Koh Phangan

Monday 30 January: Koh Phangan is famous for it's full-moon parties so I'm staying at the laid-back fishing village of Chaloklum in the north of the island where night boats festooned with light bulbs bob in the wide curving bay and racks of squid dry in the hot sun. I like it here, it's about as far away as you can get from the full-moon party beaches of Haad Rin down south. A half-hour walk away is Mae Haad where a spit of submerged sand stretches out to Koh Ma, it's an enjoyable paddle.
Wednesday 1 February: The main reason I came to Koh Phangan was to take a snorkeling cruise to the group of small islands known collectively as Angthong Marine National Park but the last few days have been stormy and the seas are rough and murky, so I've decided to stay an extra day in the hope that visibility improves and am I glad I did. A small group of Elephants from the local camp are frolicking in the sea, an unexpected delight, even the hotel staff are taking photographs.
Thursday 2: While waiting for the Seatran ferry to Big Buddha beach on Koh Samui an American woman with impeccable taste approaches and asks where I bought my cool striped cheesecloth shirt, she want's one for her husband. This is the second time this week I've been asked the same question: "Sorry" I answer, "Kathmandu in Nepal".
Photos of Chaloklum and Mae Haad.