Koh Phangan und Bottle Beach

March 13, 2024

Koh Phangan? Koh Tao? Koh Samaui? Phuket? The choice of small islands in the south of Thailand seemed endless. It was definitely not an easy choice. After some research into the atmosphere and clientele of the individual islands, we chose Koh Phangan. The island promised (according to the Internet) beautiful palm beaches and esoteric little shops and events. "Just the thing," we thought. But at the same time we didn't want to be in the middle of the action. We wanted it to be quiet, in the middle of nature. We booked our accommodation in the north of the island, "Bottle Beach", which promised peace and quiet.

Public transport was already very limited, so it was no surprise that the journey south was almost only possible and affordable by bus.
A double-decker bus took us and many other backpackers through the night for a good 10 hours.
It's amazing how quickly you lose track of time on such a long journey. The bus stopped several times during the night so that the passengers could use the toilet and get some refreshment in a cafeteria. To my relief. The toilet in the bus itself consisted mainly of a toilet bowl and a bucket of water next to it (for flushing) and was so narrow that only men could use it, as they could stand in front of the bowl. A beautiful sunrise greeted us at the dock and a three-hour ferry ride with a beautiful panorama later we landed on Koh Phangan.

Unfortunately, neither of us realized that Bottle Beach promised peace and quiet for a reason. A jeep took us a long way to the north of the island, where we then had to change to a speedboat because our accommodation was difficult to reach by land.

The beach, where we were almost alone, consoled us during the long journey. No parties, no crowds of tourists - just the gentle sound of the sea. We were staying in a small wooden house with a pool in front of the door.

The cool mornings were perfect for early morning exercise. Accompanied by a small dog who always greeted us happily at the beach at 6 a.m., we went jogging every morning. The little guy found endless joy in running with joggers.

I also made it a routine to look for mussels on the shore after the tide came in. The haul was wonderful. I called them "little gifts from the sea" and they always outdid each other in their beauty in color and shape.

Two days after our arrival, we decided to explore our surroundings more closely. A narrow path led into a palm forest, which was very picturesque, but continued unchanged for miles through the mountainous landscape. We decided to just take a short walk and were somewhat horrified to discover that the only way to civilization was actually by speedboat across the sea. "Damn," we thought. The only place to get something to eat was in our accommodation and the food was unfortunately not very good.

We decided to make the best of our situation and made our week on the island a busy one. It was the perfect opportunity to focus on projects without any major distractions.