Excursion to Koh Phangan

We hope that you, our 'groupies', haven't waited too long for a new post. The reception on the islands is so-so and sometimes we don't have the opportunity to write a new article. But today is the day - enjoy! :)

It was hard for us to leave the comfortable bed in our accommodation after a short night. Well, what can you do...at least we wanted to get out of Bangkok. So off we went, saddling the chickens and heading towards the sea. The destination was Koh Phangan. A tiny island with about 10,000 inhabitants. The owner of our accommodation, as always, got us a ticket at the last minute, namely on the day of check-out. In the evening at 9:00 p.m., we took the bus down to Chumphon, where the speedboat ferry to Koh Phangan departs. The ride there wasn't particularly pleasant, but at least the bus had air conditioning. You have to be 'happy' with the little things in life. However, the bus was way too cramped for Thimo's legs and feet, which swelled up like balloons.....yuck. At 7:30 a.m., we continued on the speedboat, of course on the sun deck - it's not like we learned from our sunburn :). The ride was much more pleasant than the bus. We enjoyed the scorching sun, the wind blowing through our hair, and the magnificent view of the Gulf of Thailand.

And then we finally arrived!! We took a taxi to our booked accommodation. It was a bit remote and located high up on a hill. The lady at the reception was super friendly and the view from up here was fantastic.

The accommodation also included a panoramic bar, which was quite nice!

Of course, it was more expensive than elsewhere, but it was nice. We enjoyed the sunset, but preferred to bring our own beer :). Our accommodation consisted of a pretty simple bungalow with an outdoor toilet & shower. It took some getting used to, but who likes it ?! At least Thimo had fun with it. Jessy didn't like the thought of having bugs everywhere while peeing, so she didn't spend much time in that area of the accommodation.

As usual, the arrival day consisted of a nap and food. We ate at our 'hotel' - let's call it a hotel - restaurant. There was no other option. Without a scooter, we had no other way and we 'treated' ourselves to the expensive fun. The main thing was to fill our stomachs. The first and also last time during this time. Although you have to admit, the view was amazing!!

The next morning, we took the shuttle bus to the nearby beach to relax. Of course, we already kept an eye out for a cheap scooter. And we succeeded in finding one and decided to rent a scooter from the 'Monkey-Man' the next morning. The day itself was relatively relaxed and almost unproductive. Well, it's vacation after all.

As planned, in the morning we took the shuttle down to the beach and headed straight to the 'Monkey-Man'. We wanted to explore the island and see what it has to offer. We drove to the 'city center' of Thong Sala, to a secluded waterfall, and to a pretty quiet beach.

Nice to look at, but slowly the adrenaline started to kick in and we really wanted to have some dopamine release. Unfortunately, we couldn't find that on the island, as none of the big full moon parties were happening and there wasn't any extraordinary action going on. But it was still beautiful. In the evening, loaded with Thai '5-minute noodles', we went back to our hut for a 'Gala Dinner'. After all, we had to make up for the expensive meal on the day of arrival. A culinary delight, my friends, is definitely something else! After our 'Gala Dinner', we relaxed in bed and surfed the net. Always on the lookout for the hot spot in Koh Phangan. Suddenly, there was a rustling near the trash can. After a short time of spying, Thimo dared to go there to see what was behind it. He didn't have any other choice ;) . When he moved the trash can, something quickly rushed through the room, passing over Thimo's feet. Thimo jumped back onto the bed, quite perplexed, to review what exactly that was ?! It was a mouse that came to visit us and has been sitting under the bed ever since. At our urging, Thimo, armed with his tripod, took care of the problem. He built a wall around the bed made of our backpacks, blankets, helmets, bottles, and other utensils in order to corner the mouse with the tripod. Even with full commitment, this did not bring the desired success.

We visited the receptionist and told her about the problem. Luckily, we were able to pack our things and move to another room. The mouse is probably still causing trouble to this day.

The next day was supposed to be more exciting, and it was. Snorkeling was on the agenda, but first we needed the right equipment. At first, we tried the cheap option, a snorkel and mask set from the roadside for about 8 euros. We were disappointed when we opened it in the store - even a blind person wouldn't have been able to see anything with it...We should have known, but what does the world cost?! Well, complaining didn't get us anywhere, so we went to a professional dive shop to get some advice. We left the shop with expensive but good gear, and finally we could go snorkeling. The investment was definitely worth it...we saw the fish and corals with eagle eyes. The beach sloped pretty shallow into the sea, so we could practice snorkeling on solid ground. We snorkeled for about 2 hours and were really surprised at how many marine creatures we could observe. The time flew by amidst schools of fish, huge clams, and tons of sea cucumbers.

We had a sparse breakfast in the morning, so we needed to refuel. There was a restaurant right on the beach, surprisingly cheap and good. Without expecting it, we ordered our drinks and chatted about our snorkeling adventures when a 'stranger' sat down at our table. Completely surprised, it turned out that he wasn't a 'stranger' at all, but an old colleague of Jessy's. We were so excited!! It's a small world....pretty funny! So, apparently, the Europäischer Hof didn't just raise one world traveler. We were quite exhausted from snorkeling, so we headed home. Showering, getting ready, and going to a nice restaurant were on the agenda. We discovered a small restaurant in a side street, right by the sea. A great ambiance.

The owner was a cool dude. He casually offered us a Thai cigarette, for example. Nice gesture, but the taste was a bit different. A lot of bamboo leaf, not much tobacco. It was a nice ending to a successful day and our entire stay in Koh Phangan.

We decided to leave the island earlier to go to the neighboring island of Koh Samui. As mentioned earlier, we wanted more action and be closer to the action in general. Shortly after arrival, we realized that we would be spending two exciting weeks here! Summer, sun, sunshine - this island is full of good vibes! And we are full of them too :) !