Thong Nai Pan Noi Beach, Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is as laid back as it gets. Our beach is on the northeastern side of an island east of mainland Thailand and south of Bangkok. To get here was quite a trip. First we took a ferry for an hour and a half from Koh Samui, the other island we stayed at. Then we jumped in a random minivan that took us over an unpaved, potholed mountain pass road for about an hour:

Finally we got to our spot, a beach where we had no reservation. It is secluded, and this place is literally paradise. The food is amazing here; everything is so fresh (this is especially true of the fruit and fish). The water is as warm as South Carolina's Atlantic in late summer. Here is a picture from the balcony of our hut on the hill. The picture captures the entire beach we have been hanging out on.

Our main activities since arriving here have been swimming, eating curries, fruit, and tons of seafood, sitting on the beach, and sleeping. I understand that this range of activities and limited agenda may inhibit creative and interesting blog stories. I am fine with that.

The first night we got to this beach, after we checked in, we ate at a restaurant a quarter of a mile down the beach from our resort that was barbecuing fish caught that day. We had tiger prawns, red snapper, and corn. One positive aspect of this area is that there is a tight community attitude here, because there are so few people, and because everyone who is here on the beach is staying literally feet from it. The beach is the only game in town, and the same people are on it every day; it's nice to see familiar faces.

Last night a taxi took us on another dirt road to Thong Nai Pan Yai, the beach 2 kilometers south of our beach but essentially the same place, where there was a party. I use both the terms taxi and party pretty liberally here. The taxi was a four-wheel drive pickup truck with cushions in the bed. It was a bumpy ride. The party was a beach bar with an assembly of about 30 people. The bar served cheap drinks in buckets worthy of sandcastle construction ("And perhaps used for them earlier in the day," says my paranoid traveling companion), played loud music, and set up a bonfire, fireworks, and fire dancing display while everyone sat at tables 30 feet from the ocean.

At one point, one of the fire dancers accidentally dropped a baton on a man who was lying on the ground dangerously close to the routine. He didn't catch on fire, but he certainly jumped up, a little freaked out. The funny part was that after settling his nerves, this guy went back to the exact same spot to lie down again. All in all, it was a pretty great party, with an ultra-laid back attitude. To get back we had to take a water taxi, which was a leap of faith considering that there were no lights or lifevests on the vehicle. It's just a wooden boat with a rotating propeller on the back.

Just another day in Thailand.

Here are some shots we took while we were on the jetskis a few days ago, back in Koh Samui:

In Thailand you are limited only by your imagination. What do you want to do today?