Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Tom C-B's Travels 2006
THURSDAY
Today we had yet another leisurely start to the morning, and sat on the beach with our books until about 4pm! After our extremely lazy day we thought we had better get some exercise so we walked into Thongsala again and scoped out the shopping possibilities, and went to find some dinner. For a change, we went to a really nice seafood restaurant and Kim had whole steamed sea bass with ginger, and I had mixed seafood noodles. The meal was gorgeous and we walked back through Thongsala happy that our foray into seafood was successful.
We had been talking about renting a jeep for the day since we arrived on Koh Phangan, and agreed it would be the perfect way for us to get to see the other parts of the island. As luck would have it we walked past a "Jeep for rent" sign and couldn't resist. We arranged with the owner that, for a day's rental price, we would take it that night and bring it back the next day at 5pm. He was happy enough so we read through the contract carefully and set off to Haadrin, for a birthday cocktail. A cocktail and a film on the beach was the perfect way to end my birthday, and we drove back to our accommodation and headed for bed.
FRIDAY (today)
We were determined to make the most of our last day on Koh Phangan, especially as we had the jeep to get us round. We had left the resort by 11am and went off in search of the 'Than Praped' waterfall. We turned off the tarmac road onto bumpy dirt tracks, so I switched the car to 4-wheel drive and got stuck in. From the gritted teeth and quiet blasphemies coming from Kim, it was safe to say that she wasn't having the best of times, but she stuck at it and we reached a point where the car could no longer continue, so we got out and walked. After about 10 minutes of walking downhill, we came to a fork in the path and, as it was devoid of any relevant signage, decided to turn back and try our luck elsewhere. We scrambled back up to the jeep and began the arduous but exciting drive back to the main road. A few tricky situations arose but it was nothing that the little jeep and I couldn't handle, so we made it back on firm ground 20 minutes later, with a very relieved Kim in the passenger seat!
We drove along the coastal road to Haadrin for some shopping, and I succeeded in making my first purchase in Thailand: two pairs of board shorts! After Haadrin we drove back towards Thongsala as 5pm was drawing ever nearer.
We drove around Thongsala a while longer to waste time before dropping the jeep off with the owner. A little more browsing through the shops ensued, but with the heat making us lethargic added to the fact that Kim found out she was overdrawn, the shopping was called to a halt, and we sought refuge in an internet café.
That just about fills you in for Koh Phangan - tomorrow we have got a 3 hour boat trip back to the mainland, and then a 9 hour coach journey back to Bangkok. I can't wait...!
See you soon,
Tom xx
- comments