I thought that the story of Ko Phayam/ Payam (both spellings seem to be used) being one of the last places in Thailand free of big resort development might be over hyped. I was prepared to be disappointed. I need not have worried. The island reminds me of Ko Phangan in the 1990s. The cheapest bungalows like ours tend to be a five minute walk away from the beach. However that means that we don’t end up with sand in our sheets.

Rabbit bungalow, where we are staying, has a beautiful lake. We sit in the restaurant in the morning and are entranced by the pink lotus flowers, which open with the morning sunlight. There is a lot of wildlife. The hornbills that can be observed coming to feed every evening and the sea eagles that soar overhead are welcome. I am less keen on the mosquitos, sandflies, hornets and jungle cockroaches, especially when they invade our bathroom.

Rabbit Bungalows offers dorms and non air conditioned huts of various grades. Ours is a bamboo deluxe, which means we are in a secluded location with a bed, fan and attached bathroom of our own with cold water. The manager,Lek, can assist with most needs such as laundry, boat trips, bike hire etc.

We fall into an easy pattern of eating, sleeping and going to the beach. The restaurant at Rabbit bungalow is excellent – I have forgotten how delicious and healthy Thai food is. Other options are close by, including a few low key bars/ restaurants on the beach.

The beach nearest to us, like the others we visit on the island, always only has a few people on it. There are a mixture of young people and retirees ( who are mainly staying in a more plush resort with air con bungalows halfway up the beach). There are a lot of Germans.

Our nearest beach has interesting rock formations and is backed by mangroves. At the far end is a Mokken/ sea gypsy village that we have yet to visit and a river that leads into a mangrove swamp. The tide here recedes a long way and it is only possible to swim when it is in. When it is out, the beach is great for walking, running and beach combing. A few long tail boats are available for trips to nearby islands and canoes can be rented.

The occasional ‘party’ is held but these are quite mild affairs with elderly Germans swaying in the sand and trying to recreate their youth while young travellers look on pityingly. Others involve people getting together and playing music.

We walk to the next bay along from ours. It cannot be accessed via the beach due to sharp rocks that block the path. This is where an unusual and artistic construction called the Hippy Bar is found. It was made gradually from wood washed up by the 2004 tsunami and needs to be constantly repaired. It is held together by rope and has a number of levels and many nooks and crannies where people can sit and chill.

We meet some young French and German travellers who did a season in Rhodes last summer ( they are cooks) and have come to Thailand for their holiday. They tell us that nobody working on Rhodes is Greek now and that they didn’t get to keep any of the tips that the tourists gave.

A Danish couple (the man has an English Father) live in Ko Phangan where they run a magazine and are visiting for a holiday. As Ko Phangan island holds a special place in my heart, I am glad to hear that the west coast is still fairly undeveloped and chilled; maybe we will visit after all.

We have a slightly incoherent conversation with an Italian woman who has spent the last four years in Auroville, India and says she will never return.

A Turkish man and Greek/ Brazilian woman have met on the island and are camping out on a nearby beach. The Greek/ Brazilian woman tells us that she previously spent six months on Ko Chang, which is next to Ko Phayam (not to be confused with the Ko Chang near Cambodia ) and it is just as, if not more beautiful than Ko Phayam.

Everybody is concerned about what is happening in America, but also agree that this is a time of major change in the world and that anything is possible.

Wherever we go in Ko Phayam the scent of grass follows us. The objective of quite a few of the tourists/ travellers here is to lie around in hammocks or on the beach all day getting stoned. When we arrive at Rabbit Bungalows we are shown the various amenities, given a local map and offered some grass.

I am still a bit unclear on the legal status of maruijhana in Thailand. I understand it was legalised, but then a bill rowing back on this was introduced as there was a big uptick in psychiatric illness (which does not surprise me as an ex mental health worker). I think that the stronger varieties of weed have now been banned and only that below a certain level of potency can be sold.

One day we decide to hire bikes to explore the island. There are scooters available, but we fancy a cycle ride. The island is only 5k in length and 2k in width, so it is easy to get around. We pass the beach that is home to the hippy bar and start on a jungle trail, leaving the bikes locked together, leaning against a tree. After about 15 minutes we reach a beautiful small beach. There has clearly been a resort here very recently that has now closed and fallen into disrepair. This must have been where our friends at the hippy bar have been camping. There is no sign of them but there is evidence of people’s presence in some of the less damaged huts.

The abandoned resort reminds me that it is not easy to maintain a tourism business. Perhaps the location of this place, which can only be accessed by boat or a path, was its downfall. Lek, the manager of Rabbit Bungalow works all hours and is always present supervising every detail of operations with tact and skill. It isn’t a simple job.

We plan some further island exploration and relaxation before moving on. It is going to be hard to leave Ko Phayam….