ham

I had a Pizza with friends at the new "Angel Bay" in Hinkong (Beach street towards Had Yao, shortly before "menu" restaurant) at the beach. Made in a wooden fire oven. Very thin and crispy, beautiful italien Pizza. Even the nice couple there seemed to be french people. We enjoyed a great dark red sunset. It is a very nice place to stay. I just missed the spicy chilly's in olive oil. Nobody seems to ask for that, i'm wondering why?

There was even a "Vernissage" few weeks ago. You find pictures under "www.phangan-guide.com" a french site of koh phangan, also very nice made. It is not my one

ham

p.s. forgot to make a picture of the pizza.....next time

WHAT? Koh Phangan radio?? How come they have a Radio Station?

yes we do have a radio station here, if it runs it is on FM 88.80 MHz

ham

what about a nice layer cheese cake with blueberry's topped?

I had one (or two) at the Niras's place in Bantai, 80 Baht for one slice

really tasty

ham

Timetable changes by Samui-Phangan Express

I was at the pier yesterday, when a boat was arriving, so I tuk a pictures and received a flyer with the departing times, new:

Samui departure 08:00 a.m. for the first boat (no more 07:00 a.m.)

Phangan departure 08:30 a.m. for the first boat (no more 07:30 a.m.) all all other departure times reamins the same, every hour on departure

ham

call center 077 425 262

Strange cloudes over the west coast of Phangan (12.1.08)

ham

Greetings all you visa GURU'S I have a student just finished his advanced course who was due to do a visa run today. He wont get there now till tomorrow. So a couple of quick questions?? Is the first day overstay free???? and can he do the Andaman club route with the one day overstay or will he have to go to Ranong Immigration. Cheers in advance guys

Hi

the 1. overstay is free only at the airport in BKK, everywhere else you have to pay 500 Baht. I don't know about the Andaman club route

cheers ham

Hello Ham, Happy new year

There are a lot of mistakes about those schedules... See a right schedules on my website

I check them every day ...but sometimes it's hard to get them, especially with a Raja ferry.

Bye

Hi Stevethongsala, happy new year to you too and a lot of hints on your website

please tell us the mistakes on the schedule, if there are any and which ones not just try to get hints on your website, btw (=by the way), cool and nice website. You seems to be french guy, n'est ce pas? and if the schedule on your website is another one, does not mean that your one is right. And if the boat leaving the pier, it does not mean that it is on schedule time. Raja Ferry is late very often. But there were no times for the Raja-Ferry too in my postings

salutation

ham

Apparently Songeserm 5pm from Nathon has started running again, but they told me that last week so best to phone and check first.

Schedule is 16:50 (source phangan.info)

hmm i disagree, i think lomprayah is the best run service. if you think they are bad, try songserm!

You right with Songserm, they just the cheapest , that's all. But I think, Seatran is by far the best choice. If you take the Chumpon/BKK boat you can make the experience. They run the same time (Lomprayah and Seatran) Lomprayah from Meanam to Thongsala via Ko Tao to a pier outside of Chumporn. Same with Seatran, just they starting at the Big Buddha pier (I guess that's Bang Rak), which is more convinient if you arrive with the Bangkok Airways. The pier is next to the Hadrin Queen Pier, Big Buddha.

On Seatran you can walk around, there is a deck and they have cool seats. It is a japanese boat. .....I don't work for them

Source for the departure times: "Phangan Explorer December 2007"

Seatran departurs in Bang Rak Samui to Chumporn (via Thongsala/Ko Tao):

08:00

13:30

Seatran departurs in Thongsala for Samui (coming from Chumporn):

11:00

16:30

Lomprayah (from Bang Rak, according "Phangan Explorer, December 2007"):

08:00

13:00

17:30

Lomprayah (from Thongsala)

07:00 (new, starting in Thongsala)

11:00 (coming from Chumporn)

16:00 (coming from Chumporn)

Hadrin Queen (Big Buddha - Hadrin)

10;30

13:00

16:00

18:30

Hadrin Queen (Hadrin - Big Buddha)

09:30

11:40

14:30

17:30

Songserm

12:30 (Thongsala/Nathon)

11:45 (Nathon/Thongsala)

ham

Lomprayah Meanam Pier

Seatran at Big Buddha and inside view

Songserm

Night Boat

Hadrin Queen

Hi

I was with my girlfriend on the night boat the 30^th (two day’s ago) for a visa run to Ranong. Following happened that night on the boat:

While I was sleeping I’ve heard suddendly a noise and an english guy was shouting very loud to a undefined thai guy "what the fuc_k are you doing" in the dark and somebody escaped from the bed row down the stairs.

The story was that a undefined guy from the staff came twice to a sleeping girl and was wanking (sexual harassment), so the girl gets scared and that english guy was probably seeing the whole scene then. He was watching the scene for a while and this (or another) guy came again and the same scene happened again. So he tried to get the staff member but since it was very near to the wooden stairs at the end of the boat he could escape and was not seen anymore.

So far the story. I tried to identify the man in Suratthani with the english guy together and i made some pictures from the staff hanging around the boat. I took even a picture of the captain and said to him that somebody of his staff traid to make some problem (sexual harassment) to an innocent girl on this trip, on his boat. He just went to his cabin back (I was talking in thai about the night).

I know the owner and will make a report, but I’m not sure if this helps. We have to watch this boat service clearly.

It has to be mentioned that the girls where quit loud at the beginning of the cruise and alcohol was in the round to. But nevertheless those things should be eliminated in the night boat. It was probably not the first time on this line, I guessing.

Btw. The 10 dollars which are to be paid at the burmese immigration office, have to be in a very good shape (best new ones), they refused a girls 10 dollar note, which had little redish color on the paper, not to see when not looking very clearly. So be carefull when changing dollars for this trip, don’t take old notes with you.

ham

Hi

Quiet area

- allmost everywhere on Phangan. The island follows the moon pretty much ;-) and it gets busy allways over the fullmoon-party time of course. But even in hadrin you have quiet areas, after few days when the "hooligans" leaving the island again.

- I think the sunset side (westcoast) is the better choice i.e. "Thongsala, Wogtum, Hinkong, Srithanu, Had Chaopao, Had Yao". And it does not really matter where you want to stay, nearer to the maintown or just in the north of the island, as long you can drive a bike.

- Taxis are also everywhere but night time it can be expensive to get back to your place.

- Tong Nai Pan is beautiful, little more expensive and a long ride to the maintown, also a bit anoying during rainy times, because the street is not yet fully paved and you have to cross some steep hills (through a beautiful primary jungle). No problem with a car.But I would not consult you this area alone.

Would you consider the island safe for solo(pretty reclusive) female?

- as everywhere in Thailand, mostly depending on your own awareness or consciousness. I guess it is no problem here right now.

Net connection!!

- if you plan to rent a house, there are many with internet access. You can buy a phone (CAT, wireless) and then you have a selection between 230 kbs and 2mb (590 Baht up to 2700 Baht/m) but as i said, there are many houses to rent with internet

During the rainy season is the island pretty much shut off from Koh Samui?

- that's history. You have several lines. Main port is main town Thongsala. Boats to Samui, Nathon, Meanam Beach and Big Buddha, daily (mostly 2 to 3 times).

- the hadrin queen is heading for samui (big buddha) all day long (and back of coarse).

- the lomphraya line takes only 20 min to meanam beach, departure in Thongsala, same for Seatran. Car-Ferrys every 2 hours to Donsak (mainland near Suratthani)

Getting around: public transport? bikes?

- bicycle is ok on the west and better at the south coast (Bantai). Motorbike no problem with the automatic version, not to compaire with busy CM. Everywhere Taxis (songthaew) during daylight. Night time = ripp off, if you live on a remote place, not so much on the mainstreet to hadrin!

- there is one school at least (which i know) little outside of thongsala (250 B/h)

- ATM's everywhere even on remote sites, sometimes several bankes at the same shop!!

hope this helps a little bit

ham

(had chaopao)

Thongsala (maintown)

here a cool sunset in october, over the angthon marine national park, also a whale in the same area and the beach where the picture where taken, at the right side, pirate bar (moonset party place)

ham

people, these is realy a great pizza and a nice small place to be, I was there in the summer time.

Also the pizza in Casablanca is as it would be somewhere in italy. Just those stupid american soaps running all the time are kinde of strange.