Day 10 - Easy like a Sunday something...

17:30
This bed is awesome. SO comfortable. I sleep until 09:15, and Vicki only wakes with the alarm at 09:30. We’re both feeling significantly refreshed, and ready for a busy day of not doing all that much. We lounge in bed for a while, and eventually drag ourselves out to get some breakfast around 11:00. There’s a v cool little café a short hop down the road from us. Iced coffees aplenty, and some absolutely stellar poached eggs for Vicki. Hat shopping is back on for this morning, as the shop is in full flow. Vicki tries on every Trilby in the joint, and happily finds one that we both really like. Her sun hat is great, but it’s a little heavy for all conditions.

Satisfied with our morning’s work, we head down to Tropicoco’s beach bar for a well deserved rest. We share a Prosecco Sangria, which I enjoy much more than I was expecting. I have my first proper dip in the Gulf of Thailand, and am stunned by the incredible warmth of the water - not quite the refresher for which I was hoping.

After a late breakfast, we’re not exactly hungry, so head for a wander up the beach. The sun is beating down, but it’s only a short womble to the far end. We walk past a few places offering beach bungalows, and hear some decent music as we walk. At the far southern end of the beach, there are some stairs, leading to what we’re promised will be the ‘High Life.’ It’s actually a beach bar attached to a guesthouse, but the views are magnificent. They also have Savannah Dry in stock, so I fill my boots. Descending the fairly steep stairs is a lot trickier than ascending. Unscathed, we have another shortish walk up the beach. We pop into a wine shop which appears to be attached to our hotel, and grab a fab bottle of Rosé with which to encourage the afternoon along…

22:30
We spend much of the afternoon listening to a mammoth 7 hour set from Graham Gold - a DJ we know largely from his trance parties in London, and who lives in Koh Pha Ngan. He spins here regularly, and we’re going to see one of his last gigs of the season tomorrow night. It’s very different music to what we’re used to hearing from him, but we both really enjoy it, so much so that we almost forget to go out for dinner.

When we do finally make it out, we go in search of a restaurant called Apache. It involves a walk up a fairly dark and fairly busy main road. It’s not the very funnest of experiences, particularly when we realise we’ve walked too far, and need to double back. It transpires the restaurant we’re looking for is no longer there. I’ve been warned a few times that relying on Lonely Planet recommendations or even Google Maps reviews is a risky strategy. SO much has changed during and since COVID that previously thriving businesses have upped and disappeared. Often, they’re replaced by new entrants to market, but the advice is typically to rely on local advice and guidance.

We instead find ourselves at a place called Nang Sabai, the restaurant of a resort a couple of hundred metres down the beach from ours. It’s a lovely, if slightly chaotic place to spend time. Vicki has one of the best banana daiquiris either of us have ever had. I order some fried pork belly pieces as a starter. Aye carumba, they’re good. Simple breaded and deep fried, but served with a piquant mint, coriander and chilli pickle. Vicki has her first curry of the trip - a green curry with king prawn and pumpkin. It’s delicious. I have something that sounds incredibly weird, but isn’t - Na Mok. A traditional fish and coconut curry is mixed with minced prawns, then stuffed into a banana leaf. The whole thing is then topped with raw egg, and steamed to gently set the egg. On the menu, it’s described as ‘fish curry prawn mince custard.’ Of course I ordered it. It’s something entirely new to me, and I’m so glad I tried it - it’s phenomenal. The flavour of the fish curry shines through everything, but it’s the texture of the set egg custard and minced prawn that really sets it apart. I can’t get banana leaves easily in the UK, but I’ll be trying to replicate this somehow, once we get back home.

We take a wander down the beach, and stop in at Vagga Bar for a post-prandial. It’s only 21:00, but it feels like they’re shutting up shop already. Perhaps there are some early Sunday closing regulations of which we’re not aware. We swing briefly, but after a quick drink, we decide to head back to our room, for some more Graham Gold room-rave. Obvs accompanied by lovely glass of Rosé.Read more