We arrived in Ko Phangan after a quick stop for a few hours in Bangkok to do a spot of shopping. Bangkok is the same as ever, it smells, it's dirty and the people still try to rip you off!
We were in a massive rush to get to the islands, not only for the sun, sea and sand, but to be back with the group of people we met in Laos.
We arrived in the morning, with accommodation already arranged for us thanks t
o them, and then the mayhem began! Ko Phangan is the party island of Thailand, and probably in the whole of SE Asia too. We spent far too long there, about 4 weeks altogether, not including the few times we went over to visit other islands on the east coast for a few days at a time.By 12 noon on our first day we'd taken a small boat to a secluded beach, ordered Sangsom (Thai whisky/rum) buckets and from that point onwards life was a blur! This explains why i am so late in updating my blog, not because i was so busy i didn't have the time, moreso that i was so drunk/ hungover that i wasn't capable!
As i've been to Thailand twice before we weren't really interested in doing anything cultural, it was all party party party, staying out on the beach til sunrise and not waking up til sunset each day!
After a while this got too much and so we stayed on the island but moved to another resort, about a 20 minute drive away from Haad Rin, which is the main backpackers place. Once we moved it was a different story...life was calm and chilled! We saw daylight and caught the sun, ate proper food again, and saved ourselves a fortune by not drinking all the time. I'm sure my liver and kidneys were pleased too!
The re
sort we moved to was a family run place, with bungalows by the sea. The people there were great, the accommodation was cheap and cheerful, and our group took over the entire resort, so I couldn't have asked for more!Skipping forward to xmas as there's not a great deal to report before then.... We came across a proper English pub, set right in the heart of the island surrounded by nothing but woods. The place was surreal; it had a beer garden with Guinness umbrellas and proper benches. Inside was a pool table and darts board and beer on tap! It was the most surreal feeling, as though we'd come across a mini- England, and once inside that's exactly where it felt we were. And then.... as soon as we stepped outside in the tropical heat, got back on the mopeds and turned a corner we were in Thailand again! It made me realise how much i miss a glass of wine in my local on a Friday after work!
So this is where we decided to have our Christmas dinner, the Mason's Arms. We had prawn cocktails followed by a traditional turkey roast with all the trimmings, i couldn't have asked for more! They even had a christmas tree and played all the xmas music. It definitely beat our dinner on Christmas Eve.... a BBQ on the beach around a bonfire, not quite the festive feel, not that i can complain, i can think of worse ways to spend Christmas Eve!
A few days later, Anna came out for her holiday and i couldn't wait! I needed a bit of normality back in my life after the craziness of the previous month! And to top it off she came with christmas presents from home!! Including my new camera, as i lost my other one doing the bucking bronco whilst drunk in Ko Samui, but that's another story!
Having Anna with me changed everything. It was good to spend some quality time with someone from home who i've missed so much. And to hear her stories about normal life and what people are doing at home, a bit of reality.
New Years Eve was brilliant, we were raving on Haad Rin beach with about 30,000 other people from all over the world, it was the busiest i've ever seen it. Fireworks were going off all night and everyone was in good spirits. It was the last night i
had in Haad Rin and it was a good way to end my stay on Ko Phangan.The day after, Anna and I and who was left of the group moved on to Phi Phi island, my favourite island and also the most beautiful of them all. We checked into a lovely hotel, far too expensive for my backpackers budget but well worth the treat.
Phi Phi has changed a lot since i was last there, which was right after the Tsunami. In fact it changed so much i barely recognised the place, except the beaches were the same and as amazing as ever, same white sand and crystal clear water.
Finally we were in a place where i didn't feel the need to go out all the time or drink loads... i was content eating good food, sitting
reading my book on our balcony, or chilling out on the beach with Anna.One day Anna and I booked ourselves onto a boat trip, and it was by far one of the best days i had in Thailand. We went snorkelling in clear blue sea; we visited monkey beach where we watched the monkeys terrorise tourists and eachother! We went to an uninhabited island called Bamboo island which was just paradise. And finally we visited 'Maya Bay' which is where the film 'the Beach' was filmed. Then on the way home we watched the sunset over the island from our longtail boat. It was a great day and we got loads of briliant photos (all of which are on Facebook)!
After having a brilliant week or so in Phi Phi, and spending far too much money yet again, it was time for Anna to leave. So, with the group even smaller now, (
down to 6 of us) we got the boat over to the hellhole that is Phuket to take Anna to the airport. We checked ourselves into an Israeli guesthouse, with a room to sleep 6, and headed into Patong to see the usual sights... ladyboys and go go girls harrassing every man that walked past, whatever the age. People lining the streets selling all sorts of crap, anything they think tourists will buy ranging from trinkets to fake Gucci watches to DVDs, hammocks and so on.By the time it was evening it was time for Anna to go, so we put her in a cab and i cried my eyes out for the next half an hour! The group we were in was getting smaller and smaller as everyone was going off to do their own thing, and then my best friend from home was leaving...a
n emotional day!Keeley and i still had over 2 weeks left on our 60 day Thai visa. In the time we'd spent in Thailand we'd been to Bangkok (briefly), Ko Phangan, Ko Samui, Phi Phi and Phuket. I wish we'd visited more places, as i didn't go anywhere i hadn't been before and there are loads of places i still want to see. I also wish i had more will power to not go out and instead to concentrate on getting my scuba diving license, which i'm really disappointed that i never did.
So anyway, a few of our friends had moved on to Malaysia. Keeley and i were happy with the time we'd spent in Thailand with the people that we became really close to since Laos. I loved it but with the exchange rate being so bad i spent much more money than intended, and so we cut Thailand short to head to Malaysia to meet the others. It wasn't planned, but Thailand is exhausting sometimes, and there's no rest for the wicked!
So on to the next adventure, completely unplanned and spontaneous, which is what i love about the freedom of travelling!
