Songthaew Taxis On Koh Phangan

Getting to Haad Rin from other areas of Koh Phangan.

A songthaew taxi is a shared taxi truck
with two facing benches of seats in the back.

The island of Koh Phangan has semi-fixed rates for most taxi journeys, but prices seem to be a lot looser than they were a few years ago, and taxi drivers will often ask for a bit more as their opening gambit.

If you’re coming to Haad Rin from Thong Sala or Ban Tai then during the day the price is meant to be 100 baht per person.  From the far end of Sunset Beach to the taxi drop off point in Haad Rin is 50 baht per person.  In the evenings the price can be more, and if you want a taxi to leave immediately, rather than wait for its set departure time, then again you will have to pay more.

Buckets And Fake Alcohol

Cautionary Advice...

The vast majority of people who visit Koh Phangan have an excellent time, but there are a few risks and concerns to look out for which could potentially ruin your visit.  The Haad Rin Guide Book contains a chapter covering some of these potential risks, including 'Buckets' and 'Fake Alcohol'...

Buckets: 

The infamous buckets of the Full Moon Party.

It’s not a regular occurrence, but backpackers have had their drinks spiked at Full Moon Parties and at other times, and the easiest drink to spike is a bucket, so if you are drinking buckets make a point of watching out for each other.  If you get separated from your friends then it's wise to stay off the buckets until you find each other again.

Aside from the small risk of getting spiked, buckets can be quite lethal anyway.  If you've never experienced buckets before, it's therefore wise to take things easy on your first night (or avoid them altogether), and ensure your friends keep an eye on you, as I've seen even hardened drinkers misjudge their tolerance levels and end up spending most of their night ill and being sick.

Other Destinations: Koh Phi Phi

Beyond Koh Phangan: Taking a look at other popular destinations in Thailand.

Long Beach, one of Koh Phi Phi's most beautiful beaches.

As you'd expect, the Haad Rin Guide Book focuses mainly on Haad Rin itself, but the guide book does also include a couple of other general sections relating to Thailand.

One such section is the 'After Haad Rin - Moving On' section, which features a brief round up of some of the most popular destinations that people head to after Koh Phangan.  When writing the round up, I’ve tried to take into account the opinions and preferences of everyone I’ve met over the years in Thailand, and not just rely on my own opinion.

The descriptions for each destination are fairly brief, and only intended to give readers a very basic idea of what to expect.  As an example, here's the entry for Koh Phi Phi...

The Fire Hoop: Win Or Lose?

Backpackers risking life and limb in the name of entertainment...

The fire hoop.

I've mentioned before on this blog that a popular late night form of entertainment on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach is the fire skipping rope, where drunken backpackers attempt to skip with fire ... not always successfully.

The fire skipping rope isn't the only fire related late night activity that you'll find in Thailand though, and other fire activities include the fire limbo, fire jugglers, flame throwers and a particularly dangerous fire activity ... the fire hoop.

The video below features drunken backpackers attempting to jump through a flaming hoop of fire ... with mixed results.  To make things a bit more interesting though, rather than just edit together a compilation of fire jumps, the clips are instead presented in the form of a quiz...

Basic Map Of Haad Rin

...and street name index.

I’m not a professional cartographer, so the maps featured in the Haad Rin Guide Book won’t win any awards for graphic design.  However, the locations of hotels, hostels, restaurants and other landmarks are accurate, so the maps in the guide book should be a practical help for first time visitors to Haad Rin.

Where maps have been included, their purpose is to help you find your way around Haad Rin, so rather than use the official Thai street names, I’ve referred to streets and lanes by their 'unofficial' backpacker names.  This should be more helpful for finding your way around, as for example the term ‘Restaurant Lane’ will mean more than ‘Soi Tonson’.

As an example, here’s the first map from the guide book which is a basic map of Haad Rin:

The Key Locations For Visitors To Haad Rin

If you’ve never been to Haad Rin yet, then here's a summary of the key locations you need to know about:

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach pictured in the
early morning when it's peaceful and quiet.

Koh Phangan:

The tropical island in Southern Thailand where Haad Rin is located.

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach:

Haad Rin has two beaches, but the main beach and the most popular beach for sunbathing is Haad Rin Sunrise Beach (also known as Haad Rin Nok, 'nok' being Thai for sunrise).

Haad Rin Sunset Beach:

Haad Rin Sunset Beach (Haad Rin Nai) is only a five or ten minute walk across the peninsula from Sunrise Beach, and although the actual beach itself is not a great beach, the area is popular with people who want to stay somewhere a bit quieter where they can sleep at night without hearing the music from the clubs on Sunrise Beach.

The Fire Skipping Rope

Don't try this at home!

Drunken backpackers getting burnt on the fire skipping rope.

Visitors to Haad Rin will know that fire related activities play a big part in the nightly entertainment at the bars and clubs on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach.  For the benefit of those who have never the witnessed the fire skipping rope, just as the name suggests, it involves drunken backpackers attempting to skip over a skipping rope which is set on fire.

Generally speaking, as the night wears on and party goers get more and more drunk, people gradually get less concerned for their own personal safety, so you often find that the number of volunteers increases later in the evening.  You also find that as people get more drunk their co-ordination skills go downhill, so if ou enjoy watching people get burnt then the best time to watch the fire skipping rope is later in the evening!

In all seriousness it doesn't take a genius to work out that although it's very entertaining, the fire skipping rope can also be dangerous.  If you're considering giving it a go, I therefore recommend watching the following fire skipping rope compilation video as a warning of the potential dangers involved...