When we first arrived in Koh Pha Ngan after a week full of diving in Koh Tao, we were exhausted! That didn't matter though, as we checked in to our beachfront bungalow, we could step out onto the sand, and jump into a hammock, that was shaded by massive canopy providing trees. We were based up in Thong Nai Pan Yai, a beautiful northern stretch of coastline that we had almost to ourselves. We immediately felt at home at The Candle Hut Resort, as we were welcomed by a pack of 5 dogs no older than 8 months old. They were looked after well by the hotel, and they were definitely pleased when Sam and I came to stay, as the pack of pups had some playmates.
Thong Nai Pan Yai & Noi, are two secluded beaches in the north of Koh Pha Ngan. Thong Nai Pan Noi being the smaller beach, had more of a town feel, with bamboo cocktail bars, traditional Thai restaurants and the high end resorts. Our town out on the main road was a bit more baron, as most of the restaurants and hotels, line the beach so you have dinner on the sand. But our town did have a little street food ally filled with Thai women, making you 80 baht curries, roti pancakes, chicken baguettes, fresh fruit salads and fruit juices. We ate dinner there twice, and it was filled with people and a great atmosphere every night.
We relaxed on the beach nearly every morning before heading out to explore the island. We took out a moped, and I have to say these were the some of the best roads to explore in Thailand. You climb up into the forest as you reach the centre of the island, and the roads are always empty other than in the port town Thong Sala. We checked out all the towns across Pha Ngan, including the Full Moon Party town, Haad Rin. But my favourite other than Thong Nai Pan, was actually in the north west near Chaloklum and Haad Salad. It reminded me more of Chalok Bay in Koh Tao. We also rode through the National Parks and checked out some of the local waterfalls. They were beautiful and looked refreshing, but even I thought people had to be crazy to be swimming in them.
We decided to put our new diving certification to use and booked a couple dives over to Sail Rock. In season it's supposed to be a common hang out for Whale Sharks, as well as being a beautiful coral garden, with underwater chimneys to explore. It took us an hour and half to get over there and Sam and I were super excited. We jumped in the water after the boat dropped us off, and the dive master looked down to find thousands of Jellyfish. I thought he was joking but I was too scared to look down, I shouted across to Sam, who tried to calm me down and tell me there wasn't, but the dive master quickly told him to look down. Sam said he'd never seen anything like it. We soon started to get stung as we were only wearing short wetsuits, and I just wanted to get out the water. It looked like the scene from Finding Nemo. 3 German lads on our boat who had also completed their Open Water in Koh Tao decided to continue with the fun dives, and fight their way through the Jellyfish bloom. The stings themselves weren't too painful. But when they got back on the boat I had never seen anything like it. Their arms and legs were swollen and red with lashes (which later turned super itchy).
Overall I loved Koh Pha Ngan, there was so much to do on and off the island as it's situated right between Koh Tao and Koh Samui. We explored freely there, and found every town had a different vibe which stopped you getting bored of being in one place. But one thing that is essential in Koh Pha Ngan (in fact the most of Thailand), is a moped!