Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 787

La Fabrique Route 4169, just south of the temple in
Lamai village. Authentic French patisserie-café, a civilized
retreat from the busy road. Superb custard cakes (B80),
quiches (B60), omelettes, pizzas, salads and sandwiches.
Daily 7am-8pm.

42 small islands, 30km west of Samui.
Boats generally leave Na hon at 8.30am
and return at 4.30-5pm; there are also
fairly regular trips from Ko Pha Ngan.
First stop on any boat tour is usually
Ko Wua Talab , site of the park
headquarters, from where it's a steep
430m climb (at least 1hr return; bring
walking sandals or shoes) to the island's
peak and fine panoramic views. he
feature that gives the park the name Ang
hong, meaning “Golden Bowl”, is a
steep-sided lake, 250m in diameter, on
Ko Mae Ko to the north of Ko Wua
Talab; it was the inspiration for the
setting of Alex Garland's cult bestseller,
he Beach . Steps (30min return) lead up
from the beach tunnels to the rim of the
cliff wall encircling the lake, which is
connected to the sea by an underground
tunnel. If you want to get away from it
all, you could rent a bungalow (from
B500) or tent (around B200) at park
headquarters ( W dnp.go.th) and catch a
return boat to Samui on another day.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
All of the beaches have relaxing places to drink on the
sands, but the main bars and clubs are on Chaweng.
Ark Bar North-central Chaweng. Hosts popular beach
parties with international and Thai house DJs, fire shows, a
bucket bar and a pool bar. Parties Wed & Fri 2pm-2am.
Green Mango Soi Green Mango North-central
Chaweng. Now surrounded by bars, a long-standing
megaclub in a massive multi-zoned shed with tropical-
garden touches. Daily 10pm-3am.
Q Bar North off the Ban Chaweng road. Sleek, futuristic
decor, great views over the lake from high on its north
shore and cutting-edge music from local and international
DJs, at this branch of the famous Bangkok bar-club. Daily
6pm-late.
Reggae Pub Inland from Central Chaweng across the
lake. Chaweng's oldest nightclub is a venerable Samui
institution - with a memorabilia shop to prove it. It does
time now as an unpretentious, good-time party venue,
with pool tables, big-screen sports and live reggae bands
every night. Daily 6pm-3am.

10

KO PHA NGAN
In recent years, backpackers have tended
to move over to Ko Samui's fun-loving
little sibling, Ko Pha Ngan , 20km to the
north, which generally has a simpler
atmosphere, mostly because the poor
road system has been an impediment to
the developers. With dense jungle
covering its inland mountains and rugged
granite outcrops along the coast, Pha
Ngan lacks sweeping beaches, but it does
have some coral and a few beautiful,
sheltered bays. he legendary pilgrimage
site for ravers, Hat Rin, is where the
infamous full-moon parties are held,
which see swarms of visitors descend
upon the island.

DIRECTORY
Books Bookazine sells English-language books, news-
papers and magazines at two stores in central Chaweng
and one in Lamai. Nathon Book Stores on Th Na Amphoe,
Na Thon, is a good secondhand bookshop.
Hospitals The state hospital ( T 077 421230-2), 3km
south of Na Thon off Route 4169, plus several private ones.
Immigration o ce Located 2km south of Na Thon
down Route 4169 ( T 077 421069)
Post o ce At the northern end of the promenade, Na
Thon (Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 9am-noon),
with international telephones upstairs (closed Sat & Sun).
Dotted along Route 4169, there are further post o ces at
Maenam, Chaweng and Lamai.
Tourist police On the Route 4169 ring road between
Bophut and Chaweng, north of Big C supermarket on the
same side of the road ( T 1155 or T 077 430016).

Thong Sala and Wat Khao Tham
THONG SALA is a port of entrance and
little more. In front of the piers,
transport to the rest of the island
(songthaews, jeeps, a/c minibuses and
motorbike taxis) congregates by an
assortment of banks, restaurants,
supermarkets, dive centres, and
motorbike and jeep rental places.

ANG THONG NATIONAL
MARINE PARK
It's possible to buy tickets at any of the
beaches on Samui for boat trips to Ang
Thong National Marine Park (B1300
including entry to the national park,
snorkelling, lunch), a gorgeous group of