Koh Phangan or waiting for Pabuk

With a not so new wooden boat, the Haadrin Queen, we set off on our second island, Koh Phangan, on January 2nd. While we wait for our ship to depart, we observe the arrival of two ships from Koh Phangan. Both are filled with tourists up to the last standing place, who obviously celebrated the New Year on Koh Phangan.

After an hour-long journey, we arrive at the southern tip of the island, in Haad Rin. After finding and settling into our accommodation, the weather warnings, which we have only been casually following, become more concrete and take on a more threatening tone. The storm 'Pabuk' is heading towards the Gulf of Thailand. According to forecasts, Pabuk is expected to develop into a tropical storm and directly pass over the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

After several hours of research on the internet and several conversations with locals, it is clear: the best option for us is to wait out the storm on the island.

Official authorities recommend suspending boat traffic due to the rough sea conditions. Even if there was still one last opportunity to leave the island, we don't feel safe with it and would simply meet Pabuk on the mainland.

Fortunately, we have a room on the second floor here, the house is made of concrete and not bamboo, and the roof also makes a solid impression.

Our accommodation is located on the western side of the town facing west, which turns out to be not so bad in the long run.

Locals tell us that flooding can quickly occur on Koh Samui because the water cannot drain well. This apparently happens less here in Haad Rin on Koh Phangan because it is located at the foot of a mountain, not everything is built up yet, and the water can drain better.

We quickly bought drinking water and some food, you never know...

With the hope of being as prepared as possible, we still go to sleep with an uneasy feeling.

The arrival of the storm was predicted for the evening of January 4th.

The calm before the storm is almost unbearable, and we kind of wish it would start already, so it can be over soon.

On January 4th, the weather forecasts changed in our favor, the course of the now tropical storm has shifted slightly to the south and is no longer expected to directly hit us. However, strong winds and heavy rain were still predicted.

We are very glad that we made it through!!