After spending a few days here in Haad Rin, it’s time to move on.
2 nights ago I went down to the beach, where the full moon parties are held. The bars overlooking the beach have parties there every night, so one doesn’t have to wait for the full moon to get a taste of what happens. Whilst supping a beer and watching the fire dancers I bumped into the Dutch couple from the night before, and a group of friends they have made. We moved between a few bars and watched the various games and fire juggling that goes on there. It’s an interesting display, well rehearsed (every day of the year), and very loud. I have never seen so many massive PA systems so close together.
Today though I want to go to Thong Nai Pan, a beautiful set of beaches in the north east corner of Ko Phangan. The road is in poor condition, so it’s not a place lots of people go. Yet it has perhaps the best swimming beaches on the island, and not the normal knee-high water you’ll find at Thailand’s beaches.
I leave the guesthouse fairly early and ask at some of the taxi touts. There’s no vehicle leave right now, and I’m given the option of leaving now for 1,000Baht. Um, no thanks. The lady I spoke to said to wait in a cafe and she’ll get me when there are other people.
I have my breakfast, and wait. Brian, who I met on the beach the other day joins me, and leaves before I find a taxi. The taxi lady passes several times and looks in, but she doesn’t call me over.
I know the ferry arrives at 13:50, because I was on it a few days before. At 13:15 I head over to the ferry terminal in the hope people from the ferry will want to go to Thong Nai Pan.
After the normal hustle and bustle from the ferry I find 2 guys who want to go, and eventually another couple. So that’s 5 of us to split the 1,500Baht mini-bus. Perfect. And it’s a AC mini-bus and not a pickup. I love the pickups, but I know this is a bumpy ride that takes 45 minutes.
We get to the beach and I find a nice place to stay……..