(4/28 - 4/30)
We left Koh Phi Phi on the 28th and took the ferry to Krabi. We stayed at the Pak-Up hostel which, coming from the dirty, grimy conditions of The Rock, felt like a 5 star resort. Hot showers with free soap and shampoo. We even had air conditioning and there wasn't a cockroach in sight. We stayed at Pak-Up from the afternoon of the 28th to the afternoon of the 30th. On the 30th we hopped on an overnight bus to Bangkok. We arrived in Bangkok May 1st at 6am and checked in to a small hotel located off the main backpackers street, Khao San Road. Tomorrow was the big day! Kevin and I were boarding a Qatar Airways flight bound for Hanoi, Vietnam. I had mixed emotions about leaving Thailand. I had seen some amazing places, met amazing people and had become completely enamored with Thai food and culture. However, we were about to begin a new phase in our travels! That night we went out to celebrate our last night in Thailand. I tried some unusual food that night.
The scorpion tasted salty and crunchy. I would definitely eat one again, however, it wasn't nearly as good as the fried crickets and waterbugs we ate in Changmai. Again, a great night in Thailand! Beers with buddies and a few fried bugs. Not to mention a great Thai blues band that played everything from Cash to the Mommas and the Poppas.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
30C (86F) at 10AM?!
(4/26)
After partying hard for my birthday we spent the next day relaxing and soaking up some rays. The island was heating up, and not because Team America was there. By 10AM the mercury had already climbed to 30C (86F) and during the middle of the day it was at least 38C (100F). Although the heat was oppressive, Kevin and I decided to be proactive and organize a boat tour of the smaller islands surrounding Koh Phi Phi. Together with Ollie, Tylie, other friends from Changmai, and some of our room mates at The Rock, Kevin and I took a half day longtail boat tour of the islands, Monkey Beach and Maya Bay. Maya Bay is well known as "The Beach" beach because some of the move "The Beach" was filmed there.
After partying hard for my birthday we spent the next day relaxing and soaking up some rays. The island was heating up, and not because Team America was there. By 10AM the mercury had already climbed to 30C (86F) and during the middle of the day it was at least 38C (100F). Although the heat was oppressive, Kevin and I decided to be proactive and organize a boat tour of the smaller islands surrounding Koh Phi Phi. Together with Ollie, Tylie, other friends from Changmai, and some of our room mates at The Rock, Kevin and I took a half day longtail boat tour of the islands, Monkey Beach and Maya Bay. Maya Bay is well known as "The Beach" beach because some of the move "The Beach" was filmed there.
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| Ollie and I monkeying around at Monkey Beach The boat tour was great fun. After stopping at Monkey beach we headed for a swimming spot. After a brief swim we moved on to a new location and snorkeled for an hour. I was actually quite pleased with the snorkeling. Even though there was no coral there were loads of fish in the water and I was able to swim through many schools of exotic multicolored fish. Fortunately for us, our longtail boat captain got us to Maya beach before the crowds showed up so we were able to enjoy the beach for a few minutes before throngs of tourists crowded the beach. The view from the beach was stunning and the water wasn't nearly as hot as the main beach on Koh Phi Phi.  The view looking out from Maya Beach  We returned from our boat tour and chowed down at Papaya. The next couple days we spent relaxing on Phi Phi and we finally made the decision to leave on the 28th. |
Monday, May 16, 2011
Birthday countdown!
(4/23)
The next morning Kevin and I vowed we would do combat at Reggae Bar. The word quickly spread around the hostel and the two of us assembled a massive following. By 11PM, our scheduled fight time, we were both ready to kick some ass and our drunk hostel friends were even more excited to see us to battle. The fight was completely safe, Kevin and I are professionals, and the bar staff gives you head gear, gloves, and shin guards.
Rounds 1
Round 2
Round 3
The fight went to Kevin but I'll let all of you decide. We fought hard and tried our best not to look sloppy like many of the other drunk backpackers who fought in the days before. Kevin couldn't eat much the next day as his jaw was bruised. Kevin had some good shots too, he landed a kick that had me limping for a day or two. Good stuff. This form of entertainment needs to get back to the states.
(4/24)
The 24th was primarily a lead up to my birthday. We went on a three hour jungle hike during which time we saw loads of lizards, very aggressive monkeys, and all sorts of insects, butterflies and beatles I had never seen bfore. On our way to the trail head we stopped by the viewpoint, the highest accesipble peak on Koh Phi Phi. From the viewpoint we gazed out over the lush green canopy, white island rock and the bustling port.
(4/25 - MY BIRTHDAY)
Ollie, Tylie, and a few of our friends we met at our hostel in Changmai took the ferry from Krabi and met us at our hostel. After the birthday crew had all found accommodation we ventured to the beach for a couple hours. The heat was oppressive,however, by this time I am well accustomed to temperatures between 35-38C. We soaked up some sun and then made our Papaya, an AMAZING hole in the wall Thai restaurant. The helpings were enormous and the flavor/quality of the ingredients were unrivaled anywhere on the island.
Apres dinner we split up to prepare for the night. Kevin and I bought 72 beers for around $20US and found a good spot on the beach to start the party. By 8PM I was well on my way and had met some awesome chao ley, Thai sea gypsies, and a cool Thai guy named Yah Yah. Yah Yah loaned us a cooler for all our beer. Great guy. We drank for an hour with the locals before the entire hostel met us on the beach and the party got started. Sometime over the course of the night, we got in a minor altercation with some Thai guys
who pretended to own the cooler, and some arsehole Canadian stole my San Francisco Giants hat.
Be warned, friend, if I find you...you will pay.
I woke up with a slightly bad hangover butr nothing too terrible. My theory is that all the heat of the islands helps you sweat out all the alcohol. My theory has yet to be confirmed. Great night, 72 beers, good friends, no fights. Great success!
The next morning Kevin and I vowed we would do combat at Reggae Bar. The word quickly spread around the hostel and the two of us assembled a massive following. By 11PM, our scheduled fight time, we were both ready to kick some ass and our drunk hostel friends were even more excited to see us to battle. The fight was completely safe, Kevin and I are professionals, and the bar staff gives you head gear, gloves, and shin guards.
Rounds 1
Round 2
Round 3
The fight went to Kevin but I'll let all of you decide. We fought hard and tried our best not to look sloppy like many of the other drunk backpackers who fought in the days before. Kevin couldn't eat much the next day as his jaw was bruised. Kevin had some good shots too, he landed a kick that had me limping for a day or two. Good stuff. This form of entertainment needs to get back to the states.
(4/24)
The 24th was primarily a lead up to my birthday. We went on a three hour jungle hike during which time we saw loads of lizards, very aggressive monkeys, and all sorts of insects, butterflies and beatles I had never seen bfore. On our way to the trail head we stopped by the viewpoint, the highest accesipble peak on Koh Phi Phi. From the viewpoint we gazed out over the lush green canopy, white island rock and the bustling port.
(4/25 - MY BIRTHDAY)
Ollie, Tylie, and a few of our friends we met at our hostel in Changmai took the ferry from Krabi and met us at our hostel. After the birthday crew had all found accommodation we ventured to the beach for a couple hours. The heat was oppressive,however, by this time I am well accustomed to temperatures between 35-38C. We soaked up some sun and then made our Papaya, an AMAZING hole in the wall Thai restaurant. The helpings were enormous and the flavor/quality of the ingredients were unrivaled anywhere on the island.
Apres dinner we split up to prepare for the night. Kevin and I bought 72 beers for around $20US and found a good spot on the beach to start the party. By 8PM I was well on my way and had met some awesome chao ley, Thai sea gypsies, and a cool Thai guy named Yah Yah. Yah Yah loaned us a cooler for all our beer. Great guy. We drank for an hour with the locals before the entire hostel met us on the beach and the party got started. Sometime over the course of the night, we got in a minor altercation with some Thai guys
who pretended to own the cooler, and some arsehole Canadian stole my San Francisco Giants hat.
Be warned, friend, if I find you...you will pay.
I woke up with a slightly bad hangover butr nothing too terrible. My theory is that all the heat of the islands helps you sweat out all the alcohol. My theory has yet to be confirmed. Great night, 72 beers, good friends, no fights. Great success!
More Islands?!
(4/22)
Our ferry was scheduled to arrive at Suratani, one of Thailand's bigger port towns, at 6am, however, I was shaken awake by a tiny Thai man. "Boat here, get off"! I peered at my watch bleary eyed and moderately annoyed. It was 4:45am. Definitely the earliest I had been up in months. I looked to my left and Kevin was still asleep. Not even the piercing shouts of Thai ferryman could awake the other half of Team America. I packed up my sleep kit and travel pillow and debated how to wake Kevin up. A splash of water to the face or a swift jab to the ribs? I shook Kevin awake and laughed at his utterly confused expression. He, like myself, expected the ferry to arrive two hours later, thus, in theory giving us two more hours of sleep.
As a traveler sleep and money are two commodities you value highly. We stumbled off the boat and arranged for a taxi to the bus station where we could buy tickets for our journey to Krabi, Thailand's western major port city, and the jump off point for our next island adventure on Koh Phi Phi.
Even at 4AM the Surathani port was bustling with boats offloading cargo, eager taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, and sleepy, disoriented tourists fresh off the night boat. I remember feeling like a sheep being led to the slaughter as I hesitantly crept toward the awaiting queue of Thais. Kevin was still not quite awake and I was barely functional, (come on, 4:30AM is early for anyone!), so between the two of us we managed to flag down a taxi driver and get a ride to the bus station. We hopped in a tuk tuk with two English girls and were whisked through Surathani to "the bus station". Our tuk tuk driver stopped at a random corner and asked we disembark. We grabbed our bags and stepped off the tuk tuk to find ourselves directly across the street from the bus terminal. Apparently bus terminal in Thai means "small travel agency with even smaller table out front selling bananas and coffee, as well as tickets from Surathani to Koh Phi Phi, (our next destination). This was obviously NOT the bus station and the Thais were just trying to get us to buy the tckets from them rather than going to the terminal and purchasing them ourselves. Kevin made his disappointment clear from the beginning, and the next few minutes were spent negotiating a reasonable price from Surathani to Krabi and then to Koh Phi Phi by ferry. They tried to work us and even in our less than chipper state we managed to secure a reasonable transportation package. After persuading the travel agent lady to give us a free banana and cup of coffee for her disienguous scheme, we boarded a minibus and headed to Krabi. I had slept like a baby on the night boat, (thank you Xanax, and Sang Som), so the 4 hour minibus ride was bearable but boring. Kevin, on the other hand, was exhausted, I must have woke him up from a deep sleep, he definitely looked like an angry zombie. By 12:30PM we were on a proper ferry and excited to get to the island. Our boat docked around 2:00PM and we made our way to The Rock Backpacker Hostel. A grungy set of dormotories set up on a hill overlooking the central part of Koh Phi Phi. Phi Phi is a small town and, following the 2004 tsunami that devastated the region, our hostel was designated as a tsunami evacuation area. The walk up from the street to the hostel was brutal especially in the sweltering heat. We checked in to our rooms and were surpirsed to find we were sharing a large common room with 14 other backpackers. The room was hot, cramped, smelled funky and had massive amounts of graffiti scrawled across every possible writing surface. From the beds to the walls to bathroom doors, this place boasted a history of backpacker activity. Our first day on Phi Phi we organized a hike to one of the more scecluded beaches and enjoyed some less than spectacular snorkeling. Most of the coral had been bleached or finned and the marine life, while different than Thailand and Hawaii's was nothing exciting.
The two our long trek to the beach took the wind out of our sails and we decided to take naps. After our naps Kevin and I decided to hike to the Viewpoint. Besides a grueling hike up innumerable stairs the Viewpoint offered a magnificent view of Koh Phi Phi.
That night as we explored the town we found many beach bars and a "Reggae Bar that allowed westerners to Muy Thai, (Thai Boxing that includes kicks, elbows, and kness). Participants received much adoration from the crowd and free drink from the bar. Kevin fought that night and beat our friend Owen with swift kick to the ribs in Round 3. Team America is victorious again!
Our ferry was scheduled to arrive at Suratani, one of Thailand's bigger port towns, at 6am, however, I was shaken awake by a tiny Thai man. "Boat here, get off"! I peered at my watch bleary eyed and moderately annoyed. It was 4:45am. Definitely the earliest I had been up in months. I looked to my left and Kevin was still asleep. Not even the piercing shouts of Thai ferryman could awake the other half of Team America. I packed up my sleep kit and travel pillow and debated how to wake Kevin up. A splash of water to the face or a swift jab to the ribs? I shook Kevin awake and laughed at his utterly confused expression. He, like myself, expected the ferry to arrive two hours later, thus, in theory giving us two more hours of sleep.
As a traveler sleep and money are two commodities you value highly. We stumbled off the boat and arranged for a taxi to the bus station where we could buy tickets for our journey to Krabi, Thailand's western major port city, and the jump off point for our next island adventure on Koh Phi Phi.
Even at 4AM the Surathani port was bustling with boats offloading cargo, eager taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, and sleepy, disoriented tourists fresh off the night boat. I remember feeling like a sheep being led to the slaughter as I hesitantly crept toward the awaiting queue of Thais. Kevin was still not quite awake and I was barely functional, (come on, 4:30AM is early for anyone!), so between the two of us we managed to flag down a taxi driver and get a ride to the bus station. We hopped in a tuk tuk with two English girls and were whisked through Surathani to "the bus station". Our tuk tuk driver stopped at a random corner and asked we disembark. We grabbed our bags and stepped off the tuk tuk to find ourselves directly across the street from the bus terminal. Apparently bus terminal in Thai means "small travel agency with even smaller table out front selling bananas and coffee, as well as tickets from Surathani to Koh Phi Phi, (our next destination). This was obviously NOT the bus station and the Thais were just trying to get us to buy the tckets from them rather than going to the terminal and purchasing them ourselves. Kevin made his disappointment clear from the beginning, and the next few minutes were spent negotiating a reasonable price from Surathani to Krabi and then to Koh Phi Phi by ferry. They tried to work us and even in our less than chipper state we managed to secure a reasonable transportation package. After persuading the travel agent lady to give us a free banana and cup of coffee for her disienguous scheme, we boarded a minibus and headed to Krabi. I had slept like a baby on the night boat, (thank you Xanax, and Sang Som), so the 4 hour minibus ride was bearable but boring. Kevin, on the other hand, was exhausted, I must have woke him up from a deep sleep, he definitely looked like an angry zombie. By 12:30PM we were on a proper ferry and excited to get to the island. Our boat docked around 2:00PM and we made our way to The Rock Backpacker Hostel. A grungy set of dormotories set up on a hill overlooking the central part of Koh Phi Phi. Phi Phi is a small town and, following the 2004 tsunami that devastated the region, our hostel was designated as a tsunami evacuation area. The walk up from the street to the hostel was brutal especially in the sweltering heat. We checked in to our rooms and were surpirsed to find we were sharing a large common room with 14 other backpackers. The room was hot, cramped, smelled funky and had massive amounts of graffiti scrawled across every possible writing surface. From the beds to the walls to bathroom doors, this place boasted a history of backpacker activity. Our first day on Phi Phi we organized a hike to one of the more scecluded beaches and enjoyed some less than spectacular snorkeling. Most of the coral had been bleached or finned and the marine life, while different than Thailand and Hawaii's was nothing exciting.
 |
| The view out toward Koh Phi Phi Ley from my spot on the beach. |
The two our long trek to the beach took the wind out of our sails and we decided to take naps. After our naps Kevin and I decided to hike to the Viewpoint. Besides a grueling hike up innumerable stairs the Viewpoint offered a magnificent view of Koh Phi Phi.
 |
| Sunset from the viewpoint. |
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Rollin' with the punches
(4/21)
Our boat from Ko Samui left at 8:00AM and the boat tour of Ko Tao, an island famous for its diving and snorkeling, left at 10AM. According to our plan we would land in Ko Phangnan at 9AM and have an hour to eat breakfast before departing again. Before we could get on the boat we had to return our mopeds and make our way to the docks. No problem, right? We woke up around 7:15 and didn't hit the road until 7:30. The ride from the pier to Green Bungalows took us about 25 minutes. Our schedule was tight but we were sure we could make it. Becky decided to grab a motor scooter taxi while Kevin and I rode with our heavy backpacks. We peeled out and jammed our accelerators to the floor. Every few minutes I would glance down at my wrist watch and check the time. As we neared the turnoff to the pier I glanced down at my watch. The time was 7:55. Holy crap, we are cutting this close, I thought. We pulled up hard right in front of the bike rental shop, traded in the bikes for Kevin' passports. I looked across to the pier and the ferry workers were waving their arms frantically at us. I think they were trying to tell us to hurry up. Becky was no where to be seen so we assumed she was already on the ferry. Kevin and I broke into a sprint but with our heavy bags and the multiple ramps leading up to the dock made it hard to cover ground. As we crested the last ramp to the ferry landing our hearts sank. The boat had already pulled away and was about 30m away. Damn, we missed it! We ran to the edge of the docks just as Becky ran to the stern of the boat. We told Becky we'd see her on Koh Phangnan and assured her we would find a way to make the boat tour at 10AM.
I looked down at my watch, and to my amazement it was only 8:30AM. The boat left exactly at 8. These Thai's ran a tight operation. The first few words out of our mouths were strings of obscenities interrupted by the occasional comment on the punctuality of Thai sea transportation. Once we had exhausted our vocubulary of four letter words it was time to make something happen. We had to get to Koh Phangnan. Kevin and I looked at each other and switched over to damage control mode. We did a 180 and walked down the now empty pier toward the ticket office. The woman behind be the ticket counter informed us the next boat departed at 11:30. Unacceptable. As we walked down the pier ramps Kevin and I noticed a row of fishing boats beached underneath the main pier. The boats belonged to the fisherman, Chao Lay, ("people of the sea") in Thai. The small fishing boats, known as longtail boats, were small wooden skiffs were large motor affixed to the stern. The motor turned a propellor located at the end of long wooden tail. The longtail boats were smaller and faster than the ferry and Kevin and I reckoned we may even be able to beat Becky back to the island. Because the Chao Ley speak a different dialect of Thai, and little to no English, we had a man from the ferry company assist us in commissioning a longtail boat. We handed over a fistfull of cash to the Chao Ley and hopped on a longtail boat. The boats are long and narrow and sit very low to the water. Kevin and I are about 90kg (185 pounds) each and the boats are designed for the smaller Chao Ley fishermen. As the motor sputtered to life I recorded the following video:
We arrived at Becky bungalows and caught her and the members of travel group in the middle of breakfast. Kevin and walked up the beach with triumphant smiles and the look of astonishment on Becky's face made the pricey longtail boat ride worth every baht. Becky insisted we inform her how we appeared on the island so suddenly - we refused to divulge our infomration. Kevin and I scarfed down breakfast and packed our day packs for the boat trip to Koh Tao.
We boarded the boat, which was paid for by Phoebe, one of the 20 English students Becky was traveling with. The power boat took us to Koh Tao for swimming, boat jumping, snorkeling.
Our whirlwind tour of Koh Tao was great fun, especially since we didn't have to pay a penny, and on the way back I got to sit on the very bow of the boat as the captain gunned it through choppy water. Once back on Koh Phangnan we decided to hop on the night ferry and make our way to the western seaboard of Thailand. Once again, we were crammed on to a night ferry and began the 8 hour journey from Koh Phangnan.
Our boat from Ko Samui left at 8:00AM and the boat tour of Ko Tao, an island famous for its diving and snorkeling, left at 10AM. According to our plan we would land in Ko Phangnan at 9AM and have an hour to eat breakfast before departing again. Before we could get on the boat we had to return our mopeds and make our way to the docks. No problem, right? We woke up around 7:15 and didn't hit the road until 7:30. The ride from the pier to Green Bungalows took us about 25 minutes. Our schedule was tight but we were sure we could make it. Becky decided to grab a motor scooter taxi while Kevin and I rode with our heavy backpacks. We peeled out and jammed our accelerators to the floor. Every few minutes I would glance down at my wrist watch and check the time. As we neared the turnoff to the pier I glanced down at my watch. The time was 7:55. Holy crap, we are cutting this close, I thought. We pulled up hard right in front of the bike rental shop, traded in the bikes for Kevin' passports. I looked across to the pier and the ferry workers were waving their arms frantically at us. I think they were trying to tell us to hurry up. Becky was no where to be seen so we assumed she was already on the ferry. Kevin and I broke into a sprint but with our heavy bags and the multiple ramps leading up to the dock made it hard to cover ground. As we crested the last ramp to the ferry landing our hearts sank. The boat had already pulled away and was about 30m away. Damn, we missed it! We ran to the edge of the docks just as Becky ran to the stern of the boat. We told Becky we'd see her on Koh Phangnan and assured her we would find a way to make the boat tour at 10AM.
I looked down at my watch, and to my amazement it was only 8:30AM. The boat left exactly at 8. These Thai's ran a tight operation. The first few words out of our mouths were strings of obscenities interrupted by the occasional comment on the punctuality of Thai sea transportation. Once we had exhausted our vocubulary of four letter words it was time to make something happen. We had to get to Koh Phangnan. Kevin and I looked at each other and switched over to damage control mode. We did a 180 and walked down the now empty pier toward the ticket office. The woman behind be the ticket counter informed us the next boat departed at 11:30. Unacceptable. As we walked down the pier ramps Kevin and I noticed a row of fishing boats beached underneath the main pier. The boats belonged to the fisherman, Chao Lay, ("people of the sea") in Thai. The small fishing boats, known as longtail boats, were small wooden skiffs were large motor affixed to the stern. The motor turned a propellor located at the end of long wooden tail. The longtail boats were smaller and faster than the ferry and Kevin and I reckoned we may even be able to beat Becky back to the island. Because the Chao Ley speak a different dialect of Thai, and little to no English, we had a man from the ferry company assist us in commissioning a longtail boat. We handed over a fistfull of cash to the Chao Ley and hopped on a longtail boat. The boats are long and narrow and sit very low to the water. Kevin and I are about 90kg (185 pounds) each and the boats are designed for the smaller Chao Ley fishermen. As the motor sputtered to life I recorded the following video:
PLEASE EXCUSE THE LANGUAGE
We arrived at Becky bungalows and caught her and the members of travel group in the middle of breakfast. Kevin and walked up the beach with triumphant smiles and the look of astonishment on Becky's face made the pricey longtail boat ride worth every baht. Becky insisted we inform her how we appeared on the island so suddenly - we refused to divulge our infomration. Kevin and I scarfed down breakfast and packed our day packs for the boat trip to Koh Tao.
We boarded the boat, which was paid for by Phoebe, one of the 20 English students Becky was traveling with. The power boat took us to Koh Tao for swimming, boat jumping, snorkeling.
Our whirlwind tour of Koh Tao was great fun, especially since we didn't have to pay a penny, and on the way back I got to sit on the very bow of the boat as the captain gunned it through choppy water. Once back on Koh Phangnan we decided to hop on the night ferry and make our way to the western seaboard of Thailand. Once again, we were crammed on to a night ferry and began the 8 hour journey from Koh Phangnan.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
More islands: Ko Phangnan and Ko Samui
(4/20)
Kevin and I had planned to stay on Ko Phangnan for no more than 2 days. We assumed since the island was so small we'd start to get island fever immediately. The day after the party we decided to visit Ollie and Tylie on Ko Samui. Ko Samui is a much larger island and is a popular tourist destination. The plan was to do a whirlwind tour of Ko Samui and then make it back on the 20th to hop on a speedboat tour of Ko Tao that one of Becky's friends arranged. We invited Becky to tag along and the three of us jumped on the ferry to Ko Samui. The ferry from Ko Phangnan to Ko Samui took roughly and hour and the three of us enjoyed every minute of shade aboard the ferry. While Ko Phangnan is smaller and less developed, Ko Samui is much larger and more developed. Despite the influx of FMP tourists, Ko Phangnan retains a sleepy, laid-back vibe - except in Haad Rin. Ko Samui feels more like Bangkok on an island. According to the locals I spoke with, 15 years ago Ko Samui resembled Ko Phangnan. However, as more and more tourists, and their dollars, flocked to Ko Samui the island experienced a period of rapid development.
After disembarking the ferry at the Ko Samui pier, we set out to find motor bikes. We rented motor bikes and began our journey to Lamai, the town where Ollie and Tylie were staying. The drive was beautiful but scary. The road was filled with elevation changes and, unlike the non-aggressive drivers on Ko Phangnan, the drivers in Ko Samui would pass within inches of you. The drive from the pier, located on the northern tip of the island to the south-eastern beach town of Lamai left the three of us nerve-wracked, cranky and hungry. When we finally arrived we dropped our bags off and headed to the outdoor market to grab some grub. Unfortunately, the outdoor market, which Ollie and Tylie praised for its delicious seafood, was closed. We settled for some of the most mediocre Indian food I had ever eaten. Honestly, it wasn't bad but mediocre is the only adjective I can use to describe the food. Hmmm, maybe bland.
After our "food" we headed straight for the beach and strolled along a smooth white sand beach. Ko Samui's beaches were packed full of old European tourists wearing beach attire that was entirely to small for their fat guts. Fat people and speedos don't mix. Enough said. In addition to the unsightly beachgoers were throngs of Thai locals trying to sell us jet ski rides, parasailing and powerboating excursions. We made it back to our bungalows and decided to check out Na Muaeng waterfall.
As we exited Lamai town we noticed road signs warning drivers of damaged pavement, a sign parts of the island were still recovering from the heavy rains and flooding earlier in the month. Na Muaeng waterfall was 25 minute right north of Lamai toward the interior of the island. We parked our motor bikes and were "greeted", (Mista, Mista, you buy elephant tour to see the waterfall!), by a handful of Thai men all were turquoise shirts with the name Na Muaeng Elephant tours embroidered on the right breast pocket. According to them the walk to the waterfall was to far thus transportation, conveniently available through their company, must be purchased. We had no desire to ride elephants OR sit in the back of a 4x4 pickup. They laughed at us as we began our ascent to the falls. I decided to make the walk more interesting and ran up the ridiculously steep road to the base of the falls. Although the run up the steep hill in the sweltering heat felt terrible, the looks of dismay I received from the tourists I passed made the sweat worth it. The base of the falls were anti-climatic, however, I noticed a narrow, steep trail that ran parallel to the falls. Team America was game, we all voted yes to check out how far we could go up the mountain. We climbed for half an hour in the heat and humidity and within the first five minutes we were all sweating bullets.
The view from the top of the falls was even more stupendous than the waterfall on Ko Phangnan, (pictures on the way). While Becky was swimming in one of the numerous swimming holes on the mountain, Kevin and I clambered up the slippery rocks to the very top of the falls. From the top we could see the waterfall started at one point and then split in to two water streams separated by a length of that ran between the two streams. After enjoying the amazing view of the southern half of the island we began to head back down to Becky who was still swimming farther down the waterfall in one of the swimming holes on the opposite bank. As we shifted our attention from the view to the treacherous descent I noticed a massive snake on the opposite bank. The snake was massive, it looked like a python and was approximately 6 meters in length. It emerged from the foliage lining the rock bank of the far stream and slowly slithered its way down the rock toward the water. It was then I realized the snake was going to drop in to the water twenty meters above the swimming hole Becky was in. My heart was pounding as I bolted down the rock. If the snake took Becky by surprise...who knows what would happen. I glanced to my right and saw the snake plunge in to the water. Kevin and I began to scream and yell for Becky to "get the @#!$ out of the water, now!". We ran down the rock face and peered over the edge to the water hole. There Becky was, sitting in the sun with a perplexed look on her face. Disaster averted. After the adrenaline rush subsided I snapped some photos and we returned to our bungalows. What a crazy day!
Kevin and I had planned to stay on Ko Phangnan for no more than 2 days. We assumed since the island was so small we'd start to get island fever immediately. The day after the party we decided to visit Ollie and Tylie on Ko Samui. Ko Samui is a much larger island and is a popular tourist destination. The plan was to do a whirlwind tour of Ko Samui and then make it back on the 20th to hop on a speedboat tour of Ko Tao that one of Becky's friends arranged. We invited Becky to tag along and the three of us jumped on the ferry to Ko Samui. The ferry from Ko Phangnan to Ko Samui took roughly and hour and the three of us enjoyed every minute of shade aboard the ferry. While Ko Phangnan is smaller and less developed, Ko Samui is much larger and more developed. Despite the influx of FMP tourists, Ko Phangnan retains a sleepy, laid-back vibe - except in Haad Rin. Ko Samui feels more like Bangkok on an island. According to the locals I spoke with, 15 years ago Ko Samui resembled Ko Phangnan. However, as more and more tourists, and their dollars, flocked to Ko Samui the island experienced a period of rapid development.
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| Kevin and I on the ferry to Ko Samui |
After disembarking the ferry at the Ko Samui pier, we set out to find motor bikes. We rented motor bikes and began our journey to Lamai, the town where Ollie and Tylie were staying. The drive was beautiful but scary. The road was filled with elevation changes and, unlike the non-aggressive drivers on Ko Phangnan, the drivers in Ko Samui would pass within inches of you. The drive from the pier, located on the northern tip of the island to the south-eastern beach town of Lamai left the three of us nerve-wracked, cranky and hungry. When we finally arrived we dropped our bags off and headed to the outdoor market to grab some grub. Unfortunately, the outdoor market, which Ollie and Tylie praised for its delicious seafood, was closed. We settled for some of the most mediocre Indian food I had ever eaten. Honestly, it wasn't bad but mediocre is the only adjective I can use to describe the food. Hmmm, maybe bland.
After our "food" we headed straight for the beach and strolled along a smooth white sand beach. Ko Samui's beaches were packed full of old European tourists wearing beach attire that was entirely to small for their fat guts. Fat people and speedos don't mix. Enough said. In addition to the unsightly beachgoers were throngs of Thai locals trying to sell us jet ski rides, parasailing and powerboating excursions. We made it back to our bungalows and decided to check out Na Muaeng waterfall.
As we exited Lamai town we noticed road signs warning drivers of damaged pavement, a sign parts of the island were still recovering from the heavy rains and flooding earlier in the month. Na Muaeng waterfall was 25 minute right north of Lamai toward the interior of the island. We parked our motor bikes and were "greeted", (Mista, Mista, you buy elephant tour to see the waterfall!), by a handful of Thai men all were turquoise shirts with the name Na Muaeng Elephant tours embroidered on the right breast pocket. According to them the walk to the waterfall was to far thus transportation, conveniently available through their company, must be purchased. We had no desire to ride elephants OR sit in the back of a 4x4 pickup. They laughed at us as we began our ascent to the falls. I decided to make the walk more interesting and ran up the ridiculously steep road to the base of the falls. Although the run up the steep hill in the sweltering heat felt terrible, the looks of dismay I received from the tourists I passed made the sweat worth it. The base of the falls were anti-climatic, however, I noticed a narrow, steep trail that ran parallel to the falls. Team America was game, we all voted yes to check out how far we could go up the mountain. We climbed for half an hour in the heat and humidity and within the first five minutes we were all sweating bullets.
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| Becky and I at the bottom of the waterfall. |
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| The view from the top of the waterfall. |
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| A night on Ko Samui with Kevin, Tylie, and Ollie |
Monday, May 2, 2011
Hammock Time
After a harrowing taxi-truck ride across the island, (I was sure our truck was going to flip at least twice), we walked the maze of sports bars, medical clinics, (tons of drunk idiots get hurt trying to do the fire jump rope or fire limbo) to the central entrance to Haad Rin beach. The beach was insane - imagine Las Vegas on to a strip of white sand roughly 650 meters long and 60 meters wide. Clubs, bars, and booze carts dot the beach from end to end, and lurid neon signs portrude from every building at strange and seemingly impossible angles. We partied on the beach for a couple hours and then headed back to the bungalows to get some sleep. I came back to find the bonfire extinguished and everyone asleep. Marc's room was locked and he was no where to be found. Oh well, I'll just sleep in a hammock. I passed out in a hammock strung up between two palm trees with a pregnant, lazy dog guarding my sleeping area.
I woke up around 6am and watched the sunrise as the waves lapped slowly across the beautiful beach that stretched out for kilometers. The rest of the day was a warmup for the FMP. We went shopping for proper party attire. Neon colored shorts and shirts and ridiculous ski-inspired goggles. After a few hours of shopping, (complete with haggling - I'm starting to get really good). Kevin, Becky and I decided to check out the second waterfall on Koh Phangnan. While the second waterfall did not have a panoramic view, it did have an awesome rope swing and large rock pool. We hustled back to our bungalows as our two awesome friends, Ollie and Tylie, (a couple who we met on a 3 day trek in Changmai), were due to arrive around 4PM. Ollie is an awesome Englishman and Tylie, his even cooler girlfriend, is a badass Kiwi (New Zealander). The two have become our travel buddies and I plan on meeting up with them in Europe! With the crew fully assembled we began our night. The FMP does two things in excess: booze and neon bodypaint. Partygoers buy buckets of neon paint and paint designs or phrases on one another. We crammed 18 people in the back of a nissian truck and zoomed off toward the party. Ollie, Kevin, Tylie and I started signing "The Wheels on the Bus". We finished signing and the Danish girls next to us sang us their version in Danish. Ours sounded better. Their language isn't quite as melodic as ours. By the time we reached the beach it was close to 12:00AM. Were we late? No way, the party starts the day before and lasts until the next day. We partied hard and slept harder. G-rated pictures of the FMP on the way.
I woke up around 6am and watched the sunrise as the waves lapped slowly across the beautiful beach that stretched out for kilometers. The rest of the day was a warmup for the FMP. We went shopping for proper party attire. Neon colored shorts and shirts and ridiculous ski-inspired goggles. After a few hours of shopping, (complete with haggling - I'm starting to get really good). Kevin, Becky and I decided to check out the second waterfall on Koh Phangnan. While the second waterfall did not have a panoramic view, it did have an awesome rope swing and large rock pool. We hustled back to our bungalows as our two awesome friends, Ollie and Tylie, (a couple who we met on a 3 day trek in Changmai), were due to arrive around 4PM. Ollie is an awesome Englishman and Tylie, his even cooler girlfriend, is a badass Kiwi (New Zealander). The two have become our travel buddies and I plan on meeting up with them in Europe! With the crew fully assembled we began our night. The FMP does two things in excess: booze and neon bodypaint. Partygoers buy buckets of neon paint and paint designs or phrases on one another. We crammed 18 people in the back of a nissian truck and zoomed off toward the party. Ollie, Kevin, Tylie and I started signing "The Wheels on the Bus". We finished signing and the Danish girls next to us sang us their version in Danish. Ours sounded better. Their language isn't quite as melodic as ours. By the time we reached the beach it was close to 12:00AM. Were we late? No way, the party starts the day before and lasts until the next day. We partied hard and slept harder. G-rated pictures of the FMP on the way.
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