does a paradise island still exist without tons of tourists

Depends what you mean by "paradise"?

For me "paradise" is a spot of good fishing, a few rock pools to snoop about in, no bongos or dreadlocks in sight, ice cold beer (either local or imported) with cocktails as the sun sinks, pizza or a good blackened burger, followed by a night out of solid Metal and quality Rock tunes with more icy beers (either local or imported), some good (or Bad) company and plenty of crumpet (either local or imported).

I can think of nothing worse than being stuck on a beach with limited supplies of all of the above and tourists whose ides of "culcha" is swinging them fire thingies to endless monotonous technoshite all night.

You gotta hit Byron Bay, Farty. Ticks all those boxes.

I'm there dude.

#12 no bongos or dreadlocks in sight
Add amplified icrapods to that, and I'm with you there.

I'm hitting Chang/Wai/Mak/Kut next month. The Bride+ is coming, wants me to get a haircut. Being summer here I've normally got a #2 buzzie by this stage, but I'm growing it long. Gunna get some dreadies in Bangkok on the way thru. +Farty, where do you get yours done?

Long gone are the good old days when Byron Bay cops used to give any stray long haired hippys caught sleeping in panel vans a good beating and run em outa town eh?

Good info btw

# 18. Tezza, is Like all Byron places, charges are not inexpensive code for mind boggling wallet emptyingly expensive?
Lovina babe- Oh why does someone like that need to splash the ink on- sad.

Not mind-boggling tbl - but when a dorm bed is gonna cost the same as a nice budget bungalow on most Thai islands I start to get a bit antsy.
And Byron dorm beds cost a bit more than most other Aussie places.

I'm not a big fan of tramp-stamps, but somehow on that lady it looks okay.

Hi Tezza if your watching. Just booked the Cookies job with Sawadee, but how do we get there as there is no indication. Sorry if that sounds a bit lame!

When you get off the boat, there'll be no shortage of taxis waiting to take you anywhere on the island, at any arrival time. Haad Salad should set you back 150b each, one-way. Or rent a scooter(s), get a map (somebody'll hand you one on the dock, or they're available all over--check in front of the 7/11 for an info stand, or at the ferry office, or any travel agency), and go slowly, especially the "road" to Cookies...Scooters're handy as Phangan is not small, and it becomes cheaper than taxis so long as you don't crash them like many farangs do here (lucrative business). On the main road (east/west) through Thongsala, you want to take a left turn just before that 7/11 and stay towards the left when you approach another potential road split in about 1 km, and just follow the coast up to Haad Salad. Decent signage, and difficult to get lost. The usual island map is pretty good, and shows all of the resorts, including yours. If you don't love your new digs after a nite, then just keep looking north--the scenery gets better and better. Currently at Mae Haad, inland bungalo (200m from beach) at Wangsei Gardens for 400b/nite, fan, cold water, and digging it! Local beachside bungalo at Island Resort (my beach access) costs 1500b/nite. Offshore jungle island (Ko Ma) that you can walk to on a sandbar at low tide, or swim to anytime; good snorkeling (lil' sharkeys, sea urchins, parrotfish, occasional grouper...) Be sure to spend a few afternoons at Malibu beach--wide white sands; beautiful. Halfway between Chaloklum and Mae Haad (maybe 6k from Salad).