Island Hospitality

We arrived in Koh Pha Ngan, an island off the Gulf of Thailand, on Monday via overnight bus, morning bus, and ferry. The landscape along the water was absolutely stunning!

10.5 hours went by quicker than we thought 🙏🏻

And in case you haven’t seen yet…Chris cut his hair short! Looks good huh 😎

After lunch, our first order of business was renting a scooter, which is the primary means of transport out here. Good thing for us Chris is so sporty 😅 It’s pretty wild to see how many locals can pack on one bike, or how many groceries (or even construction equipment) both passenger and driver carry back in one ride. We’ve seen some pretty young kids with their own bikes, too.

Fortunately, we haven’t experienced much rain during rainy season — meaning beautiful blue skies for beach days and exploring the island. Unfortunately, we’ve biked out to dry waterfalls and the calm skies have dashed Chris’ kite surfing dreams so far. Especially since checking into our *much nicer* second accommodation, we’ve relaxed into the island pace and met some new friends. Sandy feet, island breeze & lots of love 🌺

While there are luxury and wellness sides of Koh Pha Ngan, much of the tourism here leans into a party scene centered around the moon. Ahead of the legendary Full Moon Party this coming Sunday, there are monthly festivals in the days leading up to the lunation set in picturesque jungle locations and along the beach.

Ads stay up year round and just the date changes each month 😂

Truly, the service and hospitality on the island is unparalleled. Perhaps especially during this “shoulder season,” or perhaps due to the sheer volume of accommodations, bars, and restaurants, the service is so kind and swift everywhere. We’ve enjoyed getting to know locals as we can — Thais have a great sense of humor and there are actually many Burmese people here who have found economic opportunity and reprieve from the conflict in their home country.

The food is also AMAZING (with many Western & international options, too, to keep Chris happy 😆) I could live on fruit smoothies forever…

Food Appreciation Gallery