It's Koh Phangan and I wasn't impressed. Visited many parts of the island and none of them were that stunning, I've seen nicer and more secluded beaches elsewhere, the scenery was so so and I don't like beaches much anyway, usually bored after an hour. I'm more of a city person. Plus too many backpacker wankers there for parties related to the moon (full moon, half moon, black moon, blue moon, there's no moon but we want some cash so we're putting one on anyway moon), not interested at all. Nothing Thai about it and no Thai people go just a bunch of wankers that I wouldn't like back home getting pished on a beach on buckets of rum and coke listening to Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas. No thanks.
I'm sure it has changed since 18 years ago, where hasn't. Tourism is more developed than ever but at least that will mean you don't have to sleep in an HIV stained bed. :D
If you talked more about your travels and less about spirits I might not take the piss so much.
Well yeah thats exactly what I meant Spade. Its heart breaking how its changed since the iron age when I visited :D..I can't bare to look at vids or pictures of todays Koh Phangan. That place meant so much to me. It was one of the happiest times of my life. I used to go to bed with sore cheeks every night from constant laughing and grinning. Haadrin, where the original full moon parties were held and the movie 'The Beach' with Leonardo DiCaprio was partly filmed and thought to be based on, could only be reached by boat then... it was that remote. Back packers at that time had only been descending on the island for the full moon for a few seasons. There was a small community of folk that remained.
I remember the day my mate and I arrived and sat in a restaurant on a beautiful, but fairly stony beach, fringed with coconut trees. I asked for a bottle of coke and the waiter asked me if I'd like any grass with that :D. Every restaurant owner was a dealer. Everyone walked around having a smoke. Which was a massive contrast to Phuket where everyone was really paranoid and it was hard to get a bit of puff.
Since their was only one way to get to Haadrin the locals werent too worried about police. They could see who was coming in on the boat that arrived once a day.
I was happy to get my cozy on and go for a swim on the stony beach but some locals told us the best beach was a 10 min walk through the village to the 'sunrise side' of the island. We had basically landed on the 'Sunset side'. We booked a bamboo hut with customary hammock on the balcony looking out to the sea, unpacked and trotted off through the peaceful little hen populated village. Just through the palm trees was the most gobsmackingly beautiful beach I have ever seen. Soft white sand. Gently wavy, turquoise blue sea... Fucking lovely.
I spent my days touching the tan up, playing chess and backgammon with the locals, getting royally stoned and occasionally partaking of the odd magic mushroom omellette or two. There was one pharmacist in the village. Which sold speed and valium :D ha. Everyone ambled over to the sunset side and passed around chillums bom shankering at the purples,pinks,blues and golds that the evening sky posed in. Most nights were spent in a little bamboo disco which was periodically plunged into darkness, as the generator conked out. We would dance til dawn and watch the morning sun doing her equally sensational thang.
Every full moon more boats came in full of backpackers and everyone partied hard yeah.
One day I saw a japanese guy that looked kinda out of place and business like taking photos of the beach. I asked him what he was up to and he said he was a property developer. *Sigh* within a few years the bamboo beach huts and restaurants were replaced with concrete resorts and a road had been bulldozed through the mountain to the Islands main town.
I've heard its a commercial dive now. 18 or 19 years later. Much like you described.
Thats like the haadrin beach I remember. That blue plasticy looking roof wouldnt have been there though. It was pure rustic. The reef that you can see their was tremendous for snorkling. Especially on shrooms.weeee
If you talked more about your travels and less about spirits I might not take the piss so much.
Theres no need for pisstaking Spade.
'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy'( Shakespeare)
I dont want to go back.. I've heard its changed so much and I just dont want to see what the West has done to it.
