Haad Rin's Trio of Beaches - Past and Present Times

The Magic of Haad Rin
 
The journey has remained the same for the last twenty years. Take the Haad Rin Queen ferry from Big Buddha on Koh Samui, and soon you are traversing that turquoise sea back to Koh Phangan. Which returning traveller hasn't felt that sense of excitement deep in their belly, aware of the wonders that await them? As the mystical island rises out of the deep blue sea, time expands and the vortex draws us in, until we arrive at Haad Rin pier - ready for another adventure of a lifetime.



Once upon a time, the world outside Haad Rin used to disappear into another existence. It would be weeks or months before us wide-eyed travellers, weary of the Asian trail, would leave these shores again. Haad Rin would draw us in and keep us spellbound, until another magical season had passed on by. Nowadays visitors may stay only a few days, but the magic still remains! Once the Full Moon Party has passed, Haad Rin, quite paradoxically, remains the best kept secret on the Thai islands.



Today Haad Rin is quietly undergoing a facelift. The image of drunken youth trashing their party wonderland is fast becoming outdated, as beautiful, aesthetic resorts spring up all around Haad Rin's three beaches. At the pier, Haad Rin Resort's pool has an unsung olympic opulence to it. Up the hill, Sun Cliff boasts stunning views over Sunset Beach. While higher up still, Sea Breeze has spectacular views over another of Haad Rin's sublime and unheralded jewels: Leela Beach. 
 
The Sublime Leela Beach

 
Twenty years ago Leela Beach was a deserted palm lined cove, with a shack restaurant and one lone beach hut. I remember a straw blond German staking out his territory in that lone beach hut for a few seasons in the early 1990's.  You'd see him at every party in his silver 'Spaceman Spiff' trousers. He was either wearing those trousers or nothing at all, frolicking in the warm coral seas of Leela Beach. As Koh Phangan veteran Mario will tell you, our strange ways were tolerated back then.

Nowadays the uncompromising beauty of Leela Beach can be enjoyed as much as it ever was, from the sensitively integrated resorts of Coco Hut and Sarikantang. The old Leela Beach Bungalows further down the seashore still remain, and this beach remains a favourite hang out for both those looking for a little more luxury - and those Koh Phangan long-termers in the know! What better waterfront jewel on Koh Phangan to spend the afternoon on than the wondrous Leela Beach?

Bohemian Haad Rin Sunset 

Haad Rin Sunset is still my all time favourite stretch of beach on the planet, probably. Not only does it have million dollar views to Koh Samui in the distance, it also has the most sublime sunsets I've ever seen. I've stayed at family run Bird Bungalows for the last twenty years. The three-tiered coloured sea is shallow here, but in recent years some classy poolside resorts have sprung up on Haad Rin Sunset too - upping the Bohemian sense on Sunset Beach from shabby to chic luxury.

Of course long-standing Coral Bungalows, with its pool parties and high profile Muay Thai contests, is a must visit for the backpacker crowd. As is Seaside for a traditional happy hour beer. But if you are seeking charm and style, the resorts of Best Western Phanganburi and The Coast provide the perfect holiday atmosphere. Expect good service, spa treatments, great food and superb cocktails. Both have the lavish allure of a relaxing stay in Haad Rin. And, my oh my, those sunsets!

And then… explore! Who doesn't want to get off the beaten track and discover untouched beaches on their travels? And that is the beautiful paradox of Haad Rin. Keep walking ten or fifteen minutes after Bird Bungalows on Sunset Beach, and you will soon discover the best kept secret of the lot: virgin territory, granite rocks and empty beaches like something out of a Robinson Crusoe movie. Surrounded by lush vegetation, a forgotten world exists, so very close to the Full Moon Party.

Full Moon Party Bay

And then there is the most famous beach in Asia. Think of Haad Rin, and most think only of the wild chaos of the Full Moon Party. But in my opinion this gorgeous bay still comes top of the most beautiful beaches in South East Asia. That fine white sand, that jungle backdrop, that wide, sweeping, crescent moon bay! It's just such an exquisite shore, where we can play in the turquoise surf and lie on a sun-drenched beach under the palms. It fulfills all our ideals of paradise.

Cactus and Drop In may come alive by night, but during the day Sunrise, Phangan Bayshore and Fairyland offer some of the best chilled beach living anywhere. That's where you'll find us lounge lizards soaking up the sun, sea & surf! For those of us more active there's volleyball at Tommys, Muay Thai at Jungle Gym, not to mention some of the best yoga on the island at Lighthouse. Secret coves, sunset beaches and hedonistic luxury... Haad Rin has got it all! What's not to love?

Why don't you stay a while longer and discover the delights of Haad Rin for yourself?

Welcome to Paradise!


First published on Haadrinbeach.com in 2016

Read More »

A Love Affair with the Haad Rin Queen

The low gurgle of the engine...  The smell of the ocean...  The contrast of the blue painted decks and the turquoise sea.  A journey on the Haad Rin Queen is transportation in more ways than one.

The Haad Rin Queen has been ploughing the seas between Phangan and Samui as long as many travellers can remember.  The rocky motion entrances her passengers still, as sea spray splashes the legs of itinerant wanderers and backpackers who lay about her decks. 

The old tug boat has welcomed all walks of travelling life, turning them into happy seafarers for a short while...  A brief moment, which will linger in the annals of their travellers tales for ever.

It is a sensual journey of joy.  The beginning of a recurring love affair, whether young or old.  

An experiential mode of travel, which leaves an imprint on your brain - as you too fall in love with the Samui Islands.  Their irresistible charms call to you, never failing to move you with their sensuality...

You have arrived on the Samui Islands, and you will never be the same.

White cumulus clouds chug along in the sky above, mirroring the motion of the old tug boat herself.  

The Haad Rin Queen ploughs the waves, creating her own white horses as she crosses the emerald sea.  Then, the misty blue, elephantine hills of the islands rise from the ocean - heralding your arrival in paradise.

As your dreams of the islands embed within you, it is a time to reflect.  A time to let the experience of the island you are leaving behind transmute into treasured memories...

Then the sense of expectation of arriving on the new island, with all its hopes and dreams, beckons.  

You feel it calling to you of the pleasures to come.  It is always a poignant moment of hope and excitement - of treasure and loss - full of memories of a paradise soon to be lost or gained.  

The turquoise water holds the fluid memories of emotion.  And your heart burns with the truth of it, always.  It is a tale of love; a love story with the Samui Islands, like no other. 

The Haad Rin Queen has become her own living myth.  Her rocky motion has ignited the passions of passengers for decades. 

You'll never experience a dream of the islands like this. 

And the Haad Rin Queen, she knows it.  She knows your soul better than you know your own.  
Like a siren, be careful she doesn't capture your soul. 

Happy sailor, I have been lost to her, ever since I made my first journey upon her.
 
And lost to the islands I remain.   


* Mood piece inspired by our Tropical Writer's Workshop and Koh Phangan Uncovered articles for South East Asia Backpacker Magazine, Jan-Feb 2015. *

Thanks to Moira Bulacios Prat for the top photo!   
 

Read More »

A Koh Phangan Visionary: Psychedelic Artist Colin G Thomason

One of Colin G Thomason's artistic visions for sale on ebay

Famous for his psychedelic paintings of the Half Moon Festival and the Back Yard, the visionary man behind the artwork is well known on the island of Koh Phangan - yet still retains his air of mystique. I caught up with self-taught artist Colin G Thomason to see the world, and the stylised characters he paints, through his technicolour eyes ... 

What's with the psychedelia?

A very youthful sixty-something, Colin has been an artist since he was a kid. "I am still a kid", he quips, with that quick-witted glint in his eye, which all his long-term friends on Koh Phangan are familiar with. Inspired by fantasy, nature, travel and other artists, Colin also received early encouragement to paint, he says, from his paternal grandmother.

When I ask him what's with the psychedelia, he replies, "What's not with psychedelia?"  Colin was always fascinated with colour and patterning as a child, and admits,  "Yes, I have dabbled in intoxicants -  I was a hippy in the 1970's. Of course, I indulged in all the usual ways!"

"I'm still a kid" he quips, with that quick-witted glint in his eye

On the hippy trail through Asia in the mid 1970's, Colin travelled through Nepal, India and Burma, en route to Thailand. He arrived in the Spring of 1976. He stayed in Bangkok at the Atlanta Hotel - 'in a wood and tin shanty on Sukhumvit Soi 22' - with a motley crew of bar girls, addicts, alcoholics and wanderers.  He was 25 yrs old.

Back then, in pre-Khao San Road days, there weren't so many backpacker luxuries on the streets of Bangkok.  Colin survived on a diet of 5 baht dried squid, Vitamilk, Thai sticks, prawn crackers and Singha beer.  Having arrived into Bangkok almost penniless, it was a feast fit for a vagabond king. 

 Island scenes from days long gone, real and imagined

 

Despite arriving to Thailand in the mid 1970's, it was 1992 before Colin arrived on Koh Phangan, at a time when the allure of the island was nature, people and beaches. "Koh Phangan was a nature haven, with fantastic walks. That was my original reason for returning... And party, party, party!"

"Back then the Koh Phangan party scene was small, friendly, low tech and big fun. NOW it's high tech, costlier, busier... BUT still big fun!"

Not surprisingly, Colin's all time favourite party is the Back Yard, which shows in his artwork.  This painting from 2013, depicting a real life host of Koh Phangan characters, has been shared never-endingly in Koh Phangan circles this season. It is as relevant today as it would have been 20 yrs ago.

"Back Yard is unique," says Colin,

 "Great location, great music, friendly people... great memories!"

As famous as his Back Yard artwork is, it is another of Colin's fantastical party paintings that is perhaps best known on the island.  Half Moon Festival's collaboration with our unsung local artist is unforgettable.  Owner Jao saw a photo of Colin's painting, and the rest is history...

 "Half Moon was the best party - it still is the best looking!"

With the rumour breaking in 2014 that all parties except the Full Moon Party were about to be shut down, and a crackdown happening on the islands, Colin was questioning would the scene move elsewhere. "They killed Goa... now Koh Phangan? Wait and see. A glitch, maybe? Let's be optimistic."

 "Meanwhile keep cool in the heat... where's my fan???"

After a spell in England, Colin returns to Thailand this month, to catch up with his beloved family in Isaan.  He'll be back to Koh Phangan in December, with partner Pit and daughter Honey.  As usual, they will stay on Haad Rin Sunset Beach, as they have always done.  Some things never change...

"The first time I came I stayed at Paradise Bungalows. Then Bird Bungalows, 

then Tiara, Bangson, Rainbow and now Laid Back!... Viva Sunset Side!!!"

I asked Colin to tell us about Pit and becoming a father at 60. "Pit is the loveliest lady, and being a dad at 60? Why not!! Life is all changes".  Is there anything else he wants to add?  "I met some of my bestest ever friends on Koh Phangan, and of course my darling Pit. Koh Phangan was and is my life."

"Although I'm not too bothered by dust to dust, when I am dead it's in my will for my ashes to be sprinkled in the sea at Sunset Side Haad Rin.  Sometimes I worry about getting old and decrepit... Sometimes I worry about the world at large... BUT mostly I don't give a damn. WHOOPEEE!!!!!!!"

The Koh Phangan elixir of youth certainly seems to have cast its magic spell on Colin. Here's to many more seasons in the sun and many more paintings to come! See you on Haad Rin Sunset in December, Colin!

All artwork is by Colin G Thomason, and commissions are available. Contact him here or visit NB Art Cafe, Ban Tai where his art is for sale! 

 

Koh Phangan Tales

Read More »