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The Drifter Journals

[Guest Post] 5 Simple Tips to Discover Koh Phangan For Less Than $25 a Day by Agness From eTramping

5/27/2013

21 Comments

 
Picture
Ko Phangan Beach
Koh Phangan, Thailand - Last week we talked about Bangkok. This week, we leave the capital city of Thailand and head south to the island of full-moon parties. Agness from eTramping has been traveling since 2011 and blogging with her best friend Cez. Recently, she took some time out to share with us some tips on how to have a fun and safe trip to Koh Phangan Beach, all for under $25USD.

Koh Phangan is a popular tourist destination in Thailand. It's even more popular amongst party-goers visiting the island for its famous full-moon parties.

Until a few years ago it was beautifully cheap when compared to most Western countries. Nowadays, it may not be so easy on your wallet. This is because so many local people have gotten used to rich kids coming over to forget about common sense and party like it was the last time of their life. 
While a lot of things are expensive, there are a few things you can do to avoid overspending and follow your $25 per day budget. Here are 5 tips you can follow.
Picture
A solitary canoe in Koh Phangan, Thailand


#1 - No Need For a Tuk-Tuk

When you arrive at the bay, there will be plenty of tuk tuk drivers waiting for you to offer their taxi services. Most of them will offer it for free as a package with a cheap bungalow. In their offer, bungalows will cost around 600 Baht a night, and they won't charge you for the lift. If you just want a ride, it's a fixed 100 Baht price, whoever you ask.
PictureRenting a scooter can be so much fun!
When we came in, not a single "backpacker", apart from us, didn't take them up on their offer. 

We were the only ones who went past the tuk tuk crowd and walked to look for bungalows. I bet everyone on the boat was a budget traveller.

Instead of taking a tuk-tuk, you can rent a scooter. Just opposite the bay, there are plenty of small travel agents and scooter rental places. 

It costs 100-150 Baht to rent a scooter for a day. It's much cheaper than a single tuk tuk ride for 2 people. You're free to explore the island and look for cheap accommodations.

#2 Eat Locally and Pay Likewise

Fancy pizza, spaghetti, burger, etc.? Don't be surprised when you pay the premium. Western food is not what local people eat. Therefore, it's made solely for tourists, and tourists are expected to afford paying more.
PictureTypical street food in Koh Phangan - Seafood salad with rice
Search for small, rather bad-looking  "kitchen-outside" local restaurants. They offer good, fresh and local food (noodles, salads, rice, seafood, etc.) at low prices. You can get a meal for $1 and wash it down with a beer at the same price. Your wallet will not hurt this way and you will try new flavors, part of your Thai experience.

When you arrive at such a place, try to look for the Thai menu, rather than the English one. More often than not, they have different prices for the same meals.

Picture
Papaya salad with peanuts on the go


#3 Don't Give Up On Finding a Cheap Bungalow

If you follow everyone else's path on arrival, you'll probably end up with the free tuk tuk ride to a bungalow where you'll overpay, (so that they can pay the tuk tuk driver). 

There's an alternative for you - go find accommodation yourself! Yes, it may seem harder, and probably will be more tiring, but you'll save money and will be able to enjoy your stay more.

PictureOne bungalow can even be shared with 5 people
You don't have to go far, there's only one rule - go and ask. Go from one bungalow place to another and ask for a price. Then, ask for a discount. Once you find a bungalow at the right price, go and check out the standard. 

If everything's right, you have just saved money without compromising on anything.

It's always good to share bungalows, so find others to join you or ask them if you could join them. People travelling to Koh Phangan, more often than not, like parties and the more people the merrier.

Picture
These bungalows were worth every penny bargained for
Me and Cez found 3 amazing girls and spent our whole Koh Phangan experience with them. We rented 2 bungalows at 600 Baht ($20) a night, which means it was 120 Baht ($4) per person per night. We looked for this place no more than an hour and it was very close to the bay we arrived at, (we walked).

#4 Don't Drink From Buckets

PictureInstead, you can enjoy your drinks from bottles
BEWARE! Koh Phangan is infamous for numerous spiked drinks. Spiking is dropping "rape pills" into someone's drink. 

Those pills dissolve without altering the taste, and as soon as they start working, the person who drinks it will not remember what happened, while obeying every request of other people. A person in this state is very vulnerable.

In Koh Phangan, it's not only rapes that happen with the use of spiking, but also robberies. Spikers have isolated their victim from their friends and then ask him or her to take them to the victim's bungalow. When they arrive, they say that they are helping their drunk friend get to bed. 

When in the room, they ask where all the money and valuables are, what are the pin numbers to debit and credit cards, etc. During our stay in Koh Phangan, we have heard a few first-hand stories of this, so be very careful - it's a real danger.

How to avoid getting spiked? 
  • Drink only from bottles you opened yourself. 
  • Cover bottle openings with your finger.
  • Don't drink from buckets. They are extremely easy to spike and usually many people fall victim at the same time. Unknowingly, all your friends may get spiked at the same time and nobody will be left there to help you.
  • Go to parties with friends and make sure everyone is aware of what can happen and what to do if they suspect something.


#5 Be Extra Careful Riding Your Rented Scooter

You may wonder why it's cheaper to rent a scooter for a day than to get a single ride with a tuk tuk. It's because the rental companies make most of their money from "repairs". Before you rent a bike, you will need to sign a contract, in which all damages are listed with a price - should you break something. Then, off you go.

PictureRent a scooter, but BE CAREFUL
Roads on Koh Phangan in few places are very dangerous. There are some extremely steep hills and roads on them are mostly covered in sand. This works like water on the road, so if you slip, you're done.

Cez crashed a scooter there. It was a very steep downhill part of the road, there was sand he didn't notice. He wanted to go slow and without thinking about it, he hit the breaks at the wrong time. When the scooter fell to the ground he jumped off, but it didn't stop for another few meters. He was careful and sober, but it still happened. So please be very careful.

When we gave back the scooter to the rental place, the owner was very happy because according to the contract Cez had signed, damage charges were US$500 for the few scratches on one side of the bike. Believe me, a new bike would probably cost less. Together with friends, we negotiated the price down to $300, which is still a lot more than it should be. Therefore, once again, please be extra careful or rent a jeep.


*This post was shared on both Suitcases and Sippy Cups and Walking on Travels for Travel Tips Tuesday

Need some new travel gear? Check out these essential items:


Picture
Agness is a Polish vagabond who, after graduation, left her comfort zone and set off for a journey of her lifetime. 

She has been constantly travelling the world since her first flight to China in 2011 (slowly, but surely as she says), living like a local for less than $25 a day. 

She became a passionate photographer and adventure blogger sharing her life enthusiasm and travel experience with everyone around. You can follow her adventures on her (and her best friend's) blog eTramping, or find her on Twitter and Facebook.


If you would like to keep updated as to new posts and articles like this, please be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our weekly newsletter, and stay tuned for more of our adventures from around the globe! 

And now we'd like to ask you: Have you ever been to Koh Phangan? Do you have any tips on how to enjoy a trip there?

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21 Comments
Kalei
5/26/2013 01:05:03 am

Who would want to drink out of a bucket? I guess you're more relaxed on vacation & tend to use less common sense.

Reply
JR Riel link
5/26/2013 04:04:07 pm

Yes, Kalei, that's exactly what I thought when I read that tip for the first time! Apparently people do it a lot there, which gets them into trouble, so for them it's a great thing to consider.

Reply
Sofie @ Wonderful Wanderings link
5/28/2013 06:39:52 pm

Not only there. I've seen it in other touristy locations as well. I always wonder why for so many people 'having fun' has to be linked to 'getting drunk', but maybe that's just me.

Kalei
5/29/2013 04:42:05 pm

Sofie, it not just you. I wonder about that too.. 'getting drunk' equals 'having fun'??

Agness link
5/26/2013 03:12:17 pm

Thank you so much for having me here. I hope people will find Koh Phangan affordable following my tips :).

Reply
JR Riel link
5/26/2013 04:06:56 pm

Anytime, Agness, I appreciate you contribution. Always good to have great content that is practical. I'm sure if anyone read this before they got to Koh Phangan it will give them something to think about.

Reply
OCDemon link
5/27/2013 04:54:44 am

I've never understood why people get so excited about taking taxis. I've traveled with people that never had any clue what bus they could take, or even thought about it, and were shocked when I said I walked for half an hour to get where I was going. I'm not totally against it, but seriously...you don't HAVE to take taxis everywhere.

Reply
Jessica link
5/27/2013 02:18:54 pm

Very informative post! I learned a lot- don't drink from buckets, don't wreck your scooter, bungalows are awesome!

Reply
Kiera @EasyTravelMom link
5/28/2013 12:39:35 am

Great tips! Definitely agree with all of these - especially about walking around and getting accommodation on your own. We did this when we were in Thailand 7 years ago and yes, it took more time, but we had a nice place to sleep for cheap.

Reply
noel link
5/28/2013 04:20:16 am

Great tips, haven't been to this location, but these tips can be applied to all the beach areas and resorts in terms of housing, food and drinks....that papaya salad looks really good right now.

Reply
Tonya link
5/29/2013 01:48:12 am

I outgrew my party days before I had kids so I don't think I'd have any problems following your suggestions. Canoeing, sleeping in a bungalow and eating like a local sounds more appealing anyway. What's the point in traveling if you don't make an effort to really experience the culture? Great tips!

Reply
Jenna link
5/29/2013 12:01:08 pm

Great tips! Will have to keep these in mind for when we finally get to go to Thailand!

Reply
Meagan @ Life Outside of Texas link
5/29/2013 12:18:09 pm

These are some really great tips! While I'm not going to Koh Phangan, this got me really excited for my trip to Phuket in a few days!

Reply
Estefanía Garcia link
6/4/2013 02:09:23 am

Great article! I loved how you mentioned the downside of things as a warning. usually when people travel to places that they really liked they forget to tell you the dangers of that place. thanks for sharing.

Reply
Ayngelina link
6/23/2013 06:16:40 am

Great post!

Reply
MikeE link
9/17/2013 10:58:22 am

I live there, and have a travel business, so I might be a little biased. Some good tips there, but some are a little off.

A new honda click (the standard rental scooter) costs around 68,000 baht (which is $2,100 USD, not $500 USD) while a second hand one costs 10-20k depending on age, condition and whether its registered. You are however right that most rental agencies do considerably fluctuate the prices for damage - but this does take into account time off the roads and other things.

I'd also say NEVER take a bike to a party, for the sake of saving 100-200 baht per person, you are risking your life on the roads for a few dollars. Our roads can be very dangerous on the nights of parties, with inexperienced riders, alcohol and drugs impacting ability and taxis racing around all night. Keep the scooters for the day and take a proper, marked taxi at night. I've seen what happens at a serious scooter crash on the island and it isn't pretty :-( Please also remember to wear a helmet, and stay under 40km/hr and on the left. You don't need to race!

If you have a group, bungalows can be great (I have a backpackers - and my main market is young, solo travellers) and are my preferred way to stay when I'm travelling around asia. I would however sugged NOT sharing a bungalow with people you've just met in Koh Phangan. There is too much risk for things to go missing or them to get involved in substances that could get you in trouble. Far better to stay with people you know and trust on this island (unless at proper shared accom with security etc).

Local food - go to the pantip night market, I eat there most days and its great, 50-100 baht per meal, located in Thongsala.

With regards to the Buckets and drink spiking, this is far LESS common than the tourist scare stories tell you. More often than not its easier for people to blame spiking rather than their own lack of responsibility here. That said - the real reason to avoid the buckets is that often the alcohol is not the same as whats on the bottle and has been swapped out with cheap home brew which can contain industrial alcohols which not only don't make you drunk, but can kill you or cause blindness. Stick to the sealed bottles, which you can see opened in front of you when on the main beach. If its a resort or backpackers with western staff you should be fine. Read more here: http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2013/09/10/3845522.htm

Reply
party buses link
10/29/2013 08:15:09 pm

good post thanks

Reply
Koh phangan resort link
6/4/2014 11:52:24 pm

Hi dear your blog is really good and it is share very nice information about us .

<a href="http://bestwesternphanganburi.com/ ">Koh phangan resort</a>

Reply
Robert link
6/19/2014 07:16:21 pm

thanks for sharing your experience. Koh Phangan is a paradise with really amazing beaches

Reply
moi
6/6/2015 11:37:12 pm

how can you bsay renting a scooter is a good idea when your friend .. who was being very careful..fell off and cost 300$$.
you just contradicted yourself!
Bet you dont approve this one

Reply
KEVIN link
8/13/2015 12:55:12 pm

Your tips are really helpful. I'm going to visit Koh Phangan next month.

Reply



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    I'm JR. I come from a long line of adventurers, some were nomadic explorers of the sea and others wandering cultivators of the earth. Ultimately, this legacy of drifters has deeply affected my view of travel. Read more... 

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