Thailand Part 5: The Full Moon

Excited to head to our next island, we boarded yet another ferry to take us to Koh Phangan. Unfortunately, the accommodation waiting for us here (we were organised this time and already made reservations, fearing that the Full Moon Party would mean lots of places would be booked up) left a fair bit to be desired…

From the outside, I felt it looked quite charming! And was situated right on a lovely little beach (if quite pebbly). But alas, once we entered our teeny tiny ‘cabins’ we were all in shock. I definitely saw the funny side. It’s one of those things you’ll look back on and laugh at how dismal and grimy it was to stay there for a few nights. At the time it was just funny in a painful sort of way. Anyway, pictures are much better here:

From the outside. The cabins on the left look cute! Ours were the ones on the right.

Our beach

The interior - a double bed and this:

Bathroom, also seen Saw

We made the best of it though!
Creating a sort of nest with what we had
(And throwing in a few candles for mood lighting)

So after the shock of our living quarters, we decided to explore the nightlife! Our first night – the day before Full Moon – was spent predrinking then heading to a supposedly fantastic pool party. The party itself may have been pretty good, but the one we ended up was actually a copycat party with about 25 other guests. We stayed a bit then gave up and headed to the beach and the bars down there. And we found a great scene! Groovy music, lots of people and great value buckets! I had a fab night!

Then I honestly don’t know how we passed the time until Full Moon. Eating and shopping for florescent paint I think. But anyway, Full Moon Party! I’d been looking forward to/dreading this ever since we decided we were going to meet in Thailand. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed! I thought it would be much more epic than it actually was. It was still a good night with all the florescent clothing you could imagine, but it was pretty much the same as the previous one, but with a power cut and a rainy spell thrown in. 

Painted and ready!

So much alcohol and so little mixer

The next morning we bid farewell to almost everyone, leaving only 4 of us to head back to Koh Samui (and Go Samui) for some much needed comfort and English TV! 

Next was onto our last (new) stop in Thailand before leaving! Chiang Mai, here we come!

xoxo

Thailand Part 3: Pure Shores

Arriving on Koh Phi Phi after all that fuss was like some kind of miracle. Even from the first glimpse, I knew this place would be paradise… And it was!

After paying the island ‘entry fee’ (of 20 baht) and having not pre-booked accommodation, we followed the crowds off the pier and towards the action! Seeing as there was a pretty large group of us (11 now!) we were hounded by representatives of numerous hostels. We finally settled on the one offering us the best deal and let them lead the way. In hindsight, it was probably the wrong choice. Colour scheme aside, it was pretty dank in there…

Dank, sandy little room. With weird beds.

But despite our iffy digs, nothing was raining on our parade! The beaches were absolutely beautiful, the sea was clear and warm and the coconut shakes perfect.

Paradise!

And once again we organised a little tour! Koh Phi Phi – or at least an islet nearby – was used in that Leo DiCaprio film The Beach. So first stop on our all-day tour was The Beach beach. We met at the port in the morning and (along with about 12 other tourists) climbed aboard our boat for the day. Other than fearing seasickness, I was feeling pretty good about the day ahead, but that then took a turn for the absolute worst when I suddenly realised I have a dreadful fear of water I can’t stand in. We were told there was only one way to get to the beach, and that was to swim across about 20 metres (maybe – I’m not good with distances) of treacherous water. And that moment is when I had my first (mini) panic attack. Needless to say, I passed on that part of the fun and stayed safely on the boat.

Next was snorkelling. More deep water; terrific. But this time I was determined to at least try to conquer my fear, so I decided to get off the boat. I strapped on a life vest and climbed down the ladder. Hanging on the end, the panic attack feeling came back and I really thought I’d have to climb back up the ladder, but once (after a lot of reassurance from my friends) I let go and realised that life vests do actually keep you afloat, I had the time of my life. It was so much fun swimming around and having the occasional look under the sea. Didn’t see too many fish, but who cares?! The feeling of triumph I felt made it all worth it.

I'm doin' it!

Ah, the sweet taste of victory.

And the third and final stop was Monkey Beach – so named for the, well obviously, monkeys living there. And not friendly ones I can tell ya!

The one on the right reminds me of the Lion King. Am I right?

Then we topped the day off by watching the sun setting over the ocean. Beautiful.

We spent the next couple of days on this wonderful island paradise, going out at night with lethal (and VERY cheap) alcohol buckets then relaxing and tanning during the day. Absolute heaven! One afternoon, a few of us did decide to climb up to the viewpoint near our hostel. Fantastic view of the island! I then – possibly foolishly – decided to try and head down to another beach. 45 minutes and an awful jungle trek later (I may be exaggerating, but only slightly) I arrived, covered in dozens of new mosquito bites of course. It was practically deserted over that side! 

Koh Phi Phi from the viewpoint

Empty beach

 A positive to my solo exploring was that by the time I made it back to the viewpoint, the sun was setting and the whole scene was breathtaking.

A few parting shots

And again

Then that was it for Koh Phi Phi! Next on to Koh Samui – and one of the best hotels in the world. 

再见!

xoxo