This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from February 2 to 8. After a weekend in Khao Sok National Park, we crossed Thailand on Monday to do some island-hopping on the gulf side. We spent three days on Ko Samui (Koh Samui) before heading to Ko Pha Ngan (Koh Pha Ngan or Koh Phangan) on Friday.
Favorite thing we ate: We had a delicious lunch at Bao Bao Café & Eatery on Ko Samui (our first experience eating bao). We chose the set lunch, which came with a lot of food, including four different bao sliders of our choice (the pulled pork was our favorite), cucumber salad, sweet potato fries, chicken wings and soup.
Favorite thing we drank: Megan is still drinking all the iced coffee she can find (she may be ruined for regular cold brew now …), and Jonathan loved the tea he drank after his massage on Ko Samui. Apparently it’s available at 7/11, so if you’re ever in Thailand: now you know.
Favorite thing we did: We spent Saturday and Sunday on Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok National Park [above left]. Jonathan picked it for his favorite activity last week, so Megan is picking it this week. It really was awesome. 😉 We’ll eventually share a full review of our overnight stay with Smiley Raft Bungalow because you should definitely add it to your itinerary if you visit southern Thailand! Jonathan’s favorite thing from the week was befriending an uber-friendly pitbull [above right] across the street from our apartment in Ko Pha Ngan. She excitedly jumped up on the concrete ledge whenever she saw us crossing the street :).
Biggest splurge: We visited Ko Pha Ngan during the weekend of its infamous Full Moon Party (I mean, just look at these crazy photos), so accommodations were hard to find. We ended up paying about $70/night for an Airbnb near Chaloklum village (on the north side of the island). It was nice, but definitely too expensive for what we got, especially compared to other places we’ve stayed in Thailand.
Best deal: Motorbikes are even cheaper in Thailand than they were in Malaysia! Our rental on Ko Pha Ngan cost 250 THB per day (~$8 USD).
Biggest oops: Jonathan rode our motorbike to a nearby gym in Ko Pha Ngan and then couldn’t get it started. He called the rental company to come check it out and waited 30 minutes before realizing the kickstand needed to be up for it to start. Whoops. At least it was an easy fix? 😉
What we’re reading: Jonathan finished The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. Megan finished (and loved) Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha (one of her most anticipated reads from last fall). Continuing her annual tradition of focusing on books by black authors during February, she listened to Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper and read Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, and started The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré.
What we’re watching: We put that VPN to good use again by streaming the Super Bowl from our bed & breakfast in Khao Sok National Park. (Unfortunately for Jonathan, his team lost. Megan has no comment because her teams are garbage.)
Total walking distance: 21.56 miles
Up next: Bangkok! We visited Bangkok during our honeymoon in 2014, but only on long layovers, so we’re looking forward to actually spending some quality time in the city.
Featured image: Sunset near Thong Sala Pier on the Thai island of Ko Pha Ngan
