Live your life according to what you do, not what you don't do
My plans had enough time for me to visit Koh Phangan for about three days before heading to Krabi to see the magnificent limestone karsts and cliffs of the Andaman Coast of Thailand.
I arrived to Koh Phangan during a rainstorm. Koh Tao was rainy for the three days I visited. As I boarded the ferry, the skies cleared, revealing one the most beautiful days I've ever seen. I was sad to leave, but I'd already booked the ticket and I was invited by Brian, Cathy, and Jose to party that night. The rain seemed to be following me.
I had some hassles with the boat drivers who seemed immune to any form of bargaining. They were charging 300baht since the waves were too high. I caved, agreeing to pay the money; there was no way to get to Haad Thien save a two hour hike up a mountain. The waves were insane and the ride was frightening. We stopped at Haad Yuan first, the bay before my destination, but the waves were so strong, we had trouble getting off the beach. They took me back to Haad Rin, refusing to move on. On the way, crashing waves soaked all of my things, including my camera and mp3 player (which did turn out to ok.). About an hour later, they agreed to take me back to Haad Yuan, but not all the way to Haad Thien. This was fine since it was only a ten minute walk.
They suggested I stay at Beam, the backpacker hub for the area. It was a lovely dorm, open air, large, clean, with a great balcony for yoga overlooking the sea. I was in love instantly. The bay was quiet, no roads, hippies and yogis everywhere. Within minutes, I'd met a group of fun Fins who occupied me for much of the afternoon.
The party was great and I was happy to spend time with friends. I was warned when I arrive that people typically don't leave, most staying for at least a month, despite any plans. I didn't think this would happen to me, but I ended up staying a couple days later to experience the weekly social event of bay, Guy's Bar on Friday. I was too tired to leave Saturday, so I planned to leave Sunday, with Brian, Cathy and Jose.
My bags were packed, I was ready to go, but then I met a lovely woman, Kate, on Sunday afternoon while I was waiting for my laundry. We started talking and next thing I knew it was dark. Suddenly, I realized that Krabi was not a practical stop; why go someplace for only a day. I decided to stay until Tuesday, then head to Malaysia. It was hard to abandon a plan to see something great on the other end of the world, but I was enjoying myself too much. Why search for other paradises when I'd already found one? It was the perfect balance of sociality and rusticness.
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