Full moons, big tunes and bye-bye blues

Despite feeling slightly out of my depth, I had survived my first diving experience on Koh Tao. We'd done what we'd come for, and our next port of call offered a completely different experience. Koh Phangan is famous for nothing other than its Full Moon Party, and since being featured on 'The Beach' the party has become a rite of passage for any traveller who sets foot in Thailand. 

Our boat (or Songserm to be more precise) from Koh Tao was packed and not air conditioned, so we were thankful that it would take only an hour and a half to get to Phangan. When we arrived, we took what was possibly the most pointless taxi ride to our hostel and made our way to the beach. Like in Tao, we had bagged ourselves a beachfront bungalow, which was absolutely perfect (Phangan Bungalows). Despite the lack of air con and the infestation of ants in the bathroom, being ten metres from the sea and having an unimpeded view of the sunset from our porch meant that we were more than happy with our accommodation. 

One slight problem was that we were kind of in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest 7/11 (which had, by this stage, become our safe haven in every place we'd been) a whole fifteen minute walk away. Our best hope of a good lunch was with the couple of hotels which neighboured ours on the beach, and we hit the jackpot when we found one (Beck's) which had a free ping pong table and offered a wide selection of Western food. This occupied us for the afternoon before we prepared ourselves for the warm up to the Full Moon Party, the Jungle Experience. 

The Jungle Experience takes place, you guessed it, in a jungle. An area has been cleared and filled with a few bars in the form of shacks, with one large dance floor the centrepiece of the party. At the front of the dance floor lies a semi-circular stage with swivelling lights and huge speakers, blaring out what I guess must be called something like 'Jungle House' music. Whatever it was, it was very repetitive and most of us were left in a state of nostalgia for the awful top 40 music played week in, week out at most of Oxford's finest establishments. We bumped into some friends we'd met in Bangkok and seen again in Koh Phi Phi and spent the night dancing with them. One highlight was meeting a man with an 80's style 'fro and an Albert Einstein style 'tash who looked suspiciously like Borat, and yet had no idea who Borat was. Pete spent the night lifting up various girls onto his shoulders and nearly dropping them on the floor. 

The next day was spent in a similar way as the day before: chill and lie on the beach, play some pong and get ready for the night ahead. We'd bought our Full Moon 'outfits' on Koh Tao in anticipation of inflated prices on Phangan (an anticipation which turned out to be false) so we were all kitted out when we met with our friends for dinner at 'Chicken Corner' at 7 pm. We had a less than average dinner before getting our buckets (go to the ones which offer free paint too) and painting all sorts of obscenities on one another. Pete loved cock and I loved ladyboys while Charlotte had a pretty pattern on her face. I decided to follow suit and paint a pretty pattern for Pete, and the finished product was absolutely beautiful. Some even stopped Pete to ask how he got Van Gogh drawn on his face, and he told them that he'd had to pay a lot of Monet for it. 

I feared that the Full Moon Party would be one of those occasions which is hyped so much that it can't possibly live up to its name. Indeed, we'd been told by many that the Jungle Experience is actually better. However, for us, the Full Moon Party was fantastic. It's difficult to do it justice with a description but the Full Moon Party, which takes place on Haad Rin beach, has bars stretching from end to end playing all sorts of music and is looked over by 'Mushroom Mountain' at the far end of the beach. I imagine it's a bit like a Malia strip on the beach, only with a more diverse crowd and, accordingly, a different atmosphere. It is (I imagine - I've never been to Malia) a bit more grown up while retaining the madness and the fun which make beach parties so great. We danced the night away, Charlotte and I making it all the way through to sunrise, while Pete took a nap face down in the sand for an hour or two. When he refused to wake up, he was rewarded with a moonie, fitting for the occasion. Needless to say, his full moon was not as spectacular as that which had lit up the beach all night long. 

Bidding our farewells to our friends, we took a taxi back to our bungalow and got some sleep. A lazy day awaited us, once more filled with food and ping pong, although we woke up enough to make the twenty-minute taxi-ride into Haad Rin to watch Murray win the gold medal in the tennis final. It was a great end to a great weekend. The next day we would complete our cyclical tour of Thailand by returning to Bangkok. 

Recognising that the boat would be packed after the party, we made it to the port early and managed to get three seats in the air conditioned zone. The aisle became full of tired travellers, so we'd made a good decision, particularly as this ferry was four hours long. We slept little on the bus to Bangkok and were absolutely shattered when we arrived just before 5 am. Charlotte and I slept on the futons provided in the foyer of our hostel (NapPark - highly recommended) before we showered and walked through Bangkok's markets in a desperate search of shoes and jeans for me. That night we'd be going to the Sky Bar (featured in The Hangover 2) and the dress code was trousers and shoes; I had neither, having made the decision not to bring trousers and having left both pairs of shoes I brought with me in a bus earlier in the trip. Finding shoes which fitted me was no easy task, Thai people being somewhat smaller than I am, but eventually we did find some. I will be needing a shoe horn if I want to wear them at any point in the future, however.

The Sky Bar was extremely posh. Situated at the top of a very nice hotel, it has amazing views over Bangkok. While Pete and Charlotte viewed the city from the bar overhanging the edge of the building, I chose to observe from a comfortable distance back. I'd already tackled my fear of open water and sharks this trip, and that was enough; my fear of heights would have to remain for a while longer. We soaked in the views, and having decided not to pay £7 for a beer made our way back to our trustworthy Kao San Road for our last few Changs of the holiday. We managed to see Chris Hoy win his gold in the keirin which was nice, and went back to our hostel for some well earned sleep. 

The next day we bought a couple of last minute purchases from the Kao San markets before embarking on a very bumpy minibus journey to the airport. A smooth couple of flights home and 14 hours later we were at London Heathrow, happy to be home but already missing Thailand. We'd had a wonderful trip but it had to end sometime. Followers of the blog will be equally sad, I'm sure, that they won't have the regular witty updates to look forward to every few days, but you do get us home, and we can tell you all about it in the flesh. What more could you want?

Ben, Pete and Charlotte

Turtling in Koh Tao

Having spent seven nights on Koh Phi Phi, four more than we had anticipated, we thought we'd better move on. We were planning on being on Koh Phagnan for the Full Moon Party but had some time to spare before then, so we decided to go to the diver's paradise of Koh Tao. A ferry to Krabi, followed by a bus to Suratthani and then another ferry to Koh Tao meant that our journey was long. This was not helped by the fact that Pete had decided to empty his stomach first on the bus and then while waiting for the ferry to Tao. Fortunately, he seemed to have gotten rid of whatever it was that was bothering him by the time we arrived, but Charlotte and I nevertheless left him asleep in a cafe while we searched for somewhere to stay.

Our prospects looked bleak at first but eventually we found a nice beachfront hut which had become available that day. Tired and mildly ill, the air con and TV were very welcome, and we spent the day dipping in and out of the sea on the beach which stood no more than 10 metres from our place. The waves in Tao meant that the sea was somewhat more refreshing than that which we had grown accustomed to in Phi Phi, where the sea is a cool 30 degrees and where the shallows seemingly stretch for hundreds of metres before some deeper, colder water can be found.

Charlotte and I were feeling well and Pete, as ever, fancied pete-za, so we headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I risked having a couple of Changs and some pasta, which was an awful decision and I spent the night emptying my stomach in the bathroom and generally stopping the others from getting a good sleep. The diving we had booked for the next day all of a sudden seemed somewhat less appealing.

Nevertheless when we woke up Charlotte managed to book us on to a snorkelling trip and moved the diving back a day. Unfortunately, Pete had been suffering from earache as well as his upset stomach, and the doctor told him that he would not be able to dive. He wasn't even supposed to swim but we decided that he couldn't come to Koh Tao and not see the majestic marine life the island has to offer. While the island no longer lives up to its name - Koh Tao means 'Turtle Island' - since the turtles have gone away, the island still has all sorts of fish swimming on its shores, and even Leopard Sharks are spotted(!). Pete made the executive decision that jumping 20 feet off the top of the snorkelling boat was not included in the doctor's list of forbidden activities.

Our snorkelling tour involved shadowing a group of qualified divers, who were out for 'fun dives' on the island. We basically tagged along to their two dive sites and made the most of our limited view of the sea below, heading to shallower waters to make it easier for ourselves. While I found the experience at first daunting (my completely irrational fear of sharks and open water nagging on my mind) the others guided me around and we saw some really cool fish. I would love to tell you more about what we saw, but my limited knowledge of fish eliminates that possibility. I can tell you that we saw a Parrot fish (pictured), what looked like a toad fish (unofficial name there), an Angel fish (according to Pete) and what Charlotte described as an 'angry orange fish', among others. A quick google of 'Koh Tao fish' tells me that we also saw an Oriental Butterfly fish, a Bat fish, perhaps a Hump-head Parrot fish and also maybe a Giant Grouper. To the untrained eye it looked a lot like the cast of Finding Nemo.

Still feeling sketchy that evening, I opted for a rather bland tomato soup in a restaurant, while Pete and Charlotte were slightly more adventurous with their chicken sandwich and pesto pasta. We watched ESPN 5, which is always on in Thailand because it shows the table tennis and wrestling events from the Olympics. Table tennis is really funny - especially when they show it in slow motion. Brilliant.

The next day Charlotte and I had to abandon Pete while we went on our dive. The ride from the diving shop to the dive site on the other side of the island was quite scary; we sat, legs dangling perilously over the edge of the pick-up truck, clinging on for dear life as the truck struggled up hills as steep as black ski runs and then back down them. On the boat, the diving gear was explained to us by our instructor and we tried out some exercises underwater, such as how to clean your mask, how to find a lost mouthpiece and how to clear water out of your mouthpiece. Needless to say, we passed with flying colours. Our instructor decided we were ready for the real deal and this time took us on a half-hour dive, pointing at various sights underwater and drifting between the rocks like we ourselves were fish too. I absolutely loved it, and I think tackling my fears head on has probably resolved them. Probably. Anyway, we went for a second dive an hour or so later in a different place, which was great fun.

Having made our way back somehow alive after that frightful truck journey again, Charlotte and I found Pete, who was suffering from an upset tummy again. He opted out of the beachside BBQ we'd found for 100 baht (2 squid), probably a wise move given that our ferry for Koh Phagnan left the next morning.

Parties and poo poo on Phi Phi

Thai bus drivers don't tell you anything. Nothing at all. Our trip from Vang Vieng in Laos to Udon Thani in northern Thailand involved three different buses, all of which we were ushered into with no idea whether we would end up in Udon Thani or in an obscure village in Burma. Fortunately, we made it to Udon Thani with lots of time to spare. Our flight to Phuket left in the late afternoon; a short, two-hour journey with Air Asia.

With very little time in Phuket, we went out for a cheap dinner before getting a good night's sleep in our 'boutique chic' hostel (Ananas). I have no idea what 'boutique' or 'chic' actually mean but it was very nice and had a big screen film room so I'm sure it fit the description. We only had one night there and an early start to catch our ferry to Koh Phi Phi Don.

Like the bus journeys riddled with uncertainty, you can never really be sure that your transfer to anywhere will really pick you up. The language barrier means that things often get confused; Pete, for instance, is eating a 'cheese burger' with no beef as I write (if you're wondering, I sent mine back and am currently waiting for the cheese and beef burger's return).

The Chinese and Japanese tourists with an insatiable appetite for photographs made the ferry slightly less phiceful at the front of the boat, and I was particularly confused by a Japanese couple who were singing Auld Lang Syne while taking pictures. Nevertheless, as we approached the Phier it looked exactly as we'd hoped it would: turquoise seas, white sandy beaches and bars which would later come alive. Our hostel (Phuphaya Bungalows) was situated up a short steep hill, and when we reached the top we were sweating profusely. These were our first rooms without air con which wasn't great but we could deal with it. The sheets were a bit thin, but by this stage we all had thin sheets(!) so we'd grown accustomed to the feeling.

Nearly every day we sauntered down to the main beach by Tonsai village and bobbed up and down in the sea until sunset. Sometimes we read, other times we played ball. Pete and I headed the ball back and forth for hours (our record at the moment is 29 but we plan on improving that drastically). Becoming restless as Charlotte and I engrossed ourselves in our books, Pete made friends with some of the locals, learning how to spin bottle caps and playing keepy-uppy with them. Originally planning on staying just three nights, we took a fancy to this lethargic lifestyle and we ended up being there for seven, moving hostel to one without a big hill (but still without air con) for the last four nights, right in the heart of the village. 'Tonsai village' translates as 'tourist village' and says a lot about how the island has rebuilt itself since the tsunami which rocked the island in 2004. It caters for everything you need on your typical beach/party stay in PP.

The first couple of nights I was quite ill. We've all been a bit ill at some point in PP and it seems as if it's not a question of whether or not you are ill at all, just to what extent. However, while I was spending the majority of my time in the bathroom, the others were busy enjoying themselves. Pete stayed on the strip of bars by himself for the first night, fascinated by the fire shows which take place along the beach every night. They are very impressive to give them credit. Charlotte joined him for the second night, when a large rain storm hit the island. Pete managed to lose part of his phone while laying it out in the sand to dry. If he hasn't replied to you, that's why.

When I finally had some respite from my 'Thai tummy' I made sure I was alright, testing my tummy with a whiskey bucket (dubbed a 'risky bucket' if with ice by Pete) and a night out on the beach at Slinky's. We were amazed at people's confidence in others as one after another flung themselves from a 12-foot wooden platform and were caught by a group of people linking arms with their opposite number to form a soft landing. It was crazy.

The next day we went kayaking to 'Monkey Beach'. While we didn't spot any monkeys, the sand was the whitest sand any of us had ever seen - 'like ice cream' Pete said. Further, because the beach can only be reached by swimming or kayaking, it was blissfully empty. The sea was beautifully blue. Proper guide book stuff.

That night we didn't go out properly because we had a half-day snorkelling trip around the island booked for the next day. Instead, we had a quiet drink with some girls we'd met in Bangkok and had been out with the night before, then headed to 'Reggae Bar'. Inside, tourists are lured into a Thai boxing ring by the promise of a free whiskey bucket and forced to battle it out with each other, before a victor is chosen. While tempted, Pete and I chose to pay for the 'two for one' buckets (everything is on offer in PP all the time), Pete rejecting his new Thai fire-spinning friend's offer of a fight (rather wise given that he had spent two years in the Thai army), and sit back and watch others humiliate themselves. One particularly drunk Brit had everyone in raptures as he fell over the ropes into the ring and turned the fight into a 'who can punch someone the most in a minute' competition. A girl fight was spurred on by Pete's shouts of 'kick her in the womb!'

On our snorkelling trip we were ferried around in a 'long-tail' boat, stopping first at Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh, PP Don's younger brother, the setting for much of 'The Beach'. None of us have seen it but we're told it's the beach where Leonardo Di Caprio has sex. Great. It was very busy but one of those things you have to do in PP I guess. Charlotte and Pete started singing 'Maya Bay, Maya who, Maya ha ha' to the tune of that annoying Rihanna song they play in Wahoo all the time, and we saw an amusing flashy boat which had painted in big fancy writing 'Jame Bond' on the side. Thai translations aren't the best.

We then moved on to a snorkelling spot around the corner, which had fantastically clear water and thousands of fish. I had never seen most of them before, and any knowledge of those I had seen came solely from Finding Nemo. Disappointingly, none of the fish could speak like in the film, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

The boat then took us to another 'Monkey Beach', which this time had lots of monkeys on it. We were greeted by the alpha male of the group making love with one of the females. She was scared off by our boat, but he clearly wasn't finished, and decided to have a bash right there in front of everyone. Pete was nearly mauled as he tried to get a close up of some of the monkeys but Charlotte and I kept our distance as we threw the monkeys pieces of pineapple, having not had rabies jabs before our visit.

While Pete had being doing his best to eat all the Pad Thai PP had to offer, we did occasionally eat other things. Our favourite place was Cosmic Italian, (of which there are two, one nearer the pier which is cheaper than the other), which did great, cheap calzone and pete-za. The sign outside read 'not the best büt very nice'; it was nice enough for us. We went out together, collecting our buckets on the way to the beach. If you go to PP get a bucket from a stall outside the beach - they're weaker and more expensive inside. You'll need to find a back route in, however, since they try to stop you getting in through the main way. It's not hard to find an alternative entrance. Once again we spent the night admiring the fire shows before joining the crowds at Slinky's.

A typical hungover beach day was just what the doctor ordered the next day. In the evening, we went for dinner at Paddy's Place, where we ate great burgers and drank free shots before getting a bucket each and heading, once again, to the beach. Charlotte retired with illness while Pete and I continued with our buckets on the beach. We learnt from Pete's buddy the basics of fire spinning. Pete had grown suspiciously fond of his twentysomething Thai friend (who's name we never discovered) and kept Phiering at his washboard abs. He answered in the negative the man's questions of whether Pete was going out with Charlotte and then Pete asked the poor guy immediately after whether he had a girlfriend. Nothing would come of this potential flame, but Pete was certainly open to all eventualities. When we ran out of bucket to drink we decided to save ourselves money by partaking in the fire skipping show for free vodka (I have a bald patch of leg hair to prove it) and the fire limbo, on which Pete and I were both guilty of overestimating our abilities. He fell forward and grazed his knees while I burnt my shoulder trying to duck under the enflamed pole. Island a useful lesson.

Having never drunk whiskey like this before, we were all quite ill the next day. We didn't leave our room until four, when we chilled at the beach before climbing up to the PP sunset viewpoint. It was extremely high and quite a walk, but worth it when we got to the Phik. The views were breathtaking. We bumped into our friends we met in Bangkok there and went for dinner with them, partaking in our last bit of fire skipping before retiring to bed ahead of our early ferry the next morning. Next stop: Koh Tao.