Srithanu – Srithanu Hub

Evolve Health Club

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Srithanu Blog

Evolve Health Club is a professional gym in Koh Phangan. It is a large and professional outfit with a multi-discipline focus and a young dedicated team. The gym is well resourced and is offering casual drop-in sessions, personalised fitness regimes, training camps as well as regular drop-in classes.

The gym is located on the main beach road to Srithanu, between the Family Mart and Karma Kafe. See the map below for details:

The gym opened in 2016 and had a few good years of trading before the corona virus pandemic shook the world.
Evolve did have 5 trainers. It is hard to say how many will remain when the dust settles on the pandemic. The trainers encompass a range of skills from Muay Thai training, personal fitness instructor, yoga teacher and kettle bell instructor. The team are hugely experienced and motivated for all things fitness and health.

The gym itself has plenty of space for those who want to train by themselves as well as for those who wish to join a group lesson. It is all a short walk from the beach for those fitness fanatics who get antsy sitting on the beach all day with their partner. For those staying nearby in Srithanu it is worth enquiring at the reception about discounts either on rooms or health programs.

The Fitness Classes are run by a former athlete qualified in cross fit. Prices start at $49 for 15 to 30 sessions a month. The same person runs the yoga classes. There is a beginners’ class and a community class. The same prices apply as with the fitness classes. Finally, there are Olympic and power lifting regular sessions. They have plenty of weights and machines to build muscle, again prices start at $49 per month.

There is a small café in the reception area where they serve cold drinks and snacks.

The difference between Evolve Health Club and other gyms in Koh Phangan is that the focus is neither on Muay Thai or on yoga. Many of the gyms in Thongsala are primarily for people to learn how to fight, with a few just doing weights or cardio. Either that or the focus is on doing and teaching yoga. For those for whom Muay Thai and yoga are not the primary consideration should consider Evolve, especially if they are serious about getting into shape.
And as a final note, being ‘serious’ is very much the mood of the gym. The place has plenty of inspirational quotes on the walls, imploring participants not to cheat their fitness regimes, to push themselves. This is not a place to smoke a joint and sit on a cycle machine.

Contact Details

Address: 17-4 SeeThanu, Ko Pha-ngan District, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand
Telephone: +66 95 858 3810
Website: http://evolvegymkohphangan.com/

Eat.Co Restaurant Review

Posted on March 11, 2018March 11, 2018 by Srithanu Blog

Eat.Co attempts to be the most ‘Srithanu’ of all restaurants in the area. It is a vegan restaurant and store set up by a group of yoga teachers who take a holistic approach to dining. They are currently riding high in the Tripadvisor ratings, and the restaurant is a favoured hang-out for the spiritual set.

Reading the Eat.Co website you might be forgiven for not immediately realising it is a site promoting a restaurant. On the ‘about us’ page you are bombarded with life stories of aspiring yogis fleeing Western lives to embrace the calm and serenity of Koh Phangan. There is a liberal use of such words as ‘love’, ‘community’ and ‘mindfulness’. What it says about the food is a bit vague:

“There are a few dedicated “cooks” working together in the Eat.co “kitchen” to joyfully create and serve all the goodness this site has to offer.”

Are we to worry that the restaurants doesn’t have real chefs but rather cooks with inverted commas? And that food is prepared not in a kitchen but something different signified by “kitchen”. And that it is not what nature has to offer in terms of calories but their website that offers nourishment. Sometimes clichés lead you into absurdity.

However, once you look beyond the stuff about sharing love and life stories you are left with a small and friendly restaurant and store that serves tasty vegan food. You can see from the images below that the restaurant has an eclectic menu drawing on a variety of cooking traditions and the most in vogue vegan ingredients. There is meatless ‘teriyaki chicken’ using tempeh strips; there is a beetroot burger and a veggie kebab. If you prefer they can do vegan thali, scrambled tofu, vegan pho (Vietnamese soup) and black bean couscous and mango salad. This can be washed down by a number of spiritually edifying juices and smoothies called without any sense of irony such appellations as ‘guru juice’, ‘plant Shanka’ and ‘thirsty monk’.

You can’t get an alcoholic drink. The only sins to be found are sugar free cakes and coffee with actual caffeine. I suspect most people either love or hate Eat.co. Below are a few snippets from Tripadvisor.

Eat.co reinforces the stereotype of Srithanu and reminds me of the Srithanu song in a funny way. But putting aside any prejudice, restaurants offering lovingly made food in a convivial atmosphere with good service are always to be welcomed. Up to you to decide if Eat.co gives value for money as well as karma.

Eat.Co is on the main Srithanu road, between Crave and Green Gallery. It is open every day except Thursday. Breakfast is from 8am to 11am, lunch from 12pm to 4pm, and dinner from 6pm to 10pm.

Srithanu Acommodation Review 2017

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Srithanu Blog

Srithanu is the centre of the New Age movement currently blossoming in Koh Phangan. There are several yoga, detox and life transformation centres and practitioners in the wider area of West Koh Phangan that look very much to Srithanu as its focal point. Here is a list of Srithanu accommodation options with notes on how they have fared in ratings over 2016 and 2017.

Winners

Laemson 1 Bungalow has improved its Agoda rating going from 5.3 to 5.9. It has also improved its Trip Advisor rating going from 99th to 95th in the B&Bs section. Laemson Bungalow still has the cheapest bungalows for rent in Srithanu.

Congratulations to Seaview Rainbow Bungalow. The resort went from 6.8 to .9 on Agoda and climbed from 44th to 39th best inn in Koh Phangan.

Loyfa Natural Resort also had a good year. They maintained their Agoda score of 8 and jumped from 50th to 18th in the speciality lodging category on Trip Advisor.

2016 was a good year for Shanti Boutique Hotel. They went from 2 star to 3 star rating. The Agoda score went up from 9.3 to 9.5 and the Tripadvisor rank went from 33 to 26 in the B&B section.

Although the Agoda score went down 0.1 for Phangan Akuna (from 9.0 to 8.9) the resort did brilliantly in the B&B category of Tripadvisor going from 70th to 23rd. As a side note, prices for the cheapest accommodation at Phangan Akuna went down, for the other accommodation options the price went up.

Non-Movers

Nice Sea Resort stayed at 8.3 according to Agoda (out of 10) and retained its position as the 3rd best B&B in Koh Phangan.

Losers

The main disappointment has been for Phangan Cove Resort – while they finally get an Agoda score (5.9) they drop from 29 to 54 in the speciality lodging category.

Prices for 2017

There has been no huge price hikes in Srithanu accommodation. The competition in the area for tourist money is great. It is noted that a couple of organic / New Age restaurants have shut recently.

Some resorts have responded to the falling value of the Baht against the Dollar by putting up prices to cover the difference; others have kept the same prices. Those spending Euros will also benefit; sadly, Brexit has made Pound Sterling a weaker currency.

Beachub in Srithanu

Posted on November 26, 2016November 26, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

Question: what is more than a table in a cafe but less than an office? Answer: a beachub or co-working space. Despite the cool but incorrect spelling the notion of a ‘beachub’ appears to arrived in Srithanu. It is the brain child of Matthew Schotz from San Diego in America. He set up Koh Phangan’s first co-working space in February this year (2016). The ethos of the project is very much in line with the idea of Srithanu nurturing a conscious community.

The Beachub is located on the beach, down the road from the 7/11 in Srithanu Village (see map below). It consists of a beach front building. There are tables and chairs on an open front decking overlooking the sea. You can choose between a ‘drop in’ fee (1 day for 400 THB), weekly fee (1,800 THB) and monthly fee (5,400 THB). For this you get a ‘beachfront shared desk’, fiber optic wifi internet, access to a shower and access to Karma Beach Kafe.

That is a lot less than an office where you can keep files, office equipment and furniture. That level of security and facility is not offered. Moreover, giving people access to a cafe is hardly a privilege since the cafe is open to the general public anyway.

The issue of the restaurant is cleverly used to promote the hub. In true Srithanu style Karma Kafe has veggie treats and gourmet touches and of course fancy coffee to fuel the keyboard tapping and screen touching.

In line with the philosophy of a conscious community, the team at the Beachub are there to help people fulfill their business dreams; to mentor; to facilitate ideas. I think this is what is offered by the ‘accelerator’ option on the website. In the Forbes article about Scholtz and Beachub the focus was on the not-so-new digital nomad generation who just need decent latte and wifi connection to make their money blogging and doing affiliate marketing. It is interesting to note that the founder is not a digital nomad – rather he has leased land and is pursuing the traditional model of setting up tangible ‘reality-based’ businesses. Is this a case of in times of gold rush selling buckets and spades?

Beachub is apparently open 24/7 and 365 days a year.

Contact

Email: info@beachub.org

Location

Happy Beach in Srithanu

Posted on September 11, 2016September 11, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

Srithanu covers two peninsulas, a forested area next to Laem Son Lake as well as Srithanu village inland. This small village used to consist of a couple of fruit and veg stalls, a noodle shop and a karaoke bar. The village is now much more happening with several businesses moving in and offering a lot more than fruit, noodles, petrol and karaoke.

As people have moved into the area it is noticeable how people have started using new place names. Two examples of this are Secret Beach (also known as Haad Son) and Happy Beach. This beach is the main beach of Srithanu set in the bay. There are beaches to the north (next to Laem Son Lake also called Zen Beach) and to the south on the peninsula where you can find Loyfa Natural Resort.

So how happy is Happy Beach? Well it has fine white sand and stretches for about 200 metres from the fishing port up to the rocks to the north. Behind the beach is a long stream that flushes into the port which is mostly used for squid fishing. The beach is picturesque with plenty of jungle scenery behind. When the tide comes in it is a pleasant place for a splash around. You can swim in the sea but sometimes that will mean a walk out to the ocean. The coral reef is more than 100 metres off the coast so few go snorkelling off this beach.

There are a few resorts and a bar on the beach. This is The Three Monkeys Bar at the southern end of the beach. It is a funky bar on the beach made of drift wood and assorted bits and pieces in that hippy style. The bar sells beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. They also sometimes have a free BBQ. Very much a reggae, old skool feel to the bar.

Happy Beach Bungalows has both fan and air bungalows. Some of the bungalows are on the beachfront and have excellent views of the sea. The resort has a restaurant and small bar. They serve the usual assortment of Thai and Western dishes as well as BBQ food. The 500 Thai Baht a night bungalows are good value.

The main criticism on Tripadvisor about Happy Beach Bungalows is one young, male member of the owner’s family who hits on the women and cheats on the bills.

I wonder if Happy Beach Bungalows was one of the first resorts on the beach, and whether it has given its name to the beach (at least in some people’s minds).

Shanti Boutique Hotel in on the northern headland of Happy Beach. It is a small guesthouse with 8 air-con rooms. It is a laid back place often used by people studying yoga in the area just looking for a comfortable air-con room near the facilities of Srithanu village. Room prices start at 1,250 Thai Baht a night.

Seaview Rainbow Bungalow is a small family-run traditional bungalow resort. It has beach front bungalows as well as cheaper bungalows behind. They have fan and cold water showers. The resort also has a restaurant. It is next to a bridge leading to Laem Son Lake. Bungalow prices start at 700 Thai Baht.

There are a number of 7-11 shops on Koh Phangan. If you visit enough you will notice the slight price differences. The one at Thong Nai Pan Yai is probably the most expensive and the one at the Lomprayah pier in Thongsala is probably the cheapest. The one at Srithanu near Happy Beach is average value for money. They have water, beer, soft drinks, snacks, tobacco and a host of other useful items. For the budget conscious the proximity of a 7-11 can be very important.

The Honey Pot is a small bar on the main road that runs parallel to Happy Beach and on the other side of the estuary. This bar has no facebook page or website. It is one of those ‘notorious’ beer bars where girls play pool, have lady drinks and can be released via a ‘bar fine’. The Honey Pot may test recently made vows of celibacy.

Perhaps the well-being created by many people at any time studying and practising yoga, healthy living and mindfulness has generated a higher than usual happiness quotient in Srithanu. This has found expression in the adoption of a second name for Srithanu beach, namely Happy Beach.

Srithanu Low Tide

Posted on August 23, 2016August 23, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

Science and me have a tenuous relationship. The relationship between the Earth, the Moon and the water bodies of Earth mostly illudes me. Nevertheless, there is a question about when and how much when looking at the tidal movements. I have found 2 websites displaying the tides in Koh Phangan. The one I like best is http://phangantide.info/. You can find out when the low and high tides are going to happen as well as the depth. It seems that today high tide is at 15.03. At this point something is going to be 44% and something else is 1.8 metres.

If you are in Srithanu or one of the other west coast beaches then this website might be useful for you. If you are staying on the east coast than the state of the tide is purely academic as anytime (outside of storms) is a good time for a dip.

When I went down to Srithanu beach to take these photos there was a group of lads playing football. They would be interested for future games perhaps when the next low tide was due, which seems to be much of the time in Srithanu.

In the pictures below you can see Srithanu beach in all its low-tide glory. Acres of sand. In the distance you can just make out Ang Thong Marine Park.

It isn’t exactly the beach you see on travel brochures and hotel websites, but, nevertheless, it is beautiful. The expanse of space, the domination of nature; and in this circumstance it really is unspoiled.

Song about Srithanu

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

Well you make a little lotus with a twist in your hip
Preach about your wisdom ??? tantrics ???

You’re dying to be it
In your holy house with 6 walls
School me because I’m doing it wrong

You’re so boo ???
Could you be my muse?

Cause it’s easy to figure out
Why you boil while I twist and shout
Because without me you can’t look so good.
No it ain’t hard to figure out

You don’t smoke and you don’t drink
And you don’t want to know what I think about you.

Oh your conscious community
Is like a television show to me
But I still love you
I’m talking to you, Srithanu

With your special attitude
And all the special things you do
I’ll still love you
I’m talking to you, Srithanu

Well you run a burning stick from your head to your arm you said somebody told him it will keep him from harm but he goes so careless in his world.

So ??? and all his words but his mirror says mother earth and I’m lighted
cause I should learn to fly.

Well could you lighten up your E.G.O
And leave your people rings at home
I’m just living, living too

Cause it’s easy to figure out
Why you boil when I twist and shout
Because without me you can’t look so good

No it ain’t hard to figure out
Why you boil when I twist and shout
Because without me you can’t look so good

No it ain’t hard to figure out while your rowing your roundabout
Because without me you can’t look so good
Cause you don’t smoke, you don’t drink
But you don’t want to know what I think about you
No, you don’t smoke, you don’t drink
But you don’t want to know what I think about you and me

Oh your conscious community
Is like a television show to me
Well I still love you
I’m talking to you, Srithanu

The singer is called Melody. She is a beautiful, shy woman with a lovely voice. The production values are really high despite the island equipment and the copious amounts of vodka.

I’m sorry I can’t catch all the words and I’m sure I’ve not transcribed some of them correctly. However, the gist of the words are clear. It is a girlfriend talking to her boyfriend. He has clearly embraced the Srithanu ‘conscious community’: he doesn’t drink or smoke; he studies tantric yoga and believes himself to be living in a ‘special’ way.

The song builds slowly and drips with irony. He doesn’t ask her about what she thinks. He tolerates her ‘twist and shout’ sessions because she makes him look good, hanging from his arm. I doubt the boyfriend is called ‘Srithanu’ but when she says in the chorus “I am talking to you, Srithanu” she is addressing the boyfriend whom she foolishly loves and to a place that she loves despite its excesses of self-righteousness.

And indeed, there is a tendency with swamis, gurus and their novices to pay no heed to ‘lesser’ beings riddled with vices and desires. How much listening does the Agama swami do to ‘normal’ people other than his accountant? Does he search for wisdom from his students or is he compelled to tell people all day how it really is?

The song is great and grows on you with every listen. It is a definable something that has been produced. It is harder to quantify higher states of consciousness and being. This on the other hand is 1 good video. It could be collected with the Bottle Beach Song as a tiny sub-niche entitled ‘Songs about places in Koh Phangan’.

For a place to be honoured with a memorable song is rare. There is ‘New York, New York’, ‘Georgia on My Mind’, ‘Angel of Harlem’ and ‘Budapest’. There are many songs with place names in them, but not so many are really memorable; will stand the test of time.

At the time of writing this song had only 8 more views than a video I did of my 5 year old daughter riding her bike without stabilisers for just the second time. This is another lesson in humbleness. Perhaps this is what the singer is really getting at – don’t let your E.G.O get in the way of love.

Ladda Restaurant in Srithanu

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

Ladda Restaurant in Srithanu is not just a good dining options but also a small guesthouse with some cheap bungalows for rent. It is a thriving business that goes mostly under the internet radar but provides value for money and friendly service.

Ladda Restaurant (previously called ‘Ladda Shop’) serves pizza as well as a range of delicious Thai dishes such as tom yum goong. The prices are reasonable. It is an unpretentious Thai style place. There is heavy wooden furniture in a restaurant with an open view onto the road. Ladda is located at the southern end of Srithanu at the point the road splits. The road to the left (west) going to Thongsala, and the road going straight (south) going to Srithanu Peninsula. See the map below.

To the side are a row of bungalows for rent. The accommodation is mostly fan bungalows with mosquito net and attached cold water shower. Room rates start at 250 Thai Baht a night in the low season. There is also the possibility of organising monthly rates. This is good to know if you are booked into a yoga course that is taken a chunk of your money and you have to tighten your budget.

The bungalows are about 300 metres from a good beach on the peninsula. It is possible to stay at Ladda and get to most places by foot. However, you will see plenty of bikes at front from people dropping in for a drink or some authentic Thai food, especially at meal times.

Recommended are the coconut shakes. The Western breakfasts are not bad either. When you peruse the menu you will be encouraged, as this establishment does its best to offer great value. Perhaps this place will make the jump into the digital forum and get picked up by a big review site. For those who regularly frequent Ladda’s the hope is surely that it remains hidden from the casual browsers of the net, and that the same relaxed atmosphere and prices continue uninterrupted by spurious internet attention.

Note: The same family that run Ladda Restaurant also run the small convenience store next door.

Meaning of Srithanu

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

The word ‘Srithanu’ has an interesting meaning. Like many place names and proper nouns in Thailand the word has a Sanskrit derivation that reveals the importance of Indian culture on the development of Thai culture and the Thai language.

‘Sri’ or ‘si’ is frequently used in India as a polite form of address that would mean something similar to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ The word comes from the Sanskrit root śrā “to cook, boil”, but as a feminine abstract noun, it has received a general meaning of “grace, splendour, lustre, beauty; wealth, affluence, prosperity” (Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri). When applied to a god ‘sri’ or ‘shri’ means ‘holy’. Shri is also a shortened version of Shri Devi the goddess of wealth and another name for Lakshmi, consort of the god Vishnu. Finally, ‘shree’ can be used in India to denote beauty, rank, power, light. It is a common girl’s name in India.

A common instance of ‘sri’ in a place name is Sri Lanka.

The word ‘Thanu’ has a more narrow meaning. It means Lord Shiva. Thanu is a common boy’s name in India (http://www.bachpan.com/Meaning-of-Thanu.aspx). Shiva is one of the three main gods of the Hindu cannon along with Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is the god of the yogis. He is both self-controlled and celibate as well as the lover of his consort, Parvati He is the destroyer of worlds; he who reveals the oneness of existence. The river Ganges flows from his dreadlocks. He spent thousands of years smoking ganja in the Himalayas.

Shiva has a contradictory profile that is both raunchy and hippy as well as ascetic and self-denying. It is the contradiction that Hindus hope to brook by changing their being to realize the unifying truth of existence – ‘tat tvam asi’ (‘thou art that’) whereby subject and object, the essential duality of existence, is transcended.

This is the same goal that yoga hopes to attain – namely to ‘yoke’ oneself to god; thus, breaking down the difference of human and divine, seeing they have always been one.

Yoga Shops

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Srithanu Blog

Agama

The Agama Yoga Shop is mostly manned by friendly volunteers. It is within the Agama context of a campus atmosphere with a variety of students coming and going; off to classes; hanging out in the cafe; getting a massage.

Being as it is Agama, the website has a page devoted to the shop. It sells yoga mats, towels, bags and clothes. Those wanting souvenirs and other aids can also find books, tote bags, yantras, tongue scrapers, eye cups, neti pots and jewellery. And of course Ganesha incense sticks.

The Agama Shop in Srithanu is open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10.30 to 12.30. Those are nice working hours!

Ananda Wellness Resort and Orion Healing

Ananda Wellness Resort in Hin Kong doesn’t have a yoga shop. This must be of some concern to new yoga students not properly attired and kitted up. The yoga instructors no doubt offer advice to new students looking for their own personal mat. The same goes for Orion

Sunny Yoga

Sunny Yoga (Haad Chao Phao) to the north of Laemson Lake in Srithanu has a good supply of yoga stuff. It is marketed for free using the name ‘Koh Phangan Yoga Gear’ Facebook page. These Canadians know how to do business. Among the usual yoga essentials there is a line of ‘funky’ yoga clothes ideal for those girls wanting freedom of movement to better help the process of spiritual betterment. She has leggings, crop tops and Ayurvedic herbal bath soap.

Kamala Healing Centre

The Kamala Healing Centre in Thongsala has a shop. However, it is an online shop for treatments. The would-be yogi must rise to the challenge of avoiding the sting of disappointment that only chains a person to the wheel of existence.

Gaia Yogashala

Gaia Yogashala in Srithanu doesn’t have a shop and goes further – it sets a Zen koan. They have yoga mats but they insist students bring their own. This begs questions and is tinged with paradox. If you read further down the FAQs they do offer the advice that yoga mats are expensive in Thailand.

Thongsala

I always head to Thongsala if I am looking to buy a specific item. It is amazing what a variety of items that are available in the big supermarkets. It is also amazing how shopkeepers in Koh Phangan are well-versed in the stock of their competitors. Ask for a yoga mat and they will probably give you a couple of good tips.

As they say in the Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, ‘Don’t Panic’. You will find the right mat, yoga leggings or incense for you with a bit of perseverance.