Koh Huan - Bottlebeach

Mahan and I had planned to track together to Bottlebeach. Bottlebeach in the north can only be reached by boat or on foot. From Than Sadet there might still be the possibility to ride with a decent motorbike, but not with a scooter.

According to the app, there are different paths. Two years ago, I tried the shortest route from Haad Khom over the mountain, but decided not to continue to Bottlebeach at the summit because I didn't know if I would be able to leave from there again, i.e. if boats would still be running. Today I know that's not a problem, but back then I was afraid that I would have to climb up the mountain from the other side. That would have been completely impossible. I was already so exhausted from the ascent that I was relieved when I arrived back safely at my scooter. This time I would have liked to take a different route, which was longer but probably not as strenuous because it was supposed to go around the mountain. Today I am glad that Mahan insisted on the path over the mountain, because I have serious doubts if the other one even exists and if it does, it is certainly not easier. At least that's what the topography suggests after seeing it.

We had planned the tour several times, but it never worked out because either the weather didn't play along or Mahan had something come up professionally. But now the time had finally come and two days before my departure we finally set off. We parked the scooters behind Haad Khom at the end of the paved road, walked a few meters along the slope until an inconspicuous narrow entrance led up the mountain. A clever boatman had put up a large sign with his phone number for all the people who couldn't make it back - in my opinion, that would be almost everyone. Going up and down the mountain on the same day, you have to be an extreme athlete...

We followed the beaten path over roots that could be used as stepping stones over the sometimes very high steps grown by rainwater. You cannot be surprised by the rain here, there is definitely a storm surge coming down.

We were steadily climbing. Mostly in the shade, which I was very grateful for, it was quite hot and we set off late, so we were on the way exactly at noon. At the entrance to the path, I found an ideal stick that another hiker had certainly left behind for the next needy person. The next needy person was me and I was very grateful to the donor, the stick was a great help.

We made good progress, but still took short breaks regularly to not waste our energy right from the start. Proper energy management is important.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it to the end, the memory of the first attempt was too intense and I was ready to turn back at any time if my strength were to diminish. We hadn't been on our way for long and we were already completely drenched in sweat, it wasn't just hot, it was also brutally exhausting. But we were making good progress, which became apparent soon when the trees thinned out a bit and allowed a view of the sea. We used every lookout point not only to take photos and enjoy the view, but of course also to rest. Mahan had his GoPro action cam with him, with which he diligently recorded videos and gave his explanatory comments. It was also kind of funny how he sometimes stopped to continue running the camera while speaking to imaginary spectators.

We continued up the mountain, sometimes through a dry stream bed that was so narrow that you could hardly put two feet next to each other. But sometimes you had to guess the path, namely when it led over large exposed rocks. Then you had to look ahead to find the continuation of the path where it led back into the forest.

I had no idea how long I had been on the way back then until I reached the summit where I turned back. Even today, I hadn't looked at the clock, and now I could clearly feel the first signs of fatigue. But I still had strength in my legs. Even Mahan, who regularly goes to the gym and is completely fit, acknowledged with appreciation, "Yeah, the track has something, it's not a walk in the park."

I couldn't remember any landmarks, but still I had the feeling that we must be close to the summit soon. But for that, the forest had to clear. I still knew that much. And indeed, the trees became thinner and smaller and were not so dense anymore, until we were standing in the blazing sun and enjoying the magnificent landscape once again. Now there were only a few meters left and we reached the summit. It was again under a dense canopy of leaves and provided plenty of shade. We congratulated ourselves on the remarkable achievement, Mahan made videos again and I was just happy and looking forward to the descent, this time to Bottlebeach.

If it went steeply uphill on the other side, the path now led steeply downhill, but it seemed to me that the trees here were denser and greener and provided more shade. Going downhill was of course faster, although you had to be very careful not to twist your ankle or stumble over the roots. My stick helped me as much as the trees, whose trunks we could use wonderfully as supports.

We came to an enormous, rounded rock mound that lay in the sun and from which we had a magnificent view of the surrounding jungle. We still didn't see the beach, but we rested here again and took plenty of photos and videos. Here I also noticed the trail markers that someone had painted onto the rocks at some point, yellow and blue, almost washed out. How suitable, I thought, the colors of Ukraine, where there is currently a war.

It was beautiful here, especially since a small water spot also appeared, from which the water trickled down. But we weren't at the beach yet and the sky was already darkening again, so we hurried to make progress. But we had made very good progress and finally I saw a side opening in the leaf canopy behind which it shimmered bluish. I left the path and climbed onto a small rock and there it was, Bottlebeach. It looked like a window, I looked down on the beach which was no longer far away - a wonderful sight. After taking my photos, I gave up my spot for Mahan to enjoy as well.

Full of joy and relief, having accomplished it - at least that's true for me - we finished the remaining meters down. When Mahan stepped onto the beach, the first raindrops actually fell, while I was still sitting on a few large rocks on the side and quickly took a few more photos.

I jumped after him and when I reached him, I patted him appreciatively and gratefully on the shoulder. I was glad that we had done the tour together, it's safer and more fun.

The rain got stronger and we took refuge in one of the beach restaurants, where we got something to drink. We were both pretty exhausted, we only really noticed that now. A deep inner peace set in.

After the rain stopped and the sun reappeared, I jumped into the water once more to finish off, before we ordered a boat to pick us up, which arrived shortly after from Chaloklam. We asked to be dropped off in Haad Khom, where we had parked a scooter, and then drove to the parking lot of the other.

I was totally exhausted, but also very happy, because that was another great adventure shortly before my departure.