Koh Phayam // Thailand

The new adventure started with the local bus from Khao Sok via Takua Pa to Ranong. It can get really cozy in these busses when everyone is sleeping on each other’s shoulders, while babies are crawling on the floor. bear

To escape Ranong’s fishy flavor it is best to hop on a boat to wonderful relaxed Koh Phayam! You can either take a speedboat (35 minutes) for 350 Baht or – if you have some more time and want to save money too – take the slow boat (2 hours) for 200 Baht, just like I did.

CHA CHAI HOME

After a long trip from Khao Sok, I was looking for some nice food and chose the colorful (and promising looking) family-run restaurant called Cha Chai Home! This is where I got to know talented Arthur, who quickly turned from a dinner conversationalist into my travel partner for the next few days.

Their owners Charmene and Chai offer a wide variety of homemade organic vegetarian dishes accompanied by delicious fruit shakes and tasty teas! There is also a library and a gift shop, you can join their yoga lessons or just relax (f.e. with your kids) and play some table games while sitting under the cashew nut trees. Not only do they serve yummy Thai and Western food, but also their prices are one of the lowest on Koh Phayam. These were the reasons that turned us into regular customers for the coming days! bigsmile

AO KAO KWAI (BUFFALO BAY)

Buffalo Bay is a one kilometer wide beach with soft white sand and lots of scared tiny crabs hiding in the sand. It’s a wonderful beach to relax at!

Luckily I arrived on Koh Phayam during the harvest period of cashew nuts. There are plenty of trees around the island as it’s the main source of income on Koh Phayam. It’s really interesting to see the cashew apple and its seed attached at the bottom of the fruit. Seeing this, it made me understand why cashew nuts are so expensive! cool

Probably the most eye-catching building on Koh Phayam is the well-known Hippy Bar resembling the bug of a pirate ship! This extraordinary beach bar has been built from driftwood and is a perfect place to watch the sunset.

I stayed in two different bungalows: The first one was Rabbit Bungalow (600 Baht per night), which was extremely nice! Their bungalows are in perfect condition, they offer free drinking water and clean the room on a daily basis. A beautiful garden next to an atmospheric pond makes it the perfect spot! The beach is in walking distance (around 10 minutes) and you can also rent a scooter to get around the island on your own.

After two nights I decided to switch to the Marina resort, because they are a bit cheaper (450 Baht per night) and the bungalows are located right next to the beach! Nothing better than to hear the waves crashing while having a good night sleep! smile star

Arthur and I chose to go back to Ranong by speed boat but unfortunately the engine broke and it took us even longer than with the slow boat. After they failed fixing the engine, eventually another boat picked us up in the middle of nowhere and brought us safely to the harbor. But with the Kindle in my hands I didn’t mind the delay at all, because it just left me with more time to read. smile