After saying goodbye once again to my friends I made my way to the Bangkok train station and boarded the night train to the South of Thailand. I got out more or less well-rested 12 hours later in Suratthani, the gateway to the islands of the West-coast - Koh Phagnan, Koh Tao and Koh Samui. As I am not a huge fan of beach resorts and I am not that into diving, I opted for the first of the three islands and took the ferry to Koh Phagnan.
The island is home to many beautiful beaches and small hotels can be found on each of them. My first days and nights on the island were spent on a rather quiet part in the South of the island, close to the porttown ThongSala. After walking on the beach, walking around in the village and surfing the internet (yes, there is even wireless lan in the beautiful beach bungalows) I got a bit bored. The beach was ok, but far from a postcard location. And when I returned from one of my walks in the evening of the first night to my home for these days I felt for the first time the feeling of loneliness. I don't know exactly if it was because I just spent time with close friends a short while ago or because the rest of the bungalows was mainly rented by couples, but I guess I discovered that while I have absolutely no problem with being on my own among others, I am not necessarily fond of the seclusion of a lonely beach. Therefore I decided to check out the busier part of the island - Haad Rin aka full-moon-party-central. I forewent the luxury of renting a scooter (the number-one mean of transport) and decided to get a bit of work out instead by walking to Haad Rin. After I spent 3 hours walking in the blazing sun I planned to take a well-deserved rest on the beach but was surprised by an afternoon rainfall that lasted for about an hour and drenched absolutely everything. Unfortunately the one hour pouring rain became a daily routine for the next couple of days.
I relocated myself for the following two days to the sunset-beach and found a nice room in what was described in one travelguide as "the place where the party people stay" - not because of a craving for drunken teens but rather due to the availability and the affordable prices. Since I aim to be open to different kinds of experiences I decided to give the party-life on the island a shot and attended the pool-party on this evening. As I was sipping on my beer and observing the partying crowd I felt a bit old. Most of the people were in their teens - or at least acted like it, drank too much alcohol and engaged afterwards in the usual mating rituals of such occasions. And while I definetely am a fan of the nightlife, I felt a bit estranged by the mixture of summersplash- and ballermann-like demeanour of the guests.
An interesting and disturbing fact about the party - which I noticed when I left - was that Thais were not allowed, allegedly due to secuity reasons. There was even a note that stated if you have a Thai partner, you are allowed but he or she won't be granted access.
The remaining time on the island was spent with lying in the sun, enjoying the beautiful beach, strolling around, reading and listening to music. I left Koh Phagnan a day earlier than planned as I was not keen on attending the halfmoon -party, as originally planned, after getting a glimpse of the party life on the island. My verdict? Koh Phagnan boasts many beautiful beaches. It caters to those who want to party as well as to those who which to relax at a secluded spot. However, as I am right now not in the mood for neither, I am looking forward to exploring the East coast of Thailand's South.
current music: MGMT - Kids
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