Since we left home last July, we have been on the go. Four days here, three days there, with just two stretches of 11 and 12 days. Those longer stretches the kids particularly liked, as they provided an opportunity to relax and get into a routine. We promised the kids that things would slow down a bit when we reached Asia, for we knew that prices were more affordable, and we thought there would not be as many sights to see; more of just seeing the people, architecture, and countryside. Thus, when we reached Thailand, we decided to head straight for a month at the beach on Koh Phagnan, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. Well, at least that was the plan. We ended up with five nights in Bangkok, each day deciding to spend just one more day, mainly because of inertia, and because the “backpacker’s ghetto” was a nice place to hang out. Finally, though, we headed off to the beach on the night bus. Margit has told that story already, so I will summarize it by just saying we were very happy when we arrived.
Throughout our trip, we have used Lonely Planet as our primary guide book. However, we have not been very impressed with its lodging selections. They were usually OK, but often not much more than that, so we mainly have relied on the Tripadvisor website to find places to stay, as they seemed more accurate and had more information. This time, though, we found that the Tripadvisor places we were interested in were all booked up. Wanting to find just the right place for our monthlong stay, we decided to just show up and look around. We walked into a recommended place from Lonely Planet, and left about 25 days later. It was wonderful, a place of quaint little bungalows with the prerequisite hammocks, a beautiful beach lined with palm trees, restaurants with tables interspaced amongst the vegetation and trees, so close to the water’s edge that your feet could get wet at high tide, a rope swing, and gorgeous views of the crescent moon-shaped bay.
Dolphin Resort Resturaunt
Under Sky Seafood
Food was delicious and cheap, and two places down was a place with an open-air pavilion offering massages for $6/hour, so close to the water that you could listen to the waves lapping at the shore as you received the massage. Life quickly fell into a routine of a run about sunrise, followed by breakfast on the beach, surfing on the internet, perhaps a little hike, or a kayak on the bay, a massage, reading in the hammock, dinner on the beach under the stars, with more reading after that. Our only real get-out while we were there was a trip to Ang Thon National Park, which is a collection of dramatic islands jutting up from the sea, about an hour and a half boat ride from Koh Phagnan; a place right out of National Geographic.
The islands of Ang Thong
The trip to Koh Phagnan was our vacation from our year-long vacation, and was just what the kids needed. Margit and I didn’t necessarily need the break like the kids did, but we sure didn’t complain about the break; we loved it, as well. It is easy to understand why Thailand is such a popular spots with tourists, and why so many people seem to stay so long when they do come; beautiful scenery and beaches, warm weather, friendly people, great prices, and good infrastructure. The kids have already asked to go back. And we will. Someday.
Mitch
2/20/11
long4adventure
We are in our 15th inch of snow in of course, a record winter. THailand sounds too good to be true. Did Emma and Bjorn both get massages? We are really missing their writing on the blog – not that we don’t like their parents, but we are wondering where they are???
Glad to see a new update, I was beginning to wonder, since I know they have internet in Thailand. Given our winter weather here, the thought of a beach and warmth is wonderful! Glad you got to someplace peaceful (politically, too) and restful. Where are you off to next?