Koh Phangan and last days in Thailand

There are countless markets on Koh Phangan: some are permanent, covered markets, while others take place on a daily basis at various street stalls. It was a real treat to sample the regional cuisine—my absolute favorite was the pomelo salad: A mashed, deep-fried rice ball mixed with ginger, chives, cilantro, peanuts, lime juice, pomelo, chili powder, and red onions.

I was also able to spruce up my wardrobe with a few new secondhand tops—at least these have significantly fewer holes than the ones I had before. I’m now practically the epitome of “upscale” backpacker fashion.

We’ve also already found the first pieces of furniture for our future home: two hammocks! After having spent little money on inexpensive secondhand clothes, I just had to have the hand-knotted and hand-dyed luxury hammock. Later, I noticed that my hammock even matches the color of my swim trunks perfectly—you’ve just got to show your true colors!

After spending a few days thoroughly exploring the markets and enjoying our accommodation, we set out on a new hike on June 14. We had actually wanted to explore the north of the island as well, but the taxi fares—about 800 baht per person, one way—are simply outrageous. Renting a scooter was out of the question for us: without a valid motorcycle license, insurance coverage in the event of an accident—and unfortunately, there are plenty of those here—is virtually nonexistent. We didn’t want to take that risk; in the end, it’s simply too costly.

The planned route from the *AllTrails* app was supposed to take us around the “Halfmoon Party” location. So we walked along the road toward Baan Tai Pier for a while and then turned into the forest. Along the way, we learned that dragon fruit doesn’t grow on trees, but on a cactus-like plant.

The area quickly became more rural, but when first the guard dogs and then the mosquitoes started chasing us, we began to have doubts about the route. By the time we found ourselves facing a completely overgrown path with low-hanging power lines, we gave up.

*Komoot* and *Google Maps* didn’t show any trails in this area at all, so we switched to *Apple Maps*. That saved us: We found another beautiful, if hilly, loop through the forest with plenty of “ups and downs.” We had a great view of the mountains and spotted many butterflies and reptiles again.

One highlight was a man we met: He had trained his monkey to pick coconuts from the palm trees for him.

On the way back, we visited Wat Pho Temple, where preparations for a major temple festival were underway—the area was packed with cars and tents.

In the end, we’d covered a good 15 kilometers.

On June 17, we took the ferry to Koh Samui to spend our last two nights in Thailand there. Our lodging was conveniently located near the airport.

Well worth visiting were the *Plai Laem Temple*, built on a lake and covering a huge area, as well as *Wat Phra Yai* (Big Buddha) on its small peninsula. We also explored the beaches: particularly exciting was “Secret Beach” in the north, which can only be reached by climbing over rocks—there was even a rope stretched across for the final descent.

Along the way, we happened to spot a pineapple plant with unharvested fruit:

Today we’re heading on to Singapore. We’re comfortably lounging in two beanbag chairs on the lawn of Koh Samui Airport’s departure area. Since everything here is so open, you can relax in a pavilion and watch the birds or retreat to the air-conditioned terminal.

Even before check-in, we took our time enjoying the drinks we’d brought with us in the seating area on the lawn, and later in the terminal, we treated ourselves to the free snacks and coffee. While we were there, I was even able to solve a small geocache with trivia questions about the airport.

A lovely way to wrap up our trip and say goodbye to Thailand.