Thailand - Ko Phi Phi

An hour-long boat ride took us to Ko Phi Phi.


View Phuket to Ko Phi Phi in a larger map

Though it was a short ride, it was a world apart. I had been reading and sleeping for most of the short trip and so I wasn't focused too much on the scenery. When I looked out the window in the harbor I beheld this: (cue heavenly chorus of angels)


We wandered around the small village with our packs to find somewhere to stay. We didn't have people trying to get us to take their taxi (mainly because there are none on the island because you can walk everywhere), there weren't cars honking their horns (just a bicycle bell or two), no one was trying to lead us to hotels against our will so they could get commission (the scuba shops would give you friendly, accurate, and free information with only "if you're interested in diving, come check us out.")

I love it here!

We found a cheap guesthouse, dropped off our stuff and I found an internet cafe to skype with my family. I was able to talk to the entire crew in one go. I loved it. After that I went straight to the beach with it's white sand and beautiful blue water to relax. We met really friendly people, ate delicious food, and saw beautiful scenery.

We also did a snorkel/kayak/sunset cruise which was a good choice.

The next day we climbed to the viewpoint and saw this:

After the hike, we had lunch at a little restaurant and looked over at the refrigerator...

Close up...


No, cat was not on the menu. That's just where they liked to hang out... In the refrigerator... with the food and drinks. Amazingly, there wasn't a single hair in my meal!

That night, I got to see this sunset:

What a beautiful island.

Thailand - Phuket

So the Mass exodus after the full-moon party took us to Phuket.


View Ko Phangan to Phuket in a larger map

Here is a flow of consciousness that I sent to my friend Jen about our less-than-ideal trip:
You know when you book a trip to take and you find out you're going to arrive in a certain place by 930 pm and then the taxi is late and the boat is late and you get off your boat with the rest of the herd of travelers that don't know what's going on and the people directing the hundreds of people aren't very forthcoming with information and they wouldn't be able to communicate it anyway because they don't speak the same language and you get herded onto a bus that is old and dirty and water is dripping from the airconditioning unit in the ceiling and when the bus stops quickly a bucketfull of water pours out of the ceiling onto the seat (BEHIND yours, thankfully) and the bus drops you off at some dodgy and dirty restaurant/travel agent and tells you to wait for the next bus with WAY too many people and only one bathroom that no one can use because some guy ran in there with a hangover/motion sickness and locked the door and then you're told to get on a "songthaew" which is really just a pickup with two rows of seats in the back and you are driven by Evil Kanevil reincarnated through the pouring rain to another dodgy restaurant/travel agent where there are even more people standing around not knowing what's going on and after another hour of waiting you're told to get on one of the two busses but people aren't paying attention/understanding so everyone goes to the first bus with all their luggage and after you load your pack it turns out that there are no seats left because half the people that are on the bus already should be on the second bus so you have to take your stuff off the bus and get in the other bus and the people on the first bus get paranoid because so many bags are getting taken off so they want to see their own bags so they make the people sort through all the luggage and make sure that everyone's is there then the buses finally leave and after a 3 hour drive they take a 20 minute rest stop which turns into almost an hour and you get back on the bus for the final hour of the journey and get to yet another/travel agent where you are packed into a minivan and taken to the hotel called Banana Sombrero (doesn't sound very thai) to check into a nice big room with a big bed and airconditioner but by now it's already 2:30 AM (5 hours after your scheduled arrival time) so you're exstatic by the thought that you'll finally be able to go to sleep and you turn off the light but it's just as bright in the room because there's a neon sign right outside your window and you only have white curtains and it blocks absolutely no light and it turns out the aircon is broken and it actually seems hotter in the room and 4 hours after you go to bed someone starts banging on doors in the hallway but there's nothing to dampen the sound so it sounds like they're banging on your face so you get so frustrated that you storm down the hall and pound on the next door and when he comes to the door you just say "everything ok?" hoping he'll get the point and shutup so you go back into your room and find that it's even hotter and brighter because the sun is now coming up directly into the bedroom and you almost want to cry because all you want is to go to sleep in a cold, dark, quiet cave but you can't......?

Phuket

We had heard a lot of hype about Phuket with it's beautiful resorts and pristine beaches. Since we are on a backpacker's budget instead of a leisure traveler's budget, we didn't get to stay in those hotels or see the beaches.

When I woke up in the morning (very early morning thanks to the sun and banging) I took a walk down the street to see the beach. I passed bar after bar with bad smells coming from the sludge that was running through the gutters and being hassled about getting transport or a suit or a massage or something else I didn't want. The beach was close to the hotel but it had big red flags and signs that prohibited swimming because the current was too strong.

I walked back to the hotel and told Celia we were checking out and going to another part of the island.

We made our way to Phuket Town, the more historical and subdued part of the island. We found a quaint guesthouse and set out to do some exploring.

I didn't even take pictures.

We left the next day.

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.

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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.