Travel day from Railay Beach to Koh Pha Ngan. We arrived at the pier for the 9:30 am Long tail boat to Ao Nam Mao where we then got into a mini bus and and drove to Krabi town. Here we switched mini buses and piled in, packed like sardines with the girls sitting on our laps, there was luggage piled everywhere and no personal space for anyone.

After about three plus hours of driving we approached Surat Thani then onto the Raja Public ferry terminal. We had only enough time for the bus driver to purchase our tickets and for me to take the girls to the bathroom and grab two bags of peanuts from a vending machine before we boarded the boat.

This ferry was the slow boat to Koh Pha Ngan and an aged clunker that also carried vehicles. It was all open so the warm fresh salty air was a pleasantly refreshing feel after being stuck in a mini bus with 14 other people. By now we were all fairly hungry and on the ferry were only a few vending machines, but they were surprisingly very reasonably priced. Tyson grabbed one cup-a-soup (there was boiling water available to add to it), a bag of chips, and a coca cola. The two and a half hours of time passed rather quickly, and before we knew it we were offloading the ferry and looking for a ride to our hotel. We found a songthaew (pickup truck where you ride in the back, bench-seat style). This cost 100 Baht per person (our girls free) to get from the pier to Haad Rin. It dropped us off right at our hotel, except the driver and I had a bit of miscommunication and it wasn’t the correct hotel. We ended up needing to walk a couple extra blocks to the proper one however it was refreshing after the long travel day.

Haad Rin is very well know in the South East Asia backpacking world as being the host of the famous Full Moon Parties. Every month tourists flock to the beach to party the night away well into the morning as they watch the full moon raise over head. Crowds up to 30,000 strong fill this tiny island beach to enjoy what ever the night brings. The days outside the full moon are dramatically different. The beach is amazing with is white sand and gentle waves. The jungle foliage crowds the rocky coast off to either edge of the town. There are numerous bars, restaurants and hotels that are casually occupied even in the high season. We arrived at the Rin Bay View Bungalow and were welcomed with open arms. The owners were so friendly and accommodating. They even gave us an upgrade to a family room, which was great as it had two queen beds and was ground floor very close to the pool and beach. This hotel did not have breakfast included but did have a restaurant so we were able to go there each morning, which was perfect since we find breakfast one of the more challenging meals to find in Thailand.

While here in Koh Pha Ngan we just relaxed and enjoyed the beach and pool. None of us really felt like exploring or doing much. I would still get up early in the morning and go for a jog. One of the mornings I found my way to the lookout point which was quite uphill but had some amazing views.

Our hotel was on the west side of the island so had the best sunset views. Each and every late afternoon we would hang out in the infinity pool and watch the sunset while all the fishing boats returned from their daily shift.

We were in a perfect central location so could walk over to the east side beach where the waves were stronger but also where all the action was.

During the day it was quieter but an off shore storm sent wind and waves that the kite surfers were taking full advantage of. We would come to this side to walk up and down the sand, get a bite to eat and watch the kite surfers work their magic.

In the evenings we would venture out for dinner. One of the nights we walked around the corner to an Italian restaurant and had delicious pizza and pasta. The other few nights we ate at the local restaurants near the same area of our hotel. We looked into taking a taxi to some local waterfalls close by but after chatting with some locals they mentioned that with the lack of rain in the dry season they would be limited to just a small trickle, so we opted out.

We met a lovely French family that was staying at the same hotel, in the room right next to us. They had three kids, one of whom was just one year older than our girls. They all hit it off almost immediately, swimming together and laughing and playing. None of them spoke each others language but somehow this didn’t play a factor. The family left one day prior to us and the girls were sad to see them go.

We did stumble upon a water refill station, which is something we had been looking for for a long time. Purchasing bottled water just seemed like such a waste with all the plastic that came with it. We were grateful to be able to fill for a very small fee, at the same time as reusing our huge 6L container.

After only three nights in one lone town on the island of Koh Pha Ngan we chose to take another ferry north to the small island of Koh Tao. Our time in Thailand was slowly coming to an end and Tyson and I still wanted to enjoy the world beneath the waves and do some scuba diving.

Have a look at where we just came from, KOH LANTA

Then enjoy some SCUBA diving in KOH TAO