Thailand: A Buddha statue in the garden of the Buddhist temple of Wat Khao Tham, Ko Phangan

Wat Khao Tam, located just northwest of Ban Tai on Ko Phangan’s southern coast, draws numbers of foreign visitors, both Western and East Asian, who wish to take a ten-day meditation retreat.

Ko Phangan is 15 km (9.5 miles) north of Ko Samui, and, at 168 sq km (65 sq miles) about two-thirds of its size. The island has the same tropical combination of white, sandy beaches, accessible coral reefs and rugged, jungled interior.

Once the haunt of budget travelers escaping from more expensive Ko Samui, it is today slowly moving more upmarket. Still, the island remains much less developed for international tourism than Ko Samui, due in part to its isolation and in part to its poor infrastructural system. The roads, in particular, remain poor, with many places along the coast only accessible by sea or by pickup truck or motorbike along badly maintained trails.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia