Island living, Koh Phangan

"expect the unexpected." A pretty common saying I must say and one I've been living by for the past six months. Usually the unexpected is something unfortunate or inconvenient right? So when I met a croatian guy in Laos about a month ago who had spent some time in Haad Yuan beach in the Thai island of Koh Phangan,


I was expecting the same resume a lot of Thai beaches have - scenic but with swarms of speedo-clad sun worshippers in flashy resorts. Not my ideal CV. But the words and enthusiasm he used to describe this particular stretch of sand were much more appealing to me. "chill", "good vibe",


"small beach", and the clincher, "by boat only." When I arrived on the island I made a beeline south to find this beach. Although I was anticipating the unexpected, it never came. Everything was just as he had described it and to my delight, it was far better. After a long but painless ferry ride where I got to know a new Canadian friend (while also entertaining a few school kids with my yoyo skillz),


I hopped on a rickety long boat and bounced my way to this dream beach. As we neared shore, our teenage captain cooly and easily maneuvered the unstable boat near the sand.


I jumped off and landed in knee-deep crystal clear water. As there are only a few establishments offering lodging in Haad Yuan (mainly modest bungalows), I didn't have to walk too far to find one.


I could not believe my luck as I happened to land undoubtedly the best (not fanciest) bungalow on the beach just spitting distance from the ocean.


From my balcony I lazily surveyed the mellow vibe on the beach during the day, watched the clouds turn pinkish-purple as the sun disappeared in the evening, and much to my liking, awoke to the sound of small waves arriving gently in the morning.


Time was not a concept and my worries entailed slowly dragging my sarong under a nearby palm tree for shade or scooting back a few feet as the tide crept in.


Wanting to keep up my Muay Thai training regimen and knowing full well I'd be surfing in Bali, I maintained a creative and challenging beach workout. My favorites were using the stretched rope of an anchored boat to do side-to-side squats,


and running underwater while carrying a ~50 lb rock - interesting training I'd seen surfers do before but never tried myself. Apart from that I read two books, did some brainstorming about my future plans, played cards,


did some yoga, played beach soccer with the locals, and ate obscene amounts of food. Easily the most relaxing time of my life... After saying a sad goodbye to Haad Yuan I headed to less peaceful Haad Rin for a few days before hopping over to Bali.


Haad Rin is home of the monthly debauchery which is the full moon party and even though I wasn't going to be there for it, I still wanted to check out the nightlife which I heard was highly entertaining. I stumbled onto to a cheap hostel with a too-good-to-pass-up price and found I was the only guest.


Not what I was expecting from a big party town but I wasn't complaining. Apparently this cheap hostel would have as high a demand as an ocean view bungalow as the full moon party neared. It seems everything in Haad Rin revolved around...well, the moon! Shops, restaurants, bars are all deserted until boisterous partygoers arrive days before the moon is brightest. You would think an international crowd, good DJs, and mind-numbing buckets overflowing with Thai liquor (all under the bright stars and next to the warm ocean) would be quality ingredients for a bumping party right?


Well they are. But what really gets the crowd pumping every night in Haad Rin beach is FIRE...lots of it!


Fire twirlers, fire jump ropes, fire limbo, fire breathing, fire everywhere! The amount of people I have seen with bandages around their ankles all over Thailand has been comical. Now I know why. Too many buckets = coordination loss when jumping fire rope. I wasn't about to be a statistic so I stayed away and instead tried my hand, literally, at beach arm wrestling.


I surprised everyone including myself by winning three in a row, earning a free drink, and then quickly being brought back to reality by a somewhat large German with a healthy gut. I snagged the toilet paper used to support our elbows as my own consolation prize...


As I leave Thailand I'm reminded of delicious food, incredible beaches,


exotic sports, intriguing culture (including the Karen people), and a simple yet efficient way of life that in some ways I hope to mimic when back in the states.


I now have my mind set on Bali and quite possibly some of the most desirable waves in the world. Another dream adventure where I can no doubt "expect the unexpected."