with a good 40 muinutes to spare before the ferry departure time of 10:00 am ... but again the ferry was also running late! Time and schedules seem to be a bit lax everywhere in Thailand ... but we were in no rush so we just sat and watched the ferry port in action.

On we got to the ferry ... and Pauric decided to pick a deck seat to enjoy the sun!  This turned out to be both a good and bad idea ... as the breeze was lovely .... but the sun was really glaring down on us. We did move back a seat to get out of the sun and this helped a little ... but Pauric forgot that his feet were still out in direct sunlight ... and didn't Pauric get the tops of them burned ..... a stange sunburn patch that traced around the straps on my sandals .... ahh well ... it didnt bother me too much ... it was the first colour i got i suppose!!!

When we arrived on Koh Phangan, it was the middle of the day .. and still glorious. On leaving the port we got into a taxi .. well .. what i would term a pick up truck with 2 benches and a kind of roofed cage in it. They use these throughout rural Thailand and expecially the islands as not all the roads on the islands are sealed and can be very rough and bumpy. We arrive at our destination, Loy Fa Bungalow's .. and it looks like paradise! They are small stilted bungalows with either a fan or air conditioning and you normally get a hot shower with the air conditioned rooms as well. Loy Fa have there own small private beach just below the bungalows ..... it really is post card picture stuff! They are a bit expensive compared to some other places on the island but they do have the perfect setting if you are looking to chill out and relax for a while ... and we have 8 whole days of it to do here!!

Well ... we got settled into our new accomodation, and took  the short stroll over to the restaurant to get something to eat. They have a fabulous menu here, of both European/western and Thai/Asian food. I chose the 'safe' chicken fried rice and a chicken burger ... and both turned out to be lovely! Caroline tried the sweet and sour chicken and it was lovely as well! After eating we tried a local cocktail .... the Mai Tai ... its made from Thai whiskey and some sort of fruit juices and it was gorgeous! We took a brief stroll on the beach to see what it was like and off we went to bed ..... in our little part of paradise!

Aufstehen um 7 Uhr, noch schnell einen schwarzen Tee aus dem Bambusbecher und auf ging es zur Morning Safari. Mit einem Longtailboot fuhren wir ueber den See und Kiam hielt Ausschau nach den Tieren. Wir sichteten Affen, kleine Gibbons, Warane und ziemlich viele Vogelarten. Zurueck im Camp gab es ein kraeftigendes Fruehstueck, bevor die dreistuendige Dschungeltour startete. Auf einem kleinen Trampelpfad ging es dann kreuz und quer durch den Dschungel....und immer wieder ins Wasser und hinaus. Die Bluteegelpanik legte sich langsam bei allen...man nahm sie einfach als gegeben hin. Dafuer wuchs so langsam der Respekt vor der einstuendigen Hoehlendurchquerung. Die war auch wirklich nicht ohne. Die Guides hatten lediglich zwei grosse Lampen und wir nur kleine Funzeln. Nach ein paar Metern war es stockdunkel und man sah nur den Flecken Boden genau vor sich. Wir waren aber alle ziemlich gebannt von den riesigen Tropfsteinformationen und den Hunderten von Fledermaeusen, die nur ein paar Meter ueber unseren Koepfen hingen.
Die Durchquerung klappte aber erstaunlich gut. Man musste sich nur stark darauf konzentrieren, wohin man welchen Fuss setzt. Kritisch empfand ich nur die drei Stellen, die man lediglich schwimmend ueberwinden konnte. V.a. die recht starken Stromschnellen floessten mir ziemliche Angst ein. Mal wieder musste ich feststellen, dass Wasser einfach nicht mein Element ist. So kam es dann auch, dass ich an einer Stelle wohl aus Unsicherheit ziemlich tief abrutschte und gegen einen Felsen knallte. Kiam hatte mich zwar sofort festgehalten, da er jeden einzelnen durch diese Stelle leitete, aber ich war dennoch ziemlich fertig mit den Nerven. Meine geliebte Stirnlampe hatte sich auch im Wasser verabschiedet und dann musste ich auch noch mit einer Minitaschenlampe im Mund weiterschwimmen. Zum Glueck passierte dies auch erst kurz vor Schluss und nach 10min sahen wir endlich wieder Tageslicht. Im Rueckblick erscheint mir die ganze Aktion auch wieder halb so schlimm, aber fuer den Moment hatte ich echt genug von Wasser und Hoehlen. Mein linker blauer Arm und mein rechter blauer Oberschenkel werden mich wohl noch ein paar Tage daran erinnern.
Aber wie haben wir noch letzte Woche in einem Hollywoodstreifen gelernt : < Tough ain't enough >.
Insgesamt war die ganze Tour aber unberschreiblich schoen und liegt direkt auf Platz zwei hinter der Huskey Tour in Schweden. Bei beiden Touren habe ich mich zwischendurch gefragt: < Warum mache ich das eigentlich und bezahle auch noch Geld dafuer!?> Aber das gehoert wohl einfach dazu.

Beaches for you

* Haad Leela - 10 minutes walk from Haad Rin

* Chaloklam

* Tong Nai Pan Yai and Tong Nai Pan Noi

* Bottel Beach

* Bann Tai

* Mae Hadd & Koh Ma

* Haad Rin

* Haad Salad

* Haad Yao

* Haad Son

* Than Sadet

* Haad Youn

Activities

If you don't want to do anything but swimming, chilling, walking around the beach, that's great. But  someone who doesn't, here you are :

* Skuba Diving, snokling!!!

* Kayaking - if you like an adventures, many resort have kayaks for rent.

* Wakebaord - with speed boat

* Kiteboarding

* Thai Boxing - There has two of them on Haad Rin and Thong Sala* if you want to learn the art of THai boxing.

* Than Prapat Waterfall

* Cruises around the island

* Elephant Trekking - outside Baan Chaloklum, enjoy elephant  trekking in the moutains of pangan

(All those activities, i've never tried but if you don't want to stuck at your place and want a little bit adventure for your days, do it)

How to go to Pangan

1. Bangkok to Pangan (by bus only) + take ferri to Thongsala, Pangan. 

2. Bangkok to Surat Thani  + take ferri (Racha Ferri) from Surat to Pangan

3. Bangkok to Samui + take ferri (Lompraya Ferri or Phangan Cruises or Songserm Ferri) from Samui to Pangan

4. Bangkok to Chumporn + take speed boat / ferri (Lompraya or Pangan cruises or Songserm or Seatran EXP) from Koh Tao (Chumporn) to Pangan. 

Find out more :

http://www.phangan.info/

http://www.phanganresorts.com/

http://www.kohphangan.com/

http://www.phanganexplorer.com/

http://thailandforvisitors.com/south/samui/pangan.html

http://www.thai-tour.com/eng/suratthani/accom_fullmoon_pangan.html

And i stayed here http://www.centralcottage.net

After two days at Khao Lak I took the local bus to Surat Thani. On the way there I decided to get off the bus to spend a couple of days in the Khao Sok National Park, where I found a nice bungalow on stilts overlooking the river. On the second day I booked a tour which included a longtail boat trip on a lake and a jungle trek to a bat cave. After a long ride in the back of a truck amidst spectacular mountains and rock outcroppings we arrived at a lake (the name of which I've forgotten) where we got aboard a longtail boat. The lake was crystal clear and very deep. After about an hour of viewing beautiful rock formations from the boat we arrived at a pier by a row of dilapidated bungalows, where we disembarked, had some lunch, and then began our jungle trek. I hadn't done so much slogging through the mud since my army days. Fortunately, noone of our group played host that day to the leaches which inhabit this type of terrain. We waded through streams, sometimes up to our armpits, holding our gear above our heads. Along the way we saw some enormous, ancient teakwood trees. But, except for a few butterflies and other insects, and the distant call of a monkey, there were very few signs of any wildlife. We finally arrived at the bat cave which had, as our guide informed us, served as a hideout for members of the Thai Communist Party for a period of about eight months during the 70's. There must have been an evil Thai demon lurking in that cave, because, as we were approaching the exit, the rushing water I was half submerged in yanked my feet out from under me, giving my poor camera and me a good soaking. :(( My camera was totaled, but luckily, my memory cards and I survived intact. That was the end of the photo taking for my trip. In about half an hour we were back at the pier where we had a swim in the lake and then some supper, after which we began the journey back to our lodgings.

On Samui I stayed for a week on Lamai beach. Hat Lamai is more tranquil than its overbuilt neighbor, Hat Chawin up the coast. But even on Hat Lamai I noticed that environmental degradation is beginning to show up in the form of raw sewage in the water.....with plastic bottles and some unmentionable items floating around in the surf. I'd never experienced seawater stinging my eyes like that before.

Hi all,
Well have had a very busy few days in Thailand so far, where we eventually made it after 15 HOURS in a minivan - the flooding was very widespread so we had to attempt several border crossings before we found one that was open. Since then they have all been closed so we were really lucky to get through. There is a LOT of damage - many people have lost their homes which is really sad and in some places the water along the highway was really deep (we drove through it but lots of people with lower cars couldn't get through).
Krabi was fantastic. We spent a full day snorkelling and going out to the islands etc which was a ton of fun. That night my stomach ache intensified however to the extent that I woke up on the bathroom floor in the morning and was taken to the emergency ward of the Krabi Hospital. There they put me on a guerney and gave me a big jab in the butt - I'm on 11 medications/day now! I'm feeling HEAPS better since then though and my stomach ache has all but gone. I had a great full body 1hr oil massage for the equivalent of AUD$6 which was lovely :)
After leaving Krabi we headed to Khao Sok National Park. This was really stunning but I did get a little bit freaked (not so much as my poor English friend Kelly though!). My hut was beside a stream at the edge of a tropical jungle and during the night all kinds of animals would be bouncing around my roof; monkeys etc. One stole my bar of soap from the bathroom!
The second day after arriving in the national park all of us went on an elephant ride. This was a fantastic experience and one I won't forget in a hurry. We rode for 2 hours through the jungle on the back of these majestic beasts. After turning around upon reaching a waterfall I got to sit on the elephant's neck behind its ears. I could feel its shoulder blades moving beneath me and its ears kept flapping against me. So hard to describe how amazing this was. In the afternoon after lunch one of the Dutch guys Arne and I went on a 2.5hr boat trip down the jungle river. This was cool. We saw gibbons, spiders, mangrove snakes, frogs, fishes, lizards, kingfishers and other birds.
Today we went on a walk around the national park with a guy called Mr Porn (!) who showed us more cool animals and we also visited a Buddhist Temple where we saw a dead monk (died 15 years ago!) in his coffin. This was pretty cool but a bit weird - rather like seeing the unwrapped mummies in the Louvre in Paris.
Thankyou once again for all your emails, I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to them all but I'm about to board a sleeper train (15hrs, argh!) from Surat Thani to Bangkok. MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone wherever you are in the world, I'd love to see you all but shall think of you all having your different festivities instead.
Ciao!!!!

Als wir heute von unserer Tour abseits jeglicher Zivilisation wieder kamen, erfuhren wir von dem Militaerputsch, der heute Nacht stattgefunden hat. Bitte macht Euch keine Sorgen. Hier ist alles ganz ruhig. BKK erreichen wir erst naechste Woche vor unserer Abfahrt wieder und in den Tiefen Sueden, der gemeinhin sehr unruhig ist, fahren wir erst gar nicht. Wir werden uns natuerlich rechtzeitig ueber die Lage informieren.

Ein ganz anderes Problem ist, dass der internationale Flughafen wohl am 26. umzieht und wir noch gar nicht so recht wissen,  von wo wir genau abfliegen. Aber das hoerten wir bis dato auch nur ueber die Travellerbuschpost. 

The next day, as I was waiting by the side of the highway for the local bus to Surat Thani, I got into a conversation with a Belgian guy, with bandaids all over his bare legs, who was waiting for the bus back to Phuket. He told me that, during a trecking trip the previous day, he had become infested by leaches. In the tropics, any kind of bites like this can become badly infected. As we were talking two of his fellow Belgians - a man and a woman - came riding along on bicycles on which were flying large Belgian flags. They chatted awhile in Flemish, and the guy told me that his countrymen had ridden their bikes all the way from Bangkok. They were touring Thailand by bicycle. I spent one night in Surat Thani, mostly wandering around the outdoor market area. Near the riverfront I discovered a fascinating Chinese spirit shrine which also served as a home for fruit bats.

I've got this thing about needing to walk across bridges--in Surat Thani it turned out to be the best thing I did... After wandering along a semi-country road for a bit I crossed this footbridge to... an entire town built on stilts!  Absolutely amazing!  This narrow walkway weaved its way on and on between the houses, shops, billiard clubs--everything a town needs.  I did get cornered by dogs a couple of times--not a whole lot of options  in a narrow walkway... but I figured, even if I do get bitten, the whole experience will still be more than worth it.  After wandering to my hearts content I took a taxi (aka dugout canoe) back to Surat Thani. 

The overnight train took twelve hours. The ride was fairly comfortable in wide seats that only slightly reclined but Dave and I managed to doze. Approaching Surit Thani, the sky began to lighten and we sat the last hour in the open door-way absorbing the thick and heavy jungle air. A two-hour bus ride got us to the port where we boarded the fast boat to Ko Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand.

The approximately ten-mile-square island of Ko Samui was the largest in the Gulf of Thailand and provided a tropical haven for globetrotting backpackers. Inexpensive accommodation sprinkled beautiful beaches lined with paradisiacal white sands, coconut palms, and clear-blue seas.

Pick-up trucks called songthaews congregated at the base of the pier at Na Thon, offering cheap transportation. Padded bench-seats lined their open-sided beds and tin roofs provided shade from the sun which was tropical and intense. Drivers shouted the names of specific beaches. Dave and I chose Chaweng Beach which was on the east side of the island, opposite the town.

We found accommodation at the New Star Bungalows. The weathered wooden huts stood on stilts three feet above the sand, twenty feet from the water's edge, and cost about $1.50 per day. The simple rooms contained a mattress on the floor, a small bathroom with a toilet and cold-water shower, and a modest covered veranda. My bungalow, number 17, had a coconut tree brushing its thatched roof which provided a pathway for rodents to reach the rafters, evident by the occasional tell-tale rat turd.

Insgesamt 12 Stunden dauerte die Ueberfahrt von Ko Tao zum National Park...Die direkte Faehrverbindung, die wir eigentlich gebucht hatten, bestand aus einem Schiffwechsel auf  Ko Pha Ngan und einem laengeren Stopp auf Ko Samui. Zunaechst lagen wir draussen und versuchten ein bisschen zu schlafen...aber dann wurde es doch zu windig...die Alternative bestand aber nur darin, in den Innenraum zu gehen und dort bei Kuehlschranktemperaturen langsam aber sicher zu erfrieren. Also sind wir doch draussen geblieben...

In Surat Thani wurden dann alle Backpacker auf die verschieden Reiseziele aufgeteilt. Wir wurden mit 12 Leuten auf einen kleinen Pickup verladen. Die Rucksaecke kamen auf das Dach und wurden behelfsmaessig mit einem (!) Seil befestigt. Ich habe es mittlerweile eh aufgegeben, mir Sorgen um meinen Rucksack zu machen. Geld, Papiere und Brille trage ich immer bei mir...alles andere ist nur halb so wichtig. Ansonsten wuerde ich bei jeder Faehr-Autofahrt oder jedem (freizugaenglichen) Aufbewahrungsraum einen kleinen Herzinfarkt bekommen. Im schlimmsten Fall finden wir unsere Rucksaecke in Bangkok an einem Strassenstand mit dem Schild <I buy everything> wieder.

Der Pickup brachte uns zu einer weiteren Sammelstelle, an der wir ohne jeglichen Grund  zwei Stunden auf unseren Minibus warten mussten. Nun ja, einen Grund gibt es schon...so wird man quasi genoetigt, dort etwas zu Essen zu bestellen....diese kleine Gaunerei tut aber bei einem Preis von ca. 1 Euro pro Gericht nicht wirklich weh.

Ein weiterer Trick besteht darin, die Touris abends direkt am Vertragsgaestehaus abzusetzen und darauf zu hoffen, dass man  dort eincheckt, damit sie ihre Provison kassieren.  Nicht mit uns...auf Nachfrage wird man auch kostenlos zum gewuenschten Bungalow gefahren. Wir haben es erneut ganz gut getroffen. Neben einem anderen Paerchen waren wir die einzigen Gaeste und schauten gemeinsam mit der Thaifamilie die beliebte Dailysoap, die stark an <Verbotene Liebe> erinnert.

Eigentlich wollten wir nur einen Tag im 646 km2 grossen Khao Sok National Park verbringen, doch begeisterte Traveller ueberzeugten uns, die 2 Tagesdschungeltrekkingtour mit Zeltuebernachtung zu buchen. Zusammen mit Thomas + Christina (Deutschland), Rachel + Nik (England) und unserem Fuehrer Kiam fuhren wir zunaechst zu dem riesigen Stausee (Ausdehnung bis zu 165 km), der eine Stunde von unserem Resort entfernt lag.
Kiam nahm seinen kleinen 15jaehrigen Cousin Bia mit auf die Tour. Er ist gerade mit der Schule fertig und soll nun vielleicht auch Tourguide werden. Kiam selber erzaehlte uns, dass er mit 15 zunaechst als illegaler Fischer in Malaysia arbeiten musste und dort fast im Gefaengnis gelandet waere. Trotz der besseren Jobaussichten war Bia aber genauso aufgeregt wie wir.
Bei der ca 45 minuetigen Ueberquerung des Stausees, bei dessen Erbauung 1980 ca. 900 Menschen zwangsumgesiedelt wurden, konnten wir bereits Flughunde und Warane bestaunen. Umsaeumt wurde der See von bewaldeten Kalksteinformationen, die teilweise bis zu 960 m hoch sind.
Die Aussicht war derart beeindruckend, dass es schon fast unwirklich war. Wir fuehlten uns wie in einem Film...die Dinosaurier von Jurassic Park haetten perfekt in diese grandiose Kulisse gepasst.
Unser Mittagessen nahmen wir auf einer schwimmenden Bungalowanlage ein, die weniger Hartgesottenen als Nachtlager dient. Wir hatten uns jedoch fuer die Zeltalternative entschieden. So hatten wir zwar ein Zelt und unsere duennen Schlafsaecke, aber weder Iso noch Luftmatratze. Ein wenig skeptisch waren wir schon, aber letztlich haben wir auf dem harten Boden bis dato am besten schlafen koennen.
Das Camp errichteten wir neben einem kleinen Fluss. Um dorthin zu gelangen, mussten wir bereits mit allem Gepaeck durch huefthohes Wasser waten...und auf den schlammigen Wegen warteten auch bereits die ersten Blutegel. Mich haben an beiden Tagen vier Stueck erwischt. Zwei hatten noch nicht angebissen und liessen sich schnell entfernen. Die anderen beiden hatten aber bereits angedockt (mit Vorliebe direkt an kleinen Wunden), so dass die Stellen nach dem Abziehen noch recht lange nachbluteten. Aber auch das war weniger schlimm als befuerchtet. Den Ekel vor Insekten und Co legt man erstaunlicherweise sehr schnell ab.
Nachdem die Zelte aufgebaut waren, relaxten wir Maedels, waehrend die Maenner auszogen, um Bambus zu faellen. Der alte Bambus fuer das Lagerfeuer, junger Bambus zum Herstellen der Kochutensilien, Becher und Teller. Kiam zauberte ein richtiges Festmahl mit Huehnchen in allen Variationen...gebraten, mit gruenem Curry, mit suess sauer Sosse und gegrillt. Der Reis wurde in grosse Blaetter gewickelt und in den Bambusroehren gegart. Gegessen wurde ebenfalls aus halbierten Bambusroehren. Besser als jedes Einweggeschirr und v.a biologisch abbaubar.
Gestaerkt ging es dann auf Nachtsafari...ab durch Schlamm, Baeche und tiefere Fluesse..immer mit Kontrollblick auf die blossen Beine und Fuesse wegen moeglicher Blutegelattacken. Sehen konnten wir v.a kleinere Tiere wie Geckos, Flugeidechsen, Kaefer, Spinnen und Gluehwuermchen. Aber auch eine Python keruzte unseren Weg.
Ganz besonders war der Geruch des Regenwaldes (der aus einem 160 Mio Jahre alten Oekosystem stammt): Wuerzig und ein wenig modrig, aber dennoch frisch.
Die Gerausche klangen teilweise so schrill und metallisch, als kaemen sie von einer Maschiene. Es ist schon erstaunlich, dass die Natur selbst derart kuenstliche Klaenge produzieren kann.

Ko Phangan was beautiful, I can see why people stay for so long, three weeks for me, and I could stay longer, but it's time to go home, the money is all gone, 16 weeks thought.  I have so many memories.  Surat Thani is not really a place that you want to stop in Thailand, but this actually the third time I have been here, sitting, doing nothing but looking at my bus ticket (actually this is the first time I've had a bus ticket).  First time changing buses from Bangkok to Phuket, second time coming from Singapore, KL, and Hat Yai to change buses to the ferry terminal to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, and Ko Tao, and now again heading back to Bangkok.  I wonder how much the tourists waiting around doing nothing helps the local economy?  The local people here don't seem to be very interested in the tourist.  There aren't a lot of people wandering the streets try to sell anything, I haven't seen any bars with ladies beckoning every passer by to come in, hearing "Hello, Where you go?" every other minute is getting a little old.  I guess this is a nice little town where people just go about there life.  Maybe this is the part of Thailand that I should be exploring if I want to see what most Thai people are like.