Looking at my photo directory, it appears that it was the day I made my way from Ko Samui to Ko Phangan. Ah, yes, how could I forget?

I had it planned out even before I left Manila: I read online that there is a boat that goes from Maenam beach in Ko Samui direct to Thong Nai Pan Noi in Ko Phangan. As luck would have it, those are the two places where I will be staying.

On the morning of May 21, 2006, I had my delicious breakfast of vegetable fried rice at Moonhut Bungalow, enjoying the view from where I was seated. I liked staying at this resort, though I am also looking forward to going to a new place.

At 11:30am, I checked out, confirming with the owner the schedule of this boat going to Ko Phangan. Upon asking where it docks, he merely said “Oh, you wouldn’t miss it.”

Oh, I DID miss it. I ended up walking in the sand under the midday sun all the way to the Lomprayah dock (which is about 1 kilometer away), carrying my backpack. Not good.

There was a travel agent office at the dock, and I asked the two lovely ladies when the next boat to Ko Phangan will leave. They said there’s no boat going there until 4pm, and it leaves from Bophut and docks at Hat Riin in Ko Phangan. Resigned, I just made reservations for this boat, and they told me somebody will be picking me up from their office.

They were the nicest people I’ve met. They told me that I could leave my things in their office so I wouldn’t have to lug it around. Since it was lunch time, one of the ladies invited me to lunch, as she said she knows this nice place where the food is good and cheap. As with most Thais, she has her own scooter to help her get around. She told me to hop on the seat behind her, and for a second, I just stared at it. I’ve never learned to ride a bike, much less a motorcycle, and there I was getting on one.

Over lunch, she talked about life in Thailand. Both she and her partner are from Bangkok and they plan on opening their own agency at Ko Phangan. She even gave me their card and told me to get in touch, whenever I go back to Thailand. They are amazed how I could travel alone and told me to be careful. I guess that’s one perk of being a solo female traveler; people often want to take care of you.

We went back to their office and I waited for my ride to Bophut. It came around 2:30, just when I was dying of boredom. The ride to Bophut was a pretty short one, and left me with another hour or so of waiting. The boat finally came, and finally, I was on my way to Ko Pha Ngan.

At Hat Riin, there’s a lot of people waiting, mostly drivers, hawking their destination. I walked on, hoping somebody would say “Thong Nai Pan Noi.” I finally see one, and was secretly glad it was a van, not a songthaew. Unfortunately, the van only goes halfway, then the driver switches vehicles to, yes, a songthaew.

I’ve nothing against songthaew, but like the jeepney, it’s not that comfortable to ride in one, specially when going through rough terrain. The road from Had Riin to Thong Nai Pan Noi is no joke. It’s paved at certain parts, and on most parts it’s just bare earth. Suffice to say, I was pretty tired and cranky when I finally walked into Baan Panburi.

The days pass by so quickly, and somehow, I can’t believe that it was only a year ago that I started backpacking. From Cebu to Thailand, Singapore to Melbourne, Sydney to Gold Coast, yup, I’ve come far since then. I guess I’m ready for my Asian tour in 2008

I booked with Lomprayah because…their boat looks good. Yeah, I think that’s it.

Seriously though, I picked them because I thought the boats look good, can stand swelling waves and doesn’t look too old.

Aside from their craft, I was won over by their package trips, promo fares and yes, they take web reservations, bookings and my credit card. Bear in mind that this was way back in April, when I’ve just gotten my first credit card and antsy to use it. Plus, booking online would mean that I don’t have to go around Bangkok buying tickets. This, unfortunately, mean that there’s no room for sponteneity, as you’d have to strictly follow your itinerary.

From the outside, the vessel looks short and small. Inside, however, you’d be surprised at how roomy it is. As soon as you board the craft, the Lomprayah staff will take your luggage and it will be stored at the front, where everybody can keep an eye on their stuff. If you have any breakables in your bag, make sure it’s padded very well as they just stack the bags on top of each other.

There are about 5 or more televisions inside the catamaran. They usually show Hollywood movies with subtitles in Thai. I was able to watch the intro of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith a couple of times on the ride out to Ko Nangyuan (I got seasick and barfed out my breakfast of orange Strepsils), The Mask of Zorro on the trip back to Ko Samui (I was able to take Bonamine this time and was happily munching on Pringles), and most of The Island on the way to Chumporn from Ko Pha Ngan.

Lomprayah has their own pier at Mae Nam beach in Ko Samui. From Ko Samui, the craft goes to Ko Pha Ngan, then to Ko Tao, then to Ko Nangyuan, then lastly, to Chumporn. In Chumporn, those bound to Hua Hin or Bangkok will board the Lomprayah bus.

This lovely hunk of metal you see on the left is the double decker Lomprayah bus that goes from Chumporn to Bangkok and vice versa. There are seats in the lower deck, though limited. Most of the seats are on the 2nd deck. There’s a TV on both decks, and it’s another movie marathon courtesy of Lomprayah. The movies this time were The Legend of Zorro (whee, I watched part 1 in the catamaran, now I get to watch part 2 in the bus!), and Into the Blue (which I slept through most of the time but the other backpackers in the bus were engrossed with the movie). Legroom was okay enough, and the air conditioning working VERY well. We were given towels to use as blankets. The bus has its own toilet, but if you’re riding in the 2nd deck, it’s pretty hard to go down the steep stairs with its small steps while the bus is moving.

When you check in at their office, you are given a color-coded sticker so that the staff can identify who should be going down in a particular stop. Passengers who are joining the day tour are given a color-coded ribbon tied to the wrist, a pack of bread for your breakfast or if you prefer, for the fishies, and a coupon good for 2 drinks at the snack bar onboard.

Another great thing about Lomprayah is that they offer free pick up and transfers from your resort in Samui to the docks and back if you’re with the packaged tour, and pick up within Samui if you’re taking the catamaran to any of their destinations.

The snorkelling trip was okay, though a bit hurried. The rain delayed our departure from Samui and the voyage to Ko Pha Ngan, though with all the stops it made to and from Ko Nangyuan, it’s really hard to tell. The ride from Ko Pha Ngan to Bangkok took almost 12 hours, with a 30-minute stop at Ko Tao and two 30-minute stop at Chumporn to wait for the bus and for dinner.

All in all, I am satisfied with Lomprayah’s service. If I find myself in Ko Samui, Pha Ngan, Tao or Nangyuan, I’ll definitely book with Lomprayah again!

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran
E-mail: info@lomprayah.com
Website (English Version): http://www.lomprayah.com/E/index.htm

Baan Panburi has made some changes through out the years, which resulted to having two types of accomodation: the Old Island Huts and the New Island Huts. There is a THB 100 price difference between the two kinds, and I spent weeks trying to decide whether to be cheap or take a chance with a newer hut, hoping it has better facilities. I went with the latter.

Then there’s the debate if I’ll splurge on a beachfront hut or be contented with a seaview. The price difference was bigger, so I opted to be cheap this time.

If you compare the two pictures (the first was of my seaview hut, the 2nd is the beachfront hut), the additional THB800 was for the extension on the side where you can hangout while having a view of the beach or the pathway. You also get a window with a glass and curtains, whereas with the THB 500 hut, you get a small porch and a wooden window, which you have to open if you want some natural light inside your hut and which you have to close if you want to change your clothes (unless you’re an exhibitionist) or if you want to keep the insects (and unwelcomed humans) out of your hut.

Unlike Moonhuts Bungalows, their huts are made of natural materials, similar to the Philippines’ bahay kubo. I had many gripes about my hut: it was too dark, little natural light coming in, there are crevices which lets insects and bugs in, the window doesn’t have a screen, so you can’t leave it open at night when you sleep, the bed was too hard, and ugh, it goes on.

Its saving grace is its beautifully landscaped gardens, gorgeous beachfront (inhabited by friendly dogs), the courteous and friendly staff, and its wonderful restaurant.

Thong Nai Pan Noi is pretty small, and while there’s ample restaurants around, most of the tourists head on to the Sala Rim Nam Terrace Restaurant. They offer a wide variety of dishes from native Thai cuisine to Western staples like hamburger, pizza, and a sampling of Asian dishes as well. The dishes are moderately and reasonably priced: the food’s delicious and served in a timely manner. A little precaution when ordering though: If you’re thinking of ordering dishes that starts with “Fried Chicken with…” clarify with the server how the dish is cooked. I ordered Fried Chicken with Pinapple and added an order of Mashed potatoes to go with it and got chicken stir-fried with pineapples. While the dish was delicious, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. Their Cheeseburger and Spaghetti with Garlic and Basil is a winner in my book. Try it!

Another great thing about Baan Panburi’s restaurant is the overall ambiance of the restaurant. There are no walls in this restaurant; you’re offered a gorgeous view of the beach or the gardens anywhere you turn. In case of rain, they just roll down a tarp on all the sides. You can choose to sit at a table nearest the beach, a table for two near the center, or relax in one of the wooden beds with a group of friends.

When you’ve gotten tired of relaxing at the beach, they have a cabinet filled with toys and games you can borrow. I think there was a chess set there, as well as dominoes and probably a badminton set. They also sell junkfood, souvenirs, postcards and books in their gift shop. There wasn’t much difference in their prices with the stores outside the resort, though their Internet is priced higher and has a sub-par connection. And it’s running on Windows Vista.

So would I stay again at Baan Panburi? To answer this question, I’ll ask you, dear reader, to answer one of my own: Would you judge a resort by its toilet? I enjoyed my 4 days in Baan Panburi, but this toilet is really something I don’t want to encounter again.

I hear they’re making a lot of improvements in the resort, including expanding unto the land across the road near the mountains, and adding in a swimming pool (probably where the Old Island Huts used to be). Maybe they’ll have better (read: cleaner) bathroom facilities by then. But I think I’ll try out the other resorts in the area and just go there for food.

Baan Panburi Village
Amphur Baan Tai, Thong Nai Pan Noi
Koh Phangan, Suratthani 84320, Thailand.
Tel: + 66 (0) 7723 8593, + 66 (0) 7723 8599, + 66 (0) 7744 5075
Fax: + 66 (0) 7744 5076
E-mail : reservation@baanpanburivillage.com

Book now or see current rates

See this dog? While I was walking along the shores of Thong Nai Pan Noi, this dog kept on barking at me. I walked along, ignoring him and hoping he won’t come near to take a bite. He didn’t and he eventually stopped.

I also stopped as I found a spot on the beach. I spread my sarong and sat down to read my Meg Cabot novel. I was so intent on my book that I only noticed a black presence when it was only inches away from me. It was the dog, sauntering past me, his tail swishing on my face. He walked around me and flopped down beside me. Was he ever comfy, sleeping soundly on my sarong.

Yes, I went to Thailand to eat a hamburger.

Baan Panburi boasts of having the best restaurant in Thong Nai Pan Noi in Ko Pha Ngan. Though I never ventured out to try the other restaurants in this small beach, the dishes they serve at the Terrace Restaurant is simply sumptuous and reasonably priced.

The menu displays a variety of cuisine from Western to Asian, with fares both meat lovers and vegetarians would enjoy. In the evening, you can also partake in their barbeque of fresh seafood.