The times when we just did beach holidays in summer and skiing trips in winter are over since a long time. Meanwhile you can go very easily and cheap as well to a warm sunny beach on the one side of the planet, while it is freezing in your country, or you can travel during the totally hot mid-summer of your country to a snowy resort somewhere else on a summit in country where there is winter at that moment. We went to Thailand before Christmas, traveled around, had a good time on the sea and collected a lot of nice video and picture material.
Our Thailand-Expert Praxinho V., who lived nearly half of his live in Southeast-Asia and who knows all around the islands by experience on exploring by scooter, on elephants, by foot or just crawling – that guy brought us to one of his “Special-secret-super-nice-places”. A lodge where he always goes, and where we all stood for some days and which we definitely can recommend: The Koh Phangan Rainbow Bungalows of Martin Hine and Noy Prante Limkul ….
But first to say, Thailand provides adventures for everybody and actually there is always kind of summer. Sometimes with more rain, sometimes with less. But especially the islands around the region of Surathani – the biggest one is Koh Samui, then Koh Phangan and Koh Tao – they developed into high attractive holiday spots for a lot of different kind of travelers. Nature-loving people can dive into the sea, do runs on the beaches or go on hikes and explorations through the island jungle. If you want you can just ease down and relax on the beach, at the bungalow or wherever around, it’s a little chill out zone. … and if you want…. of course…. ? …..you can take part as well at the monthly and legendary Full-Moon-Party. This is definitely quite an experience you should not miss in your life! It´s actually not a real party… it´s more a little festival on the beach with a lot of other little partys…. and around 30.000 people…
But no worries, if you miss it. As well on the other days there are many different partys on the island. (Like Half-Moon-Party, Tarzan-Party, Waterfall-Party, Quarter-Moon-Party, Banana-Moon-Party….). They organize tours of every kind into the island or to the open sea, you can do sport activities like paragliding, jetskiing, scuba diving, sailing or surfing and will find spots all around the tourist locations on the islands. Or you just rent a scooter, which is easy and fun as well, and you explore the island by yourself. What we did.
Martin Hine is 51 years old, he is actually from Australia, but he lives since 27 years with his wife Noy Prante Limkul on Koh Phangan in Thailand and is organizing the Phangan Rainbow Bungalows. We did an interview with him about the history of the bungalows and the development of the tourism in the last years on the island, listen to it, quite interesting and funny:
The Island Koh Phangan is really a little paradise, like you remember from a travel book, and the bungalows are the perfect crown for it. At the end of the article you can find all contact information and a video with a short walk around at the area of the lodge. Depending on the bungalow-type you pay between 600 and 1000 Baht per night. (that´s between 15 and 26 Euro). And the location of the bungalows is as well just perfect. They have an own kitchen, and the meals are cheap and really good. If you want you can just stay there for two weeks on the bungalow-owned-seaside under the palm trees and sleep and chill. But as well there are a lot of other options like huge-water-slide-parks, rollercoasters…. ? (TO BOB) , …. then of course nice beautiful beaches, and adventurous parties.
The beach Haad Rin, where the huge and legendary Full Moon Partys are always taking place, that beach is as well just around the corner of the Bungalows. At the moment every ride on the island costs 100 Baht (stand: 29.01.16), it doesn´t matter to which place and how long the ride takes. It´s actually very easy to go around, and there are always some Tuktuks or Collective-Taxis on the run. As well you can take a boat very easily to get to other islands, to little atolls or deeper out to the sea, where you find a lot of playgrounds for scuba diving or snorkel fans. If you want to have a real fast way to get the directly connections via airplanes. so you can get some cheap flights from Bangkok to Koh Samui, that would take around 1,5 hour and can be around 80 – 100 Euro. From there you can take the boat to Koh Phangan. But if you have time… take your time and travel there slowly, its more fun. This little paradise is exactly the imagination you get from the travel magazines in print or you can watch on television. For a short holiday-trip – (actually the time you take should be at least minimum 2 weeks…. – up to 3 or 4 weeks would be better) – but it doesn´t matter, if long term or short stay, the place (Thailand) is just wonderful, there is something for everybody….. But this kind of tourism leaves as well traces, marks and even a lot of scars. The effect of a lot of the influences of all that changed as well during the last couple of years. For example there is meanwhile some little kind of waste management with a garbage collection. There is… but only after realizing that the tourists don´t like beaches and the surrounding of the tourist places filled with garbage. So the garbage had to vanish…
But more it the way like, out of sight – out of mind…. Meanwhile there exist huge garbage dumpings just in the middle of the islands. And they are housing the whole amounts of the waste deposits from the islands of more than the last 15 years….. Year after year. During all this time it was raining and raining so often, and all the water went through this growing garbage hills and is flushing more and more toxic and harmful particles in the ground and drinking water…. The tourism has as well his shady side… If you guys go on travelling, always take care of the surrounding and the nature, don´t waste anything and clean up all your garbage!
Martin Hine told us in another nice interview about a deeper view into social, political and cultural problematic issues of the island and as well of the country in general:
In our Rainbow Bungalow Gallery you can find a lot more nice pictures of the place and here is a video about a little walk around with the owner Martin Hine through the area of the Phangan Rainbow Bungalows:
INFOTHEK
Adress: Phangan Rainbow Bungalows, Bankai Beach, Koh Phangan,
Surathani, 84280, Thailand
Phone: ++ 66 77 238236 from abroad / 077238236 within Thailand.
Please call between 9am-9pm Thai time (GMT +7)
Email: bookings@rainbowbungalows.com – admin@rainbowbungalows.com – thefamily@rainbowbungalows.com
Website: http://www.rainbowbungalows.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Phangan.Rainbow/
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