Phuket, Thailand 11-19-09

When we arrived in Phuket by boat I jumped out of my seat and threw my new Thailand North Face backpack over my shoulder. Almost immediately the straps popped and the flew open as the bag fell to the ground. Great.

I somehow managed to tie the straps back together in a knot and carried the bag towards a tuk-tuk that could take me to the hostel I had booked in advance. The tuk-tuk driver drove in the direction of my hostel and then stopped short of it. He said his car couldn’t drive any further because the roads were so small. Well, we were on a main road so I had no idea what he was talking about, I think the driver was just clueless as to where the hostel was. I told him I had the phone number and if could just call it, we would be able to find the place. He kept insisting that it was close and I should just walk there. Wasn’t much I could do so I got out and walked into the nearest 7-11 to ask for directions (7-11 stores are EVERYWHERE in Thailand, even on the islands!). Luckily for me, when I asked the checkout clerk for directions, the American-looking girl in line said she was staying there too and could show me the way.

I was carrying my 48 pound backpack on my back, wearing my small 7 pound day-back on my font, and heaving around my old Gregory backpack that was filled with some of my winter clothes I had from China and Europe and other things I was sending home- (about 10 pounds in total). Thankfully we WERE close… only 2 small streets away.

After I checked in and set my bags down I headed for the post office. A thirty minute walk through town later and I arrived. They did a phenomenal job packaging my Gregory bag... we had to put one huge box into another, then use lots of tape and zip ties, it was pretty extreme. When the lady asked me how I would like to ship the box I asked for the cheapest method... so, my package will arrive in Florida 4 months from now.

On the way back to my place, the Pineapple Guesthouse, I stopped for some local food at a little man’s cart. I bought a papaya salad, some sticky rice, a Thai coconut, and some watermelon that was yellow on the inside! I happily walked back to Pineapple holding all of my plastic to-go bags. The guesthouse owner gave me a plate, bowl, and silverware and I feasted on my $2.50 meal. There was so much food I couldn’t even finish!

Inside the guesthouse I started talking to a Kiwi backpacker who had just come from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. She is doing the exact same route as me but in reverse. We exchanged our “must-do” lists and I walked away with an itinerary for my next 2 months traveling.

My evening was pretty quiet, all of my ten roommates staggered in at different hours during the night and we all slept comfortably in our 5 sets of bunk beds, each with our own mini fan. This morning I was picked up at 7:00am and piled into a small van with 8 others who were also heading to the airport. My first flight went by smoothly; I had a layover in Bangkok where I had to pickup my bag from baggage claim and re-check my luggage. The weight limit for checked bags was 15k and I was over by 8k. I pulled off to the side of the line and rearranged everything. I took the daypack off my new red North Face bag and stuffed it with anything heavy I could find… books, shoes, shirts. I managed to knock off 5k and only had to pay 10 dollars for the extra weight.

I’m on my second flight now and only have another 30 minutes till we land in Phnom Penh (pronounced “nom pen”). Richard, my English friend I traveled around China with, will be meeting me in Phnom Penh a day from now. After China he traveled around Vietnam for a month and I traveled around Thailand for a month... our timing worked our perfectly that we’d be able to meet back up and tour Cambodia and Laos together before veering off in different directions for the second time. It will be great to travel with him again, he’s one of my best friends that I’ve made traveling so far and it will be nice to catch up on everything he’s done in the last month... seems like ages since we were in China!

Alright, we’re landing now... catch up soon

Koh Phi Phi, Thailand 11-16-09

Koh Phi Phi (or Ko Phi Phi Don), is an island that has everything- relaxing beaches, wild parties, and adventurous activities. After spending a week on a party island and a week on a beach, it was nice to have a little bit of both in the same place.

For months, Amanda, James, and I had been hearing from other backpackers how great Koh Phi Phi was and we were pretty excited to get to the promise land. The island itself is pretty small, there are scuba shops, bars, restaurants, spas, jewelry shops, tattoo shops, and hotels and bungalows everywhere; and after the sun goes down, the island transforms into party central. Flyers are forced in front of your face offering “the world” in terms of alcohol, there are free buckets, free drinks, free shots… you name it! Each bar has a different theme, whether it be Reggae, Irish, Italian, Greek, Indian… and best of all, the drink prices agree with a backpacker’s wallet.

When our boat docked, we stepped off and immediately were mobbed with Thai men and women yelling out their hotel’s or guesthouse’s name, trying to recruit us. We had heard of a good place to stay, so with our bags on our backs, we started walking. Apparently, everyone decided to come to Phi Phi at the same time as us because almost every single place was full! After an hour of searching we were finally able to find a large room with 3 beds side-by-side, with AC and a bathroom for 400 baht a person at a place called Kanaree Guesthouse. Not too bad.

Our first day in, James caught up on his sleep and Amanda and I explored the town, shopped a bit, got pedicures, and then went out at night to a couple bars before ending on the beach with our new group of Kiwi (New Zealanders) and British friends. The beach scene was a miniature version of Koh Phangnan… two DJ’s were playing music, everyone danced in front of them on the sand, and fire limbo was going on. I got in on the fire limbo again for a bit, but mostly we just danced all night.

The next day was one of the most relaxing days I’ve had yet. The three of us went to an infinity pool (where the water in the pool has no edge and looks like it exceeds into the ocean) and spent the day laying under an umbrella, cooling off in the water, reading our books, drinking out of coconuts, ordering fruit and pad thai… it was amazing. That night we found our group from the night before, as well as a couple girls from Sweden we met while on Railay Bay and the 14 of us went to the Reggae bar, a bar with a huge boxing ring in the middle. We hung out there as we watched drunks get up to fight one-another, for a prize of free buckets. Around 11:50pm we all left as a pack to make it to Tiger Bar in time for the free buckets they give out between 12:00am-12:10am. This night was a repeat of the last... dancing, partying… except it was Amanda’s last night here before she headed back home, so we made it an extra special (and long) night.

On the way home we ran into an Aussie, Elliot, who had just gotten another tattoo (tattoo shops are everywhere in Phi Phi, as well as on Koh Phangnan, and drunks are the main customers). Last night he got the word FLIP FLOP written on his foot in the place where his sandal straps normally go, except he was drunk and his tattoo artist didn’t speak English, so now his foot says FLOP FLIP. Well, tonight he got a small brown paper bag shape tattooed on his back with the words “Don’t feed fish” written inside. Smart decisions.

Koh Phi Phi became pretty famous because of the 2000 movie, “The Beach”. In the movie, backpackers hear a story of an island off the coast of Thailand that is completely abundant and overgrown with marijuana. In the movie, the island and beach look like paradise and have since become a huge tourist attraction. The only way to “The Beach” is to take a boat to Maya Beach (also known as Koh Phi Phi Leh (or Lai)), which during the day is completely mobbed with tourists and backpackers wishing to see the island for themselves. It’s not uncommon for there to be 10 or more boats anchored onshore which are entirely stuffed with people (30 on each boat). Luckily, I got a tip from another backpacker that if you camp out on the beach the night before, you will be the only ones on the island.

James and I set off on this adventure. We went with 15 other people to the island, on a boat which makes this trip pretty frequently. On the way to the island we stopped to snorkel in gorgeous blue water and saw tons of reef fish. We also kayaked around a bit before getting back on the boat to head to the island.

When we first got to the bay of the beach it was 5:30pm, the sun was setting and the last of the tourist boats were setting off to head back to Koh Phi Phi. Our Thai tour guides transported us to the island by long-tail boat and we set our bags down to check out the island. It was a very quiet place, not much going on, and no marijuana plants in sight (sorry to disappoint). As night fell we ate some amazing Thai food (prepared for us by a few Thai women who live on the island) and we even got free buckets to drink as we played card games, listened to ipods, and listened to the Thai guys play songs on their guitars. It was pretty great.

As night fell, a small group of us headed into the water. In the movie, the ocean glowed when the island backpackers swam in it, and we all wanted to see if the legend of bioluminescent plankton was true. We cautiously creeped into the water, brushed our hands across the surface of the ripples… and saw lights! The deeper we swam, the more bioluminescent plankton we saw! And the longer we swam in the complete blackness, the braver we became; I started swimming breast-stroke in the water and was amazed at how the plankton lit up everywhere I touched, like white-glitter glowing all different colors in a black light. The lights lit the path everywhere I swam… it was incredible. For almost an hour we were amazed in the water, a guy ran to grab his mask and we all took turns watching underwater as another person would swirl their hands around and make a light show for us.

Eventually we made it out of the water and headed back to our campsite. After we dried off the whole group went on a trek deep into the island with only flashlights to light the way. Our Thai guides brought us to a place where the “chicken crabs” hide (called so, because these crabs are as big as chickens!). Toma, one of our guides, picked one up and was telling us how to hold them, I was the first to want to pick one up and he showed me how. The crab was massive, over a foot long, and really heavy! A few others took turns holding the crab too and then we made our way back to the beach. We brought mats out onto the sand near the water, unrolled our sleeping bags, laid on our pillows, and fell asleep around 4:00am.

Before we went to sleep, our guides told us to set our alarms for 5:30am if we wanted to wake up in time to see the sunrise. The best place to watch it was from a look-out point that was further inland past the chicken crab spot, but the guides wouldn’t be waking up to see it, so it was all on us.

I set my alarm, woke up an hour and a half later, and a few of us walked through the darkness to find the lookout point. I saw a ladder up ahead and we all climbed to the top of the cliffs and waited… within 20 minutes the sun rose above the water and drifted up into the sky, it was beautiful (as all sunrises and sunsets on the water usually are). We were all so tired though that soon after we headed back to camp. There we ate a light breakfast, packed up our bags, and headed back to the main land.

James and I spent the next day at the infinity pool and at night met up with the guys from England we had met on Koh Phangnan. They had been on Phi Phi, left to go to Ko Lanta (a quiet/relaxing island with not much to do on but rest), and now came back to Phi Phi to party for a couple nights before leaving for Australia (they are moving to Oz to work for a year). We stayed at the Reggae bar for most of the night playing pool, talking, and then a couple of the Brits decided to fight each other. Luke and Craig got into the ring with Ramsey and Jonathan as their corner men… the fight was pretty close, but Luke was declared the winner; and although they were wearing face masks and gloves, they both ended up with split lips (and free buckets).

In the morning I set off at 7am to scuba dive as I was getting my Advanced Diving Certification. My South African scuba instructor, Michael, took me and my diving buddy, Richard from England (a different Richard), diving. It was a gorgeous day out and first we headed to a dive site where we could work on our buoyancy. We had to practice our breathing underwater to stay a few inches off the floor. Every once in a while Michael would hand us weights or take away weights and we would have to compensate with our breathing to make sure our fins or bodies didn’t touch the sand bottom. We had a couple other tests to do and both passed with flying colors. Next up was a Navigation test, we had to use both natural navigation (remembering specific reef formations, rocks, and sand spots, to go out in one direction and come back) and compass navigation (using our compasses underwater to sort out our location).

We had a break from diving in the middle of the day, which I used to catch up on my sleep from the lack of sleep I had had the previous night, and then I headed back to the boat at 7pm to go on a night dive. It was my first time diving at night and I was pretty scared and excited at the same time. Obviously I didn’t want to be attacked by sharks, but also knew that it was extremely unlikely for that to happen and we would probably get to see some underwater life not visible during the day.

The moon was almost black and our flashlights were the only eyes we had. We sank underwater and scanned the sea for wildlife. Nothing yet, but Michael had us turn off our lights and then he waved his hands in the water… MILLIONS of little bits of plankton were lighting up everywhere!! I was ecstatic and thrashing around in the water with my arms to see as many lights as I could, I loved it! The lights were everywhere and so bright being as we were 60 feet underwater… it was incredible. Way too soon, Mike turned his flashlight back on (I frowned inside my mask) and we set off to explore the reef we were above.

We saw 6 foot long barracudas, moray eels, reef fish, lion fish... but nothing too out of the ordinary. The visibility was pretty poor, since we only could see what our flashlights showed us, and everything was sort of a grayish color… but it was nice for a change. A few times during the dive I would turn out my light and stir my arms around to see the sea light up again. It made me smile.

The next day, I woke up at 6am and headed to the scuba shop for another full day of diving. First we went to wreck site called King Cruiser. The King Cruiser was a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Phi Phi in 1997. The ship is 255 feet long and 90 feet wide, and about 60 feet in height (with an extra 30 feet of water above the vessel). This was a perfect wreck to dive, as the boat was almost fully intact and completely inhabited by all different kinds of sea life. As soon as we descended we saw a couple leopard sharks, then tons of reef fish, parrot fish, lion fish, anemone, clown fish, eels, puffer fish, star fish, jelly fish… thousands of fish were around the site. We were able to swim all around the boat and even inside it to see the bathrooms and decks. The toilets were fully intact and little fish had made the bowls their new homes. This site proved to me why I love scuba diving so much.

Second up was a deep dive at Anemone Reef, named so because the reef is completely covered in anemone. Rumor has it that this reef is what sank the cruiser when the boat hit by mistake; but there is a lot of controversy over whether the sinking of the ship was intentional (for insurance money reasons) or not. This reef was a perfect place to see coral life, as the shallow site was buzzing with fish. We saw clown fish, parrot fish, lots of reef fish, and also 6 black tip sharks (which look like nurse sharks but have a little black triangle on the top of their dorsal fin).

Last up was an island dive at Bidah Nok and on this dive we circled around the small island underwater. We saw cuddle fish, eels, leopard sharks, a sea snake, reef fish, and lion fish. It was a perfect way to end the day and I was exhausted! We got back around 2:00pm and I went straight to the infinity pool to wind down. James was there and we ordered Thai food and fruit smoothies as we relaxed on our lounge chairs in the sun. I finished the book I was reading, Monday’s Child, and started my other one, Eat Pray Love.

When this morning came around, I packed up my NEW backpack and headed to the port to catch my boat to Phuket which from there I would catch a flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia (with a layover in Bangkok). I say NEW backpack because I decided to switch from my trusted Gregory bag. My green Gregory backpack has been very durable and useful, except that it’s a bit small for all of my stuff and in order to fit everything inside I had to arrange everything inside like little puzzle pieces, and anytime I wanted to get one thing out of my bag I would have to take everything out (because it only loaded from the top of the pack). Additionally, I had to attach another backpack to the bottom of it to fit my toiletries (yes I know… I packed WAY too much!). Anyway, after seeing other travelers unzip their bags around the outside (like a conventional suitcase) I had backpack envy and decided to forgo my own bag and buy a new one. In Phi Phi I found a knockoff suitcase store and bought myself a North Face bag (for 50 bucks… when the original is about $400) that was huge, zipped open around the edges, and also had a day-pack attached. It was perfect!

As I boarded my boat and set my bag down, I felt very happy with my decision. I’m now two hours in and have been reading my book and dreaming about what Cambodia will be like. Now, just a quick stop in Phuket for a day and night and I’ll be off to another country.

Till then…

Railay Bay, Thailand 11-10-09

After 7 days of non-stop partying, I needed a detox and a place to relax and couldn’t ask for a more perfect place for that than Railay Bay. To get there, James and I first had to take a 3 hour boat from Koh Phangnan to the south of Thailand into a city called Surat Thani. From there we took a 4 hour bus to Krabi and then hopped onto a long-tail boat which beached us on the shore on the east side of Railay Bay.

We searched a couple places and found a guesthouse on the east side called View Point which had pretty nice accommodations; AC, hot water, and 2 full sized-beds, a swimming pool, internet café, massage spa, and mini-mart. The room was 400 baht a person, so $12 a night... not too bad at all. The guesthouses, cabanas, and rooms are far cheaper on the east side of the island than the west. You can expect to pay at least double for everything on the west side of the Bay, even though it is only a 10 minute walk away. This is because of the sunsets, views, and better beaches on the west side. But, 10 minutes is 10 minutes and we weren’t fussed to half to walk a bit each day.

On our boat from Koh Phangnan to Surat Thani we met a group of people from the UK and for the next 6 days we spent all of our time together. Scott, Danny, Sophie, Dugan, and Daniel were from England, and Amanda was from Scotland. They all were so much fun and the perfect group to be with on Railay.

I was starting to feel a bit of a cold come on my first day in, guess my immune system was a tad weak after seven days of partying with no sleep. So Railay was my chance to rest, relax, and soak up some sun.

Most days we all walked over to the west side of the island where the beach was long and gorgeous with limestone mountain peaks surrounding it. We would lie on the sand by the water and every 5 to 10 minutes would be pleasantly interrupted; an older Thai lady would walk by offering us massages, foot scrubs, and manicures, then a Thai guy would come by selling water, beer, and soft drinks, a man with a huge bamboo pole over his shoulder carrying a grill would set-up-shop in front of us and ask if we wanted grilled, buttered corn, and always we could walk about 15 steps to our left to buy cold fresh Thai coconuts, pineapple, dragon fruit, and other fresh fruit, or purchase grilled chicken, fish, corn… or instead walk 10 steps in the opposite direction to order Pad Thai or a crepe from the Thai people working on the long-tail boats that were docked along the shore but mostly in the water.

Almost every day on the beach we all got 40 minute Thai massages for $3 US, and everyday I bought a coconut, fresh fruit, and a Nutella-banana crepe. We read our books and would lounge on the beach, jumping in the ocean every so often to cool down. This was paradise for me and we kept reminding ourselves how perfect this place was.

A five-minute swim out were rocks that were climbable and from the top of them was a great point to cliff dive. Our first couple of days here we just climbed and jumped, climbed and jumped, we even would show others “the ropes” on how to get up and where to jump from. A few days of this and I was already feeling much better.

The next day James and I signed up for rock climbing, Railay is known for their superb rock cliffs and this place is a hotspot for climbers from around the world. In the past I had climbed on indoor rock climbing walls, but climbing on a real stone cliff is completely different and so much better! The steps were steep to reach for and the distance up was much greater than an indoor gym. My first climb up was about 70 feet and from there the ending points continuously amplified. Seven routes later I was at the tallest of points on the wall face and exhausted. My arms and legs were so frail I almost slipped off the mountain, but didn’t (luckily, even if I did a safety line would have caught me). But the view from the top was well worth it and it felt really good to be active again after being idle for a few days. Our guide, Kay, was a super laid-back Thai guy who you can tell has never taken a day in his life seriously. Half-way through the climbs he pulled out a joint and smoked as he belayed James. James and I laughed about it, and Jay felt confident in Kay’s abilities to belay, so he kept climbing. Gotta love the Thai.

The night-life on Railay was pretty mild, usually for dinner our group of 8 would get together and have a nice Thai meal (pad thai, noodles, fried-rice dishes, stir-fry, grilled fish, seafood, or Thai soup) and then have a drink or two before heading to bed. I stayed sober for most of my time there since I wasn’t feeling 100% yet, but James and the English guys partied almost every night. Don’t know how James is still alive after 2 weeks straight of boozing… oh right, he’s Australian.

Our last couple of days on Railay we laid on the beach, had massages (we were now the Thai lady’s best customers and she would walk straight up to us as soon as we got there, ready to massage), fed corn and bananas to the wild monkeys in the trees behind us, and just took it easy. I finished the book I was reading, “The Lovely Bones”, and picked up two others from a book exchange store, “Monday’s Child” and “Eat, Pray, Love”.

Our last night together we walked to the west side of the island and watched one of the most remarkable sunsets I’ve ever seen; afterwards we had dinner together and then packed up for our morning departures.

Amanda, James, and I are headed to Koh Phi Phi; while Scott, Danny, Sophie, and Dugan are headed to Australia. They obtained one year working visas in Aus and I’ll be happy to see them again when I get there.

And as for now… after 6 days on a tropical and semi-deserted beach, I’m ready for the western world again. Koh Phi Phi is known as a mini-Koh Phangnan, but not as intense and there are other things to do on the island as well... snorkeling, retreats to Maya Beach, and great scuba diving. I’m ready!! J

Koh Phangnan, Thailand 11-2-09

I’m writing from a ferry boat as we drift away from the incredible party island; a tropical island full of dancing beaches, brightly colored bars, tourist shops, and insane amounts of backpackers. The best time to visit Thailand is from November to February, when the rainy season settles down and it isn’t as hot. Koh Phangnan is legendary for their full moon parties and I’ve been looking forward to this party island for months!

When Holly, James, and I arrived at the Hat Rin pier I was already in bliss. Tree covered mountains were visible, the sea was blue, and sky even bluer.. it was the perfect day. Holly had plans to check into a nice resort on the island, while James and I were sticking to the backpacker’s route. We had made reservations at a place called the Dancing Elephant, but since we got to Koh Phangnan a couple days early we checked into a place called Coral Bungalows that a recruiter/taxi driver from Koh Samui was telling us about.

Within 5 minutes of arriving James and I were laying by the pool, ordering pad thai and fruit smoothies from the full bar/restaurant on the premises, reading our books, and looking out over the ocean. What a perfect day. A few hours passed and we ran into Ashley and Meryana, they were staying here too! The four of us had dinner together and then got ready for our first night out on the island. We drank our buckets (a child's sand pail that is filled with either vodka or samsuk-(Thailand’s own liquor) with a bit a soda, and some red bull for a kick). Everyone at our bungalow drank until it was time to walk down the road to Had Rin beach.

The beach was completely packed with people, everyone was dancing on the sand, on the bars, on platform tables… Thai guys were juggling fire, people were jump-roping over a fire-lit rope, and limbo-ing under a fire lit pole. Three bars spread across the beach were pumping out blaring music provided by their DJ’s, a foam party was going on at one end of the beach, and people were swimming in the ocean on the other. It was incredible. The four of us danced for hours until we made it back to our bungalows around 4am.

The next few days were pretty much a complete repeat of the previous. More laying pool side, swimming in the ocean, ordering great food, getting Thai massages at our bungalows, partying on the beach at night, and enjoying every second of this place! On our third night on the island we went to a Muy Thai fight (just for you, TJ) which was really cool to see. The match started out with two little boys who were about 7 years old. It was both of their first ever fights and they both did really well and didn’t get hurt (the referee was assisting them when the fell and helping them out a lot). The next 5 matches just got better and better.. we saw 3 knockouts but the best match was the last. A well experience and cocky Thai fighter came into the ring stretching and prancing around, he would be up against a Spanish Muy Thai fighter. When the match began the two were jumping around and the Spaniard delivered one quick punch to the head and the Thai fighter was out like a light! The crowd cheered and the announcer broadcasted the 20 second knock-out. Great way to end the matches.

Every night our place, Coral Bungalows, had a pool party. So usually the backpackers would come to our location until the pool was completely surrounded by people. Next door was a tree house/lounge- a legit huge tree house with black lights, hammocks, mats and cushions to lay on, chilled out music, as well as a full bar and food menu to order from. Usually I spent my time between the two places or would start at the tree house and then make my way to our pool party when it was close to the time to head to the main beach, Had Rin East, just south east of where we were staying.

Halloween pretty much passed without acknowledgement. A few Americans were dressed up on the beach and a Thai guy was selling scary masks, but aside from that.. not too much differentiated that night from any other. I did do a fire limbo on Halloween though. It took me back to when I was a little girl and would limbo at bar/bat mitzvahs and other middle school parties.

The next night was the Full Moon party and we were prepared! We had UV/black light paint of all colors and 8 of us drew on each other for about an hour as we sipped our buckets preparing for our biggest night yet. Our group of four had grown to 8 as we met some more Canadians and once we all got to the beach we met up with our 7 friends from England we had met 2 nights prior at a 3am impromptu dinner.

The amount of people on the beach during the moon must have been 50 times that of any other night. As we stood on the platforms dancing, we could see people down the entire beach which looked like sand covered with tiny ants. Dancing, drinking, fire shows, people crawling to the ocean, rolling the sand, drunkenly falling all over the place, everyone was making out (or attempting to), and as the night progressed more and more people wound up passed out on the beach. At 6:30am the sun rose and the dancing continued. It was the latest we had stayed out all week.. but it was the full moon party, so we needed to enjoy it.

The next day was a bit rainy so a big group of us hung out in tree house and took it easy. Another day later we headed to the beach for a calm night out and wound up dancing and jumping into the foam party until we headed back around 2am. And our last day before leaving we walked around town, I bought some new flip flops (mine were stolen the night before) and in the late evening we walked up to mellow mountain, had some shakes and chilled out in the tree house.

And that was that. After 7 days of partying, drinking, and dancing through the night, I’m ready to mix it up. I was planning on heading to an island just North of Koh Phangnan called Koh Tao, but the weather on this side of the island has been a bit unpredictable and rainy; I hear the west side of the Thailand is full of sunshine, so that’s where I’m headed!

James is joining me for the next island we’re traveling to, Railay Beach, and then I’ll stay in Thailand a bit longer while he will head to Laos. I’m really looking forward to hanging out on a relaxing island and resting up a bit after spending so much time on a non-stop party island. It will be nice to unwind on Railay.

Koh Samui 10-27-09

We arrived in Koh Samui by boat and our taxi driver told us we arrived on the first day the island hadn’t seen rain in over a week! We thought we were lucky, until right when we got to our hostel the downpour started. Oh well.

Our hostel, Embassy Guesthouse, was really nice. The small first floor was a restaurant/café and our room had a king-sized bed, a twin, and a little balcony... $9 US a night. We ordered up some food, settled in, and since the rain cleared, we hit the beach (which was right behind our hostel). It was so nice to finally be on a beach and near the ocean again after traveling on land for so long!

Around 5pm the clouds started rolling in again and we headed inside to take naps and get ready for the evening. Holly, James, and I walked along the beach looking for a nice place to eat dinner and stumbled upon an area where we could actually eat on the beach on these wooden platform tables which were covered with mats to lie on. The servers put towels down for us and we ate our fresh fish while lounging near the water. The white snapper was great (caught that day) and the salads were bottomless… we ate until we couldn’t move. It was the first buffet-type meal we had had.

During our meal, little Thai girls and boys would come up to us trying to sell us flower necklaces, ladies were selling jewelry, guys were selling fireworks, other guys were walking around with pet monkeys and would place them on you to try to get money for a picture. Another Thai guy had an iguana that he was walking around with to do the same, and about 10 little kids walked around with connect-4 games to gamble against the tourists. We learned the hard way that these little kids have been trained at a young age how to win connect-four in every scenario- little devils.

We pet a couple 6 month old monkeys and lost some games of connect-4 then played some pool at bar on the beach next to where we ate. It was an early night.

The following morning was another beach day which didn’t start until 12 because of the rain. We walked around the shops during the day and at night headed back to the same restaurant on the sand. We met a couple girls at our hostel and they came with us to dinner. This time we all decided to have fun with the dinner disturbances. We played connect 4, a little Thai girl fell in love with James and gave him necklaces, the girls took pictures with the monkeys… we went all-out. Every guy holding a monkey placed it on James since he was lying down, and the 3^rd one peed on his shirt! We were dying laughing and for the rest of the night James was pretty adamant about not holding any other monkeys.

We met the group of 4 who were sitting beside us. Ashley and Meryana were from Canada, and ‘Chico’ and Ricardo were from Chile. We all talked for a couple hours and played more connect-4 and bought more necklaces from the Thai children. All of the little kids were around us for most of the night, but the monkey men stayed far away, they had heard about James’ misfortune.

Our last day on Koh Samui, Hollie and I had a girls’ day. We walked pretty far down the beach to a resort and slid onto some lounge chairs near the water. We ordered frozen daiquiris and chilled coconuts, listened to music, read our books, swam in the ocean. It was wonderful. When we finally headed back we met up with James and the three of us got ready for the evening.

We walked through the back roads, past a night market, and into where the real Thai food was at. We ate some pad Thai, and I fed some of my chicken to a stray dog that was walking around. The three of us headed to the beach and found Ashley, Meryana, Chico, and Ricardo on one of the table/benches where we were now regulars. We joined them and ordered drinks and buckets. In Thailand, bars sell little sandbox type buckets that are filled with ice, a mini bottle of liquor, coke a cola, and red bull syrup. It’s a deadly concoction. We sat by the beach for an hour and the little children remembered us and came over to say hi, sell necklaces, and play connect-4... Around midnight we headed to a bar called the Green Mango; the place was huge and packed with people. The seven of us danced for hours and had the best night!

In the morning we packed up our bags and stuffed into a slightly larger version of a tuk-tuk. We somehow crammed 11 people inside and made our way to the north shore where our ferry boat would be waiting to take us to Koh Phangnan. The skies were clear, the sun was shining, and the water was blue and crystal clear as we set off for our next island.

Koh Phangnan is known for their full moon parties that thousands of backpackers flock to each month. I’ve been looking forward to the November 2^nd full moon party for over 5 months now and now it’s time to see what all of the commotion is about.

Bangkok, Thailand 10-25-09

Bangkok, what a crazy and overwhelming city! I arrived around midnight and with my hostel directions in hand, had a taxi driver (who spoke no English) take me to my new home- Niras Bangkok Guesthouse. The driver continuously called his boss so I could explain to him where my hostel was and then my driver’s boss would relay the information back to my driver. Thirty minutes into the drive, my taxi driver had figured it out. Luckily we had already agreed on a reasonable fixed fare (provided by my hostel) so I wasn’t too concerned when he circled the same area a few times. When the driver found out I was American he started yelling- “AMERICA, YEAH!” And said: “Christian” and pointed to himself. Then he put in a mixed tape which played an American preacher reciting bible verses; Thai translations would follow the English and my taxi driver was proving his religion to me by yelling out each verse in Thai. Perfect.

We finally arrived at my hostel an hour later and I was greeted by the sweetest Thai girls I’ve ever met! May and Venus work as receptionists and are the most bubbly girls I’ve come across yet! They giggle and smile non-stop and it’s pretty contagious. They settled me in and I was off to sleep instantaneously.

I woke up in my four-bed dorm room to find a Scottish bloke named Ciaran waking up as well. He had just arrived yesterday too and we decided to explore the city together. First we headed to Wat Arun, also known as The Temple of Dawn. I was required to put on a shawl to cover my shoulders and we climbed up the sides of the temple and took some pictures. The steps to climb up were so steep we had to pull ourselves up with both hands, and everyone was walking backwards on the way down, similar to climbing down a ladder. The temple was completely covered in mosaic tiles of different bright colors and surrounding the structure were religious statues and materials.. The temple overlooked the Chao Phraya River and after exploring the site for a while we took a little long tail boat across the river to check out the markets, the boat ride cost us 24 cents US.

At the market I bought a fresh Thai coconut and sipped the sweet milk while thinking about how exotic this one tasted compared to the ones back home. Ciaran bought a smoothie made from pink dragon fruit and we walked through the food markets of newly discovered (to us) fruits, foods, spices, and smells.

After passing a fish market, which smelt horrible, we walked a bit further up the road to check out the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. Wat Pho holds this Buddha, which is lying on its side and is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. The best part of this visit for me was walking out. As a visitor I was able to give a donation in exchange for 100 Thai one-cent coins. Dozens of small tin bowls are positioned side-by-side along the length of the wall and while walking out, we all tossed coins in each bowl. The coins made a clink-clink noise and the ringing chimed throughout the temple.

Leaving the buddha, we headed towards a flower market. On the way we walked under a passageway and watched two ladies playing bat mitten while laughing hysterically. The other women underneath this overhang were separating brightly colored peppers or sorting through vegetables, the men were sleeping in recliners, children were running about playing with toys... it was a pretty cool place to be. The flower market was impressive as well, hundreds, maybe even thousands of varieties of flowers.

Back at the hostel, Ciaran and I were relaxing as James walked in. I met James, a fun guy from Australia, about 3 months ago during a five minute conversation in Ios, Greece. We both discovered that we would be in Thailand at the same time and promised to keep in touch through facebook and meet up. About a week before we both arrived in Bangkok we worked it out and decided to stay at the same hostel.. and, here we are. James got settled into his room, just as a sweet, bubbly girl from UK walked downstairs. Holly is from England and is traveling around SE Asia on her own as well. We sat and talked for a bit and then grabbed James before heading out to check out Bangkok’s night life.

We ate some good Thai food and walked around an antique market and past other vendors selling clothing, fake watches, bags, shoes.. that sort of thing. We drank some Chang beers at a café and soon after called it a night.

The following day, James and I decided to check out Bangkok's most legendary shopping mall, MBK. On the way there we passed through Koh San Road, the busiest backpacker area in all of Thailand. The street is filled with bars, restaurants, hostels, hotels, and tons of vendors selling shirts, shorts, bathing suits, jewelry, fresh fruit, pad thai, smoothies, you name it!

To get to MBK we took the local transportation and hopped on a long boat, which cost us 3 baht a person (9 cents US). Local Thais piled in and soon our big motorized canoe was crammed with 36 people. Less than 10 minutes later we arrived at our stop for MBK and had our first look. The place was enormous! MBK had eight floors packed with over 2,000 shops that sold everything. We spent the day looking at clothing, electronics, jewelry, luggage, accessories, and tons more that we would never take home.

A few hours later we reassembled our group and headed out to Koh San Road. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant and had our feet massaged by fish! It’s the weirdest feeling and Holly and I laughed non-stop for the first 10 minutes of it. Eventually we got used to the ticklish fish and enjoyed it. A young 10 year old Thai girl selling roses challenged James to a thumb war match. She was vicious! And less than a minute later, James lost 100 baht and his dignity. We stayed out for a little while checking out the different bars and took a tuk-tuk home which was an experience in itself. The tuk-tuk’s are motorized rickshaws who supposedly know the city the best. Well, our driver got us so lost, he had to keep checking our map to see where we were. He didn’t know any English, of course, and we finally managed to get back to our hostel after I walked up to a Thai man on the street and motioned that I wanted him to call our hostel’s phone number. He did and our driver was finally able to figure it out.

The next day was our last in town; Holly, James, and I decided to head to the south of Thailand. We wanted to make sure we got to Koh Phangnan in time for the Full Moon Party, so we planned accordingly. For 400 baht, $12 US, we were told we would have an air conditioned bus to drive us 12 hours south of Bangkok and the price would also include the ferry boat to the island we wanted to start at, Koh Samui. We thought it was too good to be true, but went with it anyway since it was a great deal and the travel agency seemed pretty legit.

At 6:00pm we were back on Koh San Road carrying our backpacks and waiting for our bus. More and more backpackers joined until our group grew to about 20. An older Thai man walked up and gestured for us all to follow him. We walked about 10 blocks through tiny streets, cracked sidewalks, and even through a Thai boxing room- with a ring and all! The rain started and our guide must have timed it perfectly, because as soon as we ducked into our “holding room”, the monsoon began! The rain didn’t stop for over and hour an almost like magic as our bus pulled up, the rain slowed. It was almost as if out of a movie.

The bus was even better than expected too! A double-decker with cloth seats, blankets provided, tv screens throughout, and each chair reclined almost bed-like flat. We watched a couple movies and then slept through the night. At 6am our bus unloaded and four by four we piled into little tuk-tuks to take us.. somewhere. A travel Thai lady tried to get us to pay for our boat ride and we had to say about 30 times that “we had already paid and the boat ride was included in our ticket”. Eventually she understood and believed us, and then asked if we would like to exchange our slow boat tickets for the fast boat ones, free of charge. “For Free?” “Okay.” Someone must have been on our side. Our same tuk-tuk driver brought us to a random spot on a main road where a chartered bus picked us up and took us to the local port after an hour ride. We boarded the boat straight away, they accepted our tickets, and we were set. Wow, that was way too easy. The boat ride over was only an hour and a half and we were able to lay down on the chairs inside the boat’s air-conditioned section. James had a foot and back massage during the ride for $6 US. And all I kept thinking was… welcome to Thailand!

Time to check out these islands now…