January 27, 2023
My last day in Koh Phangan! Had to make it a good one. Went up to Cookies Cafe for a tropical breakfast bowl. Loved it so much I’m going to try making my own once I get home. Spinach and spirulina yogurt smoothie as the base, then loaded with granola, chia and fruit. Yum!
Decided to check out one last beach, Mae Haad near Koh Ma. At low tide you can walk to Koh Ma island just offshore. It wasn’t quite low tide but many were making the trek.
Contrary to the Google reviews this entire beach was very clean and pretty. Hard to trust the reviews of these beaches. Many that say they are loaded with trash have cleaned up in the months/years since the reviews. Others that say they are full of trash are nice and clean. Total crapshoot.
One of the resorts on the beach had a large bobber tied to a tree branch. I wanted to get a picture on it but two boys were talking turns swinging. They were too cute to interrupt.
I drove back and swam 20 more laps in the pool. Olympic swimmers are really impressive!
After taking in the sun, I went to run the last of my errands. I arranged a taxi for my ride to the pier. 200 baht. Pretty pricey since our scooter cost less than 200 baht/day.
I picked up my clean laundry (80 baht, seriously my favorite service), picked up another tropical smoothie bowl for tomorrow’s breakfast, grabbed dinner and dessert (shakshuka and a Snickers cheesecake) and finally returned the scooter. I started off pretty wary on that thing but it grew on me. I’m curious if I’ll rent one later on this trip.
I walked the half mile back to my hotel and watched the sunset. Very calm waters tonight. Someone on a SUP passed by pretty far off shore.
I have somewhat mixed feelings about Koh Phangan. It’s much more westernized than I expected. This makes it easy for people like me to come and integrate, but it does feel like there’s a loss of Thai culture. The plastic problem is hard to ignore. I didn’t want to get in the ocean waters because of all the visible water in the waves and on land.
On the other hand it’s a wonderful place for personal development junkies. Many resources exist to work on physical, mental, spiritual, relational, and emotional growth. Healthy food can be found everywhere, including most restaurants. Countless classes can be found many times a day. The nomadic community that calls this island home are warm and welcoming. I can see the attraction to living here.
