After six days on Koh Tao, we packed ourselves up (it’s amazing how much mess can be created out of only two backpacks!) and caught the boat (a fast one this time - 1 ½ hours for 50km) to the next island along - Koh Phangan. Phangan is much bigger than Tao and is best known for its “full moon party” every month in the south. Considering a big night for us these days is a pineapple shake and bed at 10pm, we promptly headed for the north of the island.

Even just on the drive up, it seemed that Phangan was more laid back than Tao and there are even towns here that existed before the tourists! We picked an area called Mae Haad with a nice beach and a good snorkeling area, and got ourselves a little bungalow on the beach:

There was a little island off our beach, accessible during low tide:

Compared to the last place, the digs are luxury, with 24 hr electricity, hot water, and even a TV (I must admit I have been enjoying a bit of news with Al Jazeera World Service, and a little less the Thai soaps), though none of it is really necessary.

First stop was the dive shop (second stop actually, after a swim) to sign ourselves up for a dive trip the following day to Sail Rock, just a big rock 14km off the coast of Phagnan, but supposedly the best dive spot in the Gulf of Thailand.

It didn’t disappoint. Though we saw more colourful schools of fish around Koh Tao (Chumphon Pinnacle), there was a great variety of things at Sail Rock.

Enjoying the sun on the way out:

Some girls on the boat (I think the captain’s daughters):

Sail Rock!

Roland gearing up:

Our divemaster had an underwater camera with him, so we got some of his pics!

Kath’s “stride entry” (really just stepping out and hoping for the best):

The two of us, in great admiration with the giant musssles:

Corals and fishes:

Eel! Yikes! They often just sit there, poking thier heads out from under a rock…

There was a neat swim-through:

Coming back from the dive, there were lots of fishing boats at the dock:

Loading ice onto the boat:

A little boat at the fishing village of Chaloklum:

For the last couple of days we rented a scooter to toodle around the island. Admittedly it was embarrassing at times when I had to get off the bike and walk up the hill when it was too steep to carry the fat tourists.

Nice seafood dinner on our last night:

I love these little “napkin” dispensers (aka toilet paper roll holders). They were all over Thailand and Laos.

Good little breakfast spot at Chaloklum:

We also enjoyed the services of the massage ladies that set up in little huts along the beach, and charge 200 baht (4 euros) for an hour long massage. Thai massage involves alot of poking with elbows and feet and other pulling and prodding, but it’s great if you like a firm massage! We did, however, learn that a two hour massage is a little too long…

We were coming to the end of our Thai visa by this time (you’re only given two weeks if you enter by land), so we decided it was time to move on from green curries to rotis, and head to Malaysia!

We caught an evening ferry over to the mainland, which connected to an overnight train down the east coast.

Getting on the boat:

”Enjoying” the ride:

Our train was supposed to be around midnight, but it was over an hour late.

Our home the the very short night as we were whisked south:

In the morning, after a surprinsgly good sleep, we crossed the Malaysian border: it’s very easy, you just have to walk off the train onto the platform, go through the different booths in the buildings, and get back on!

One sign, however, reminds tourists and officials that “hippies” are not welcome, and gives hints on how to spot them out of the honest tourist crowd:

A sleepy Roland watches out the beautiful Malay scenery

The train took us all he way to Butterworth

From the station we headed right away for the ferry that took us over to Georgetown, on the island of Penang:

Beware of the crows, as they’re everywhere: the nasty beasts attack you if you have food in the hand to make you drop it, so they can have it!

Once in Georgetown, we basically just found a guesthouse to stay, and went for a nap at around 3pm… and the nap turned out to be a full night as we woke up at 6am the next morning! Our time in Georgetown, a city classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO, will be narrated in another post ;-)