Today I woke up from the sound of waves crashing into the shore of the beach house I will be calling home for the next month or so.

I started my “workaway” yesterday and for those of you who are not familiar with the term, it is a website which works as a platform connecting potential volunteers and host from all over the world. So this is what brings me to Koh Phangan, one of the islands of Thailand.

I have been here for over a week now. First I was traveling with friends staying in nice hotels, getting Thai massages pretty much everyday and basically just relaxing. Now that my friends are gone I am embracing the life of a backpacker once again, staying in a dorm with another five volunteers. I got asked yesterday whether I think there is a certain age I feel I will grow out of dorm life. The thought that I might be too old for that never even crossed my mind, but being the oldest here did get me thinking.

Is there are certain age backpacking and dorm sharing is no longer acceptable?

Koh Phangan is famous for its party lifestyle with different full moon, half moon, black moon and waterfall or jungle parties happening every month. Obviously it attracts younger, out of school type of audience or those who still have enough liver and kidney power in them left to handle what could be over 24 hours long parties.

There is also another side to Koh Phangan. Which is vegan, vegetarian, meditation and yoga paradise in a party free environment.

Personally I wasn’t aiming to experience just one or the other world of this island. I was hoping to combine them both somehow, even though I do not feel necessarily as enthusiastic about the parties as I was in my early twenties and my yoga practice is far from the level everyone seems to be here.

So is there a point where we suddenly feel too old or too something else or simply we know ourselves better and choose accordingly?

I feel like I know and understand myself more now, not that I was lost before, but it’s a similar feeling to having worn your favorite jumper for many years and discovering that it has extra pockets you didn’t know were there before. I think that age in itself does not determine whether you are too old or too young for something. For me its about finding those hidden pockets and what is in there what makes all the difference.

Good luck with your search and cheers with the elephant in the glass!