Thailand’s greatest hits

Bangkok ⇨ Ko Phangan ⇨ Ko Tao ⇨ Bangkok ⇨ Pai ⇨ Chiang Mai

Thailand was different. The plan was to have a neat one-month vacation with great food and zero stress, but I ended up being ill most of the time. First mysterious fever with cough, then ear infection, which produced one of the most intense pain I have ever experienced and finally a biking accident with a lot of scratches. One month in Thailand and 80% of the time was spent being sick with two kinds of antibiotics, a variety of painkillers and a myriad of ear drops.

Fortunately the destinations we picked were chill enough to spend time being sick comfortably. Haad Yuan was magical as always. The common theme of this season was an invasion of Full Moon bucketheads in neon colored t-shirts. Half of the beach is already lost to full mooners and who knows where this development will lead further. The plan to build a dividing wall across the beach was hatched, which received enthusiastic support from regulars, but nothing ever materialised. Maybe next season then.

Ko Tao has not changed at all from the last time. It seems Sairee beach had reached its full potential for fitting in more resorts and restaurants and the end product is enjoyable despite its touristic nature. I could not go diving because of the ear infection, but did not feel sad about it, which finally convinced me that scuba diving was not my cup of tea. Oh well, there are a myriad of other things to enjoy in this life.

Pai has considerably changed since the last time three years ago. New resorts have been built and more are on the way. Now Pai is dominated by rowdy American teenagers and even more Chinese tourists. I had a horrible vision what if in the near future it will become a boutique destination with excellent shopping and eating options aimed at catering Chinese tourists en masse. In the end the most important thing that matters to local businesses is who brings the most money. In the contest of poor white hippies and wealthy upper middle class from China, the winner is clear. Thankfully for now the chilled out lovely atmosphere is still there. People are friendly and easy-going, food is great and live music is somewhere every night. What else could you wish? Pai could be fully enjoyed only for one day, after which we spent the rest of the time recovering from the biking accident in the 40°C heat. Not an ideal way to spend a holiday or treat wounds by any means, but what you can do…

Thailand has never been that rough, as if it was sending a message: you are not welcomed this time. Coincidentally a lot of time was spent in discussions about the real nature of Thai friendliness. Whether “the land of thousand smiles” is authentic in its smiles or whether it is just a cultural mask that stems from the fear to lose one’s face. Anyhow Thailand is still my favourite destination in South East Asia. No bad feelings.

Bangkok by night

Bangkok by night

Bangkok's own superstar Chapi checking out the situation.

Bangkok’s own superstar Chapi checking out the situation.

Sunrise at the Donsak pier before boarding a ferry to Koh Phangan.

Sunrise at the Donsak pier before boarding a ferry to Koh Phangan.

Wai Nam beach, Koh Phangan.

Wai Nam beach, Koh Phangan.

Coconut wisdom.

Coconut wisdom.

Somewhere between Haad Yao and Wai Nam, Koh Phangan.

Somewhere between Haad Yao and Wai Nam, Koh Phangan.

The rainy Koh Tao.

The rainy Koh Tao.

Sairee beach, Koh Tao

Sairee beach, Koh Tao

Nang Yuan beach at Koh Tao

Nang Yuan beach at Koh Tao

Arguably the best picture I took in Thailand

Arguably the best picture I took in Thailand

A magic shop in Pai

A magic shop in Pai

A creepy installation, Pai.

A creepy installation, Pai.

Pai river

Pai river

And its dog

And its dog

The proof of sending postcards from Pai

The proof of sending postcards from Pai

Witching Well restaurant in Pai.

Witching Well restaurant in Pai.

Beach mode

No shoes, no underwear, minimum amount of clothes, no shampoo, salt and sand in the hair, coconut oil on the skin. That’s how I spent my holiday. By the end of the first week I got evicted from my bungalow (due a reservation by people more important than myself), so I ended up sleeping in a hammock on the beach. Dormitory was one option, but where is fun in that? After a second night, I scored myself a bungalow (not a trivial task on Haad Yuan around NYE). But at this point I got accustomed to the life of a beach bum, so I continued maintaining status quo. A hammock, a sarong, swimming pants, some reading, a camera, a torch and a knife, a toothbrush with toothpaste, a comb, water and some money. That’s all I needed to get by. The rest was tugged away in friends’ bungalow and I hardly touched during my bungalowless phase. Simple, yet effective.

– Where do you stay?
– On the beach. I am homeless.
– Oh noes!

It was a good story to tell. Reactions were interesting. It seemed that most people were stressed by my situation and tried to help me by giving advice, while I tried to explain them that I did not mind being homeless. After all I had to have my adventure during this journey. If not for climbing a mountain or exploring yet another cave, then at least spending a few nights on the beach.

Escape from Haad Yuan

I spent a total of 35 days over three visits on Haad Yuan, by far longer than in any other place I have visited. Now the time has come to move on and continue with my journey. I was cautious to come back here on the second visit, as I was afraid I would spend all my Thai visa here completely paralyzing my journey. But as things have their own way to get in order, I actually looked forward into leaving this time.  Next on the agenda is Koh Tao and an open water diving course.

One important difference of Haad Yuan to other places is that I actually lived here and not just visited. I tried to stay in a dorm in Sanctuary on my second visit, but it did not feel right. Own bungalow is a must, never mind the higher price. However, the Sanctuary dorm had its own charm with its thin mattresses equipped with mosquito nets on wooden floor. Sort of like posh asceticism.  I also had to come up with a daily routine here, unlike in most places where daily schedule is just chaotic. Early wake-up, meditation, ashtanga and swimming to kick off a day. Even earlier start on Saturday because of Guy’s Bar. Wake-up before the sunrise, a coconut for breakfast, 6-8 hours of dancing and a lunch break. Just like an ordinary work day. Open mic night on Thursdays, a movie night on the beach and an occasional concert on Sundays, all in Sanctuary. Fanuzzi live last Sunday was phenomenal. The guy had all the place dancing by the end of the night.

It will be surely missed. Things like continuous low-maintenance beach mode. Falling asleep lulled by the constant sound of the ocean and jungle. Absence of cars and motorcycles. Walking everywhere barefoot (thus solving the problem of missing flip-flops). Walks from Haad Yuan to Haad Tien, which would take a ridiculous amount of time because of all the people I met on the way. Morning swims in the rough sea. Secret menu items in Bamboo Hut (e.g. Benjamin’s breakfast or Mike’s salad)  Dinners on their platform around the sunset. Dance jams in Blooming Lotus. Exhausting hikes to Had Rin through the jungle just to get some groceries. And amazing people.

Until next season…

A transmission from Haad Yuan

I visited Haad Yuan for the first time two years ago and immediately fell in love with the place. Haad Yuan is an isolated beach in the South-Eastern part of Ko Phangan reachable by boat or a two-hour walk through the dense jungle. It is only a short boat trip from the Haad Rin, the capital of the Full Moon party, but feels like a remote island with its own laws and customs. While the rest of Ko Phangan is rapidly developed, Hat Yuan does not change. Time is frozen here in a permanent state of bliss, tranquility and freedom. On a first sight Haad Yuan is like any other beach on Ko Phangan: white sand, turquoise sea, scattered resorts, bars and random activities. But the unique atmosphere and semi-permanent hippy community are what make Haad Yuan so special. Everybody seems to be on the same wave-length and share the same interests along the lines of chilling out, yoga, meditation and loud techno music. It feels like a mixture between Monkey Island (with pirates present of course, aaaarrrgghh!) and the mellowed out tropical Fusion festival all year around. Just beautiful.

I have been here a week and it looks like I will spend the rest of my Thai visa here. The place really pulls you in and once you land here you do not want to go any place else. Indeed, why go, when you know you can hardly top this.
New Year’s party at Guy’s Bar is lined up and hopefully some Ashtanga yoga, as soon as I get rid of my cold. Christmas Eve party was mind-blowing, despite the costs (water-damaged Nexus One and cold). Fingers crossed for the phone to come back to life.