Thailand - Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui

So all along our trip we've been hearing about the Full Moon party in Ko Pha Ngan (sounds like Ko pin yang).


View Krabi to Ko Pha Ngan in a larger map

Thousands of travelers flock to a 1/2 mile beach on the night of every full moon for a HUGE party. We had been meeting fun and friendly visitors on our travels so we were excited to meet a whole slew of new friends in one go. Plus, in our travel book it was listed as one of the must-see things in Thailand. So we made it part of our frequently changing itinerary.


We also heard that it is difficult to find accommodation starting a few days before the full moon and that many of the places don't take reservations. So we decided to get there about a week early to ensure we got a place to stay. Success! We got a cheap, basic bungalow on the North end of the beach where the party is held every month.

The beach is definitely geared towards the party crowd. We got there in the evening and we could already hear the thump of a strange bass line somewhere on the beach. Then we noticed that it wasn't one strange bass line. It was a bass line coming from each of the bars along the beach. Whaddaya like? We got it. Techno, house, pop remixes, reggae, more reggae, heavy techno, etc. The jumbled bass lines sounded like shoes in a tumble dryer. At least we could shut it out when we went to bed.

Or not.

The room wasn't very sound-proof so we enjoyed a variety of songs all night, every night. The only peace we got was when the bars were beginning to close at around 8 am. I invested in earplugs and Celia bought speakers for her iPod to drown out the music with something that we chose ourselves... This was the entire week.

Monsoon season reminded us of it's presence every afternoon around 2 pm. The dark clouds would roll in with the wind and we'd have a downpour for a few minutes and be left with with overcast skies for the rest of the day.

With thousands of kids on their summer holidays and coming as part of a package tour, they would party it up but didn't usually stray too far from their own groups of about 10. We found it difficult to meet people because of the amount of A) people they were with or B) alcohol they'd consumed.

The beaches were beautiful and we visited a few different places in the daytime on our trusty rented motorbike. On the day of the full moon, August 6th, we decided to see the next island over, Ko Samui, just to get a break from the craziness before the real craziness began. We rented a motorbike and visited a few beaches on the island and found it to be a really nice place. It isn't a big island and you can ride a motorbike around it in less than a day. But I misjudged both the distance and the amount of fuel in our tank so one thing led to another and we ended up missing our boat (the last boat) back to Ko Pha Ngan! We were going to miss the entire reason that we stayed for the entire week, enduring the pounding in our brains and the not-so-friendly tourists.

Luckily, the ferry company added an extra run on the night of the full moon, so we made it back by about 1030 pm when the party was already in full-swing.

The beach was PACKED with people. Visitors from all over the island and the surrounding islands had shown up and the party organizers were ready for them. There were police to ensure a safe party, hawkers selling anything from glow-in-the-dark paint tattoos to buckets of cocktails, and a couple medical tents (which included sleeping areas for those who were too exhausted/inebriated to party any further) to treat those who may have cut themselves on broken glass or perhaps burned.

Yes burned. There was fire everywhere! Tiki torches, batons, those hippie things that you toss around on two sticks, and poi balls all ablaze and spinning sometimes with little control. And just in case you forgot where you were there was this:


OH! And to top it all off, there were two guys stood on boxes 6 feet high and strung between them was a jump rope about 20 feet long. It too was on fire and people were jumping in it! It was ok when they were jumping well but then someone else would run and jump in and if they weren't quite right they'd catch a foot or leg or any other body part in the firey chain from hell and it would trip everyone else up and they'd all scatter, trying not to get burned. I must admit it was fun and a bit scary to watch.

So the party made up for the week of being there but if someone wanted my advice... stay in Ko Samui and just go to Ko Pha Ngan for the party.

For your vicarious vacation...

Hi all. I've done a lot of catching up, but I'm still behind. Thanks for your patience. Feel free to comment on and ask questions about any of the posts and I'll be sure to respond.

Thailand - Krabi & Railay

It was time to head South to Krabi.


View Thailand - Kanchanaburi to Krabi in a larger map

There's not much going on in Krabi Town, but it is a send-off point to get to Phra Nang and Railay beaches. These beaches are still part of the mainland but the mountains are so steep and rocky between them and Krabi, there is no road so you have to go by boat.

Another paradise. This area is pretty commercialized and is full of resorts ranging from backpacker (cheap) to luxury (expensive). It is famous for rock climbing and has some places for scuba diving and to explore other islands. In one of the James Bond movies there is a secret lair on an island that has steep cliffs and looks like it's going to topple into the water. That's in this area too.

We did a hike to a lagoon. It got steep and muddy and Celia decided to turn back. I decided to keep going. In places you have to shimmy down a rope and hold on tight. When I finally made it down, there was a shallow lagoon with steep cliffs all around it. there was only one way in and out. I thought it was worth the climb.

On the south part of the peninsula, is Ao Phra Nang (Ao = Beach). It was beautiful and surrounded by cliffs and great rock formations. Across the water you could see other islands, including the aptly named Chicken Island. We relaxed here and soaked up the sun for a few hours.

As mentioned before, Railay is known for rock climbing. We signed up for a day of climbing with a guide and all the equipment. It turned out to be harder than indoor climbing but I had a great time anyway.

Thailand - Kanchanaburi

Just northwest of Bangkok is Kanchanaburi and the infamous Bridge Over the River Kwai.

View Thailand - Kanchanaburi in a larger map

There is a lot of history in Kanchanaburi. In WWII the Japanese were in Thailand and they wanted a land route from Thailand to Burma. At the time, they had to take boats south from Bangkok around Malaysia and Singapore and through the Straits of Malacca, which was slow and very dangerous. Even now there are pirates that raid ships in the Straits of Malacca. Unfortunately, the train route was through difficult mountains. But they had plenty of free manpower to make it work. Prisoners of war from all over southeast Asia were moved to work on the Thailand - Burma rail line, which is now known as the Death Railway. The conditions were horrible and the Japanese had no compassion for the prisoners. The Samurai code says it is more honorable to take your own life than to be taken prisoner in war. So the prisoners were expendable and were worked, starved, and/or beaten to death. On the other hand, the Japanese have a great reverence for the dead and the prisoners were allowed to hold funerals and make proper burials and headstones for their comrades. Almost all of the bodies were recovered after the war and relocated to the war memorial cemetery in Kanchanaburi. All of the US soldiers were sent back to the states to be reburied.

For each railroad tie in the the there was one Allied POW death. Thus the Death Railway name.

We took a trip on the train through the beautiful scenery. I was hanging out the side door to get some pics of the train. When I stepped back inside, I caught the heel of my flip-flop and it slipped off my foot and fell out the door. Lost and gone forever.

We stayed at a fantastic guest house called Apple's Guesthouse (by Apple and Noi). They also have a cooking school on the premises so the restaurant was fantastic with a great view of the river.

We booked one of the many package tours which included the Erawan National Park and the seven waterfalls.

It also included a ride on an elephant and a raft down the river. The ride on the elephant was a little less than I expected. We sat on the chairs on their backs and lumbered around the jungle for about a half hour or so. It was interesting to feel their skin and see how they used their trunks.

In the center of town we saw some people advertising it and they had tiger cub and lion cub tethered to a table. We got some pics and decided to go to the park the next day. At the entrance we saw some bigger tigers and some tiny leopard cubs.

It was no San Diego Zoo to say the least. We bought 6 bowls of small bananas that we could feed the animals out the safari bus window. We didn't try to feed the lions or tigers but when we got to the giraffe area we didn't have a choice. As soon as we stopped, giraffes started sticking their heads in the windows. They knew what we had and where to find them. While one was distracting Celia by eating a banana out of her hand, two others came in through the opposite side and started emptying the bowls on the floor of the bus. Within the first 5 minutes we were down to 1 bowl. I tried to save it for the less-greedy animals so I hid it where their long necks couldn't reach. Then I stood up and turned around and BAM! I got head-butted by a giraffe. I saw stars for a second but I was okay and he obviously didn't feel a thing.

The park wasn't busy that day but we went to the elephant show. By the time it started there was a Thai couple and their baby and two of us. A couple of times, they needed some volunteers. Uh, sure, we'll volunteer. I put my head in an elephant's mouth and laid down to get an "elephant massage." We laid down side by side with about 1 foot or so in between us, the huge elephant stepped next to you with one front leg and lifted the other and patted your stomach with the other. Now, these animals are so powerful and HEAVY that if he would have stepped down all of my entrails would have been forced out of my mouth and behind. But the elephants are surprisingly gentle and have great control when placing their feet.

I had a great time in Kanchanaburi, but it was time to move on! Back to the Beaches!!

Thailand - Ko Samet

Just southeast of Pattaya is a small island called Ko Samet.


View Thailand - Ko Samet in a larger map

In case you haven't noticed, all of the islands in Thailand are called Ko Whatever. Ko=Island. So I could say, "Samet Island" or "Ko Samet," same thing. Another thing with the language is that they use a different alphabet, which has been one of my biggest frustrations. I want to know what the characters sound like so I can at least sound it out and figure out where I am. Since the characters don't translate directly into english letters sometimes things are spelled differently. Ko Samet could also be posted Koh Samed and it's still the same thing.

Back to the island.

Ko Samet is another picturesque island. A little more built up than the Perhentians with a cement pier and a paved road that's about 1km long. The rest of the 6km island has a dirt road that stretches to the end and stops along the little beaches. One night I was walking down the street and stopped at a little street vendor (literally little. She was only about 3.5 feet tall!) She was making crepes that looked delicious. I got one with banana and chocolate and while she was making it she had me sit down in her chair and chat. Lax has been on the island for about a year and has been making pancakes every day. To learn English, she's befriended all of the tourists that stop for a snack. She actually doesn't hang out with the locals but she has friends all over the world. I ended up sitting there for an hour or so chatting with her and enjoying my snack.


Lax owns a motorbike but doesn't use it. In fact, she has never used it. She got it because she thought she would need it but has been too afraid to try. But she told me I should use it to see the island. Woo Hoo!

On the main street was a little bar/restaurant owned by a Canadian guy, Aaron. He had spent a few years in Afghanistan and decided he wanted to get away and now he lives on a tiny island in Thailand. Smart move, I think. He hired some great Thai cooks and made a comfortable place to hang out called Ling Ting Tong (Crazy Monkey). Since the rainy season is all over Thailand, it caught up with us again and we spent two days just hanging out at the restaurant watching movies on the big screen TV, relaxing on the cushy leather couches and, of course, eating way too much food.

In the evening we would hit up one of the beach restaurants (if the rain had cleared) and have dinner and watch the fire shows. One night, we played a few rounds of pool with Lax and Aaron.

In the end we went through 3 guest houses and stayed there for almost a week when we had planned on a few days. I decided that Ko Samet is like the Hotel California... You can check out anytime you like (which we did, 3 times) but you can never leave.

Sadly, we did leave. On to the next adventure.

Thailand - Pattaya

We decided to run from the rain and head to the opposite side of Thailand. We caught a cheap flight from Hat Yai to Bangkok and then a bus to Pattaya.

View Ko Lipe in a larger map

The common form of transportation is the Songthaew (which literally means "two rows"). It's a small pickup truck with a cover over the back and a row on each side of the bed. While you're walking along the street, you get beeped at every 30 seconds because they want to know if you want a ride. You just wave them down, hop on, and when you want to get off, push the little doorbell, pay the driver 10 baht (about 30 cents US) and that's it. Very easy and convenient.

I didn't take any pics of Pattaya because I didn't really like it. It's dirty, over-commercialized, sleazy, and obnoxious. Everyone is always trying to sell you something while you're walking down the street or laying on the beach. "No, I don't want a belt." "No, I don't want a tailor made suit." "No, I don't want a taxi." "No, I don't want a massage." "No, I don't want a Thai wife."
Yes, I do want to get out of here.

Oh, but I did get sick of my hair and got a haircut and a shave.

Thailand - Ko Lipe

We hopped on a train just after we crossed the border into Thailand and headed towards another island. This one was on the western side of the peninsula (as you'll see in coming posts, our itinerary hasn't always been the most logical).

View Kota Bharu, Kelantan in a larger map

We got to the pier late at night and had to wait until the morning to catch a boat so we stayed at a guest house that could have done with a few Orkin visits. Anyway, the next morning we were in the van to go to the pier and were passed by a motorbike... not just any motorbike. A barbecue motor bike!! There were 3 people clinging onto this thing as it sped down the road with a chargrilled chicken smokescreen on their way to meet the boat.


I just had to try it. Verdict: Delicious. It only cost about $1 US for a marinated, grilled chicken breast... to go.

After the great people we met on the Perhentian islands, we were excited to make more great friends. It turns out that when the guidebooks say that an island is closed, people believe it and don't go. We turned out to be two of 10 tourists on the entire island.

As we walked around the tiny island we picked up some tagalongs. I had noticed in Malaysia and Singapore that there were no dogs! I think I saw 3 the entire time we were there. We found out later from a couple Canadian guys that owned a scuba shop that Muslims believe dogs are very dirty creatures. In fact, if they get licked by one, they have to go through a ritualistic cleansing process. So they don't have them as pets and thus, have no (or very few) strays wandering the streets. Here in Thailand, Buddhism is a lot more common and they love animals. Well, a lot of the locals loved them so much that they let them hang out on the beach all day - forever. Some of the dogs and cats that were once pets are now feral and roam the beaches and jungle in small packs.
We had a young dog from one side of the island follow us to the other side, only to be attacked by the residents of that beach. He ran off with his tail between his legs. Awww poor thing doesn't know it's a dog-eat-dog island. Anyway, the animals are everywhere. We sat at the restaurant in front of our bungalow and had dinner and by the time dinner was done we had 3 dogs on the floor. A cat behind me on the railing, one behind Celia on the railing and one on her lap.... Gross! Let's just say Petmeds.com hasn't quite made itself known on Ko Lipe. Who knows what they're carrying! Sure, they're fine from far away and it breaks your heart to see the dogfight wounds and to be nibbling away at a pesky flea.... But keep it away from my dinner table!!!


Aside from the fear of contracting mange, it was a beautiful place and had beautiful beaches, quaint bungalows, friendly locals, and nice weather... for the first day.

Monsoon season in Thailand is May-October. Monsoon translates to lots of rainstorms. The resorts refer to it as "Green Season" but they're not fooling anyone. But us.

Our first plan was to explore the island the first day, take a snorkeling trip the second and then leave on the third. We woke up to a rainstorm on the second day and decided to cancel our snorkel trip.
-"Oh, we didn't expect you to even show up."
-"Well... We had nothing else to do."

And we didn't. The 3 days of rain and high seas meant the boats weren't operating and we were stuck. We read several books, took naps, ate a lot of food, and had THE BATTLE IN THE BUNGALOW!!! While laying on the bed reading one of the rainy days, Celia felt a little tickle on her shoulder. She brushed it off and thought nothing of it. A moment later she felt it again and looked over suddenly screamed and jumped from the bed and I, naturally, jumped up in a state of alarm. -"What is it?! What happened?!"
She pointed at the pillow and I moved it away to reveal the culprit. Oh, it's ON!

"In this corner at one inch and less than an ounce.... THE COCKROACH!" (BOOO! HISSSS!)
"And in this corner at 5 feet nine inches and 150 pounds, weilding a tennis shoe and a water bottle... THE BACKPACKER!" (HOORAY!)

A battle of epic proportions ensued and in the melee, I somehow smashed my thumb in one of the many strikes at my opponent. He's fast, but not fast enough.

Since we had nothing else to do I got a Thai massage. Now Thai massage is different to a Swedish or any other type of massage because rather than just rubbing and compressing the muscles, you're getting pulled and stretched and twisted and manipulated.

Just after this pose she had me cross my legs and she sat down and pulled me up on her legs. It was like doing a superman, except Indian style and facing the ceiling. Noi and Danee were very friendly and we talked with them quite a bit because they were such good company on the rainy days.

Malaysia - Kota Baru

The last big city before the Thai border is Kota Baru. We had met some fantastic people on the Perhentians and followed them to our last stop in Malaysia. We had dinner at a night market, which is very common in this part of the world. It's a bunch of stalls that are set up each night and sell an array of food. One specialty in this city is the blue rice that comes with an egg, some vegetables and chicken.

Paul, Trish, & Michelle at the night market

Blue rice anyone?
Buh-bye Malaysia!

Malaysia - The Perhentian Islands

Our friend Kate, whom we met in Panang, was on her way to the Perhentian Islands to meet some friends who were doing some scuba diving. At this point all we'd seen were cities jungles but no beaches so we were itching for the islands. We got a bunch of info from her and we adjusted our plans to go the day after she did. We took a 5-hour minibus ride from one side of the Malaysian peninsula to the other:

View Larger Map
Then hopped on a speedboat to the Perhentian Islands.

When you think of paradise, what comes to mind?
Palm trees? White sandy beaches? Sunshine? Crystal clear water? Fresh tropical fruit smoothies?
Check, check, check, check, check!

This place is AMAZING! It was easy to lose track of time. One Canadian girl came to visit and ended up staying 8 months! She went back home for a few months and now she's back. We were talking to some people that had just arrived and they asked what we'd done so far.
-"Well, we laid out on the beach and then got in the water, then laid out again."
-"How long have you been here?"
-"Four days!?"

We'd been staying at the Panorama Bungalows. It reminded me of scout camp but tropical instead of pine forest.

We met Hannah and her mom, Sarah, on the minibus across Malaysia. She'd been traveling for almost a year and her mom came for the last month to take her home. Hannah had already been to the Islands and made some friends including one of the locals who owned a boat. One day we finally got our acts together and went on a snorkeling trip. It included stops at a coral reef at the lighthouse tower, turtle point, shark point, and another coral garden. Of course, we had to climb up the lighthouse and jump off. We did the first level, then I had to take it up a notch and go from the second level. What a rush.

I've been snorkeling in Hanauma bay in Hawaii before and I thought it was pretty amazing. When I flopped off the boat with my mask, snorkel, and fins, I was totally shocked at the coral reef below me! There were SO MANY FISH of all shapes and colors and bright, healthy coral. The water was so clear that even from the surface we could see everything so clearly. (I was kicking myself that I didn't buy the underwater camera... it was the other of my top-two choices.)

Because we had an in with the tourguide, we were the only ones out there. It was breathtaking. As promised, we saw sea turtles at turtle point. We could actually see them from the boat so we just jumped in once we spotted one. And, as promised, we saw sharks at shark point. They were harmless black-tip reef sharks but they were still about 6 feet long and dangerous looking. Our tourguide made sure none of us were bleeding before we got in the water though... just in case.

If I ever make it to this part of the world again I'll come back to stay a bit longer. As for now, I've got more world to discover!!!