More Adventures in Thailand

We are now on the island of Koh Phangan, which is a half an hour catamaran ride from Koh Samui. We are staying in a bungalow at the Grand Sea Resort, near the town of Thong Sala. The place is run by a Brit called Duncan, and he is quite a character. He is really outgoing and constantly asks the guests how they are enjoying themselves. He's quick to give advice on how to see the island, so when he suggested we take a particular boat cruise it didn't take Julia and me long to sign up.

Unfortunately for us the weather wasn't cooperating, so the tour operators were pretty limited in where they could take us. To make things more interesting, one of the passengers was a "nutter" who called himself Panther or Panda or something. He had apparently just broken up with his girlfriend, and had already polished off two bottles of sambuca before departure. As we set off, he kept downing Singhas, although I think he only managed to drink half of them as the other half were spilt on the deck.

The waves were fairly choppy, and Panda started to look green. He quietened down quite a bit until we anchored in a bay near Haad Rin. Thinking a swim might make him feel better, he jumped in the water, complete with his denim jacket and running shoes. We didn't think much of it until a bit later when one of the other passengers swam over to him. The bugger nearly drowned! I had to throw him two life jackets just to stay afloat! Another swimmer told us later that Panda complained that his jacket was weighing him down, and when the guy asked him to take it off he said "No way, this cost me two hundred quid!"

The day was a bit of a bust, and many of the passengers were upset that they hadn't had their money's worth. So the tour operator tried to compensate us by taking us to Panda's bar for some sambuca shots. This was where I noticed Pandas license plate:

I asked him about it, and with a straight face he told me "Yeah I got it from Vencouver. It's an import." Only in Thailand.

And in other news...

Last night was the world famous Full Moon Party. It is basically a huge dance party on Haad Rin beach on the night of - you guessed it - the full moon. I would bet there were at least 10,000 people there, and probably more. There are bars all along the beach that try to compete with each other to see how loud their sound systems can go. The music is mainly electronic, from hard techno to house, and there is also some pop and hip-hop. The popular drink is a plastic bucket filled with a mickey of your choice (we had Sang Som, a Thai rum) along with ice and a couple of cans of mixer. You can also optionally add Red Bull or some other energy drink.

It was quite an experience. There were definitely other substances being consumed, although it was not highly visible due to the presence of Thai authorities. Considering how uncontrolled it was, I was impressed by the general spirit of the occasion. We saw obsolutely no violence, not even an argument. Everyone was there just to party and have a good time.

There were many spectacles, such as firedancers who surprisingly seemed to still have most of their body hair. They would douse various batons and other utensils with karosene and then light them on fire. They would then wave them in the air in various routines in time to the music. The effect is quite entrancing.

Looking forward, Julia and I will be staying here two more nights, then fly from Samui to Krabi on the coast of the Anadaman sea. We will stay near Railay beach which we hear is quite beautiful.

It has been really nice to hear from everybody! Until next time.