Never would I have guessed that my life would change on the party island of Koh Phangan. I didn’t go there to party. I only went because some fellow travelers recommended it to me—even if you’re not into partying—and because it was close to Koh Tao, where I wanted to go snorkeling. I didn’t expect much from it, and I certainly did not expect to fall in love.
How I Ended Up in Thailand
In October 2024, I noticed that I had lost my motivation for my current study to become a biology teacher. I’d been thinking about doing a solo trip for a while, and a lot of friends had been encouraging me to just do it. So on my birthday, October 29th, I decided to put my studies on hold and travel for half a year, starting in January.
Southeast Asia seemed like a safe and easy option, so I booked a flight to Vietnam. After exploring the country from south to north, I decided to continue on to Thailand. I started in the north and worked my way down to Phitsanulok, between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. There, I volunteered at a hostel and taught English to children after school. After a few weeks, the kids went on holiday, so there were far fewer students to teach. That’s when I decided to move further south.
Originally, I only wanted to spend one week in the south. I felt like it might be too much beach and partying, and I planned to continue on to the Philippines afterward, where I’d get more than enough beach time. But since there were no kids to teach anymore and I didn’t have much time, I chose a few islands that were close together: Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and—if I had time left—Koh Samui.
Heading to the Islands
Even though I’m not much of a party person, some friends recommended these islands, so I went. I started in Koh Tao and spent a week there, mostly snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. While the island is beautiful and still has some amazing snorkeling spots, I also felt frustrated. There’s a lot of damage: many corals are dead or dying, and the island is packed with tourists—some of whom don’t seem to care about anything other than themselves. It’s such a small island, and that really amplifies the impact of tourism on nature.
So when I left for Koh Phangan, I was worried it would be even worse because of the Full Moon Party. Luckily, there was no Full Moon while I was there, although there were other parties, like the OXA Party. I booked a “social” hostel, hoping to make some friends, but it ended up being the least social hostel I’d stayed at so far. To be fair, my mood wasn’t great for socializing either.
The Failed Hike That Started It All
On my first evening, I enjoyed watching the sunset on the beach in the Haad Rin area. The next day, I planned to hike up to a viewpoint. From there, you could continue hiking and end up at a beach that’s normally only accessible by taxi boat. I went to bed early and set my alarm for the morning—little did I know that my hostel would play loud music until late. My mistake for not reading the house rules carefully.
Of course, I couldn’t sleep. When I finally did, a group of very drunk and loud English people came back into the dorm. That would’ve been fine, if they hadn’t started discussing their entire night right there in the room. Eventually, they fell asleep—and so did I.
At 7 a.m., I woke up, got dressed, and was ready to leave the dorm when I noticed that one of my dorm mates had thrown up on the floor, right in front of the door. Yeah… disgusting. I left as fast as I could—at least it wasn’t the person sleeping above me.
I started the hike feeling happy and motivated, excited to go on this adventure by myself. Within the first fifteen minutes, I realized it was going to be much harder than I thought. The path was incredibly steep, with lots of rocks to climb, and I was completely out of breath. Still, I kept going—I really wanted to see the view and reach that remote beach.
At some point, it wasn’t clear where I had to go. I decided to follow a path downhill for a bit, planning to go back up afterward. But while walking downhill, I slipped. Trying to stop myself from falling further, I twisted my ankle and my knee. The pain was intense. I landed hard and just sat there for a while, unsure if I could even get back up.
After a few tears ran down my cheeks, I tried. I could still walk, but it hurt a lot. I was completely alone and had to decide to carefully walk back down and end the hike. The walk back to the hostel was painful, but I eventually made it. I asked the reception for some ice for my knee. They gave it to me, but no one really seemed to care about what had happened. That made me feel incredibly alone.
The Sea That Brought Us Together
Disappointed and overwhelmed, I felt like I needed to get out of that hostel. The only place I knew to go was the ocean. Water has always had a calming effect on me, so I slowly made my way to the nearest beach. Just smelling the salty air already made me feel a little better.
While looking for some shade, I noticed a guy running down the beach. He threw a board into the water and jumped onto it. I’d heard of skimboarding before, but I’d never seen someone do it. I stopped to watch, got excited, and walked up to him to ask about the sport. After a short chat, I went to sit down in the shade.
I still felt pretty bad and even considered booking a boat back to the mainland to return to a friend in Bangkok. But that short interaction—and the skimboard—gave me a bit of hope that maybe the day could still turn around.
I got up and walked back to the guy. One of his friends had joined him and was using the board now. The guy I’d spoken to earlier introduced himself as King. We talked while his friend skimboarded. Then his friend walked over, said, “Hi, I’m Joey,” and after I introduced myself, he immediately went back to the water. I remember thinking it was kind of funny—introducing yourself and instantly returning to “skim business.”
After a while, King had to go to work and invited me to come to the restaurant where he worked later that day. I said I’d come by for lunch. After he left, I stayed on the beach, watching Joey skimboard. I had nothing else to do, and I genuinely enjoyed watching him.
A little later, Joey came over, and we started talking. I don’t know how exactly it happened, but the conversation flowed effortlessly. When the sun got too hot, we went for a swim and kept talking. Before he had to leave for work, he asked if I needed help getting back to my hostel. I felt a bit embarrassed, but I accepted. He drove me back on his motorbike and even helped me pick up my laundry—which I’d completely forgotten about that morning.
Back at the hostel, I showered and rested for a bit. I was relieved to see that the vomit from earlier had finally been cleaned up. Later, I went to the restaurant where the guys worked. They were happy to see me, and we talked some more. Joey mentioned he was free the next day and offered to drive me around the island. Of course, I said yes.
That evening, I watched a ridiculous movie with Joey—something about a horror gecko—and spent a really nice evening with my two new friends. The next morning, Joey picked me up on his motorbike, and we explored the island together. We visited beaches and a waterfall, being careful because my knee was still injured. He showed me the places where he grew up, and I loved being a passenger princess, listening to all his stories.
At sunset, we returned to the restaurant where he worked, and I went back to my hostel to shower. Later, I joined Joey and King again for a fun night. That day—driving around together—really deepened our connection. Somewhere along the way, feelings started to grow.
Being Together and Apart
We spent the rest of the week together. Unfortunately, after that, I had to leave for the Philippines. We stayed in touch while I was traveling there, and our connection only grew stronger. Eventually, we decided we wanted to explore what this all meant.
So after my cousin’s wedding in Australia, I made the choice to return to Thailand. The two months I spent there were amazing. They deepened our relationship, and we decided to fully embrace this adventure together.
And our love continues to grow.
If you’re just as curious as we are about where this is going, feel free to follow along. We’d also love to hear your stories💖
-x- Esmee
