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.