The South

After experiencing the hospitality and heat of Issan, we were ready to cool off at the beach. So begins our tour of the south.

7/19 Initially we had planned to meet some friends on Kho Chang...an island off the main land near Bangkok. Due to bad weather we opted to head straight to the southeastern islands. We took a Mercedes charter bus from Ubon-Ratchatani down to Pattaya. The trip was certainly a contrast from the third class train ride to get up to Ubon. We were able to appreciate the luxury. We were forced to stay one night in Pattaya (the tourist ridden sex trafficking capital of Thailand) on account that our plane to Kho Samui only left the next day. We tried to make the best of the situation by checking out the beach that evening. There were so many jelly fish it was impossible to swim. Nevertheless I still got to enjoy my ice cold coconut milk.

7/20 Happy to be out of Pattaya we arrived in Kho Samui (the second largest island in Thailand after Phuket) in the early evening. From the moment we stepped off the plane I felt like I had reached paradise. The airport itself looked like a beach resort rather than a place to pick up your luggage. We bargained for a taxi that would take us to the bungalow that we had found in our guide book. Enjoying the view of the sunset over the jungled mountains we arrived at Shangrila Beach resort and settled in for the night. Maybe it was lack of rest that put me to sleep so fast, though I'd like to think it was due to the tranquility I felt from the island.

7/21-7/23 We spent the next three days on the beach affront our resort. The sand was surprisingly rough with beads of quartz and calcite that sparkled in the sun. The water itself was most perfect. It was crystal clear up to about a half foot in depth. The waves were so calm that you could float for hours on your back with no worry of drifting from the shoreline. I took advantage of the tranquility by lying in the water enjoying clear blue skies that crossed the mountain backdrop.
At night we went to the island strip of Choweng to enjoy the foreigner infested nigh life. On our second night we went out with two Australian blokes, Mitch and Shane, who took us to a club called "The Green Mango." The club lay along the busiest strip of bars on Choweng. We had so much fun that evening that it only made sense to return the following night. The night of the 23rd was even crazier than the first...getting back to the bungalows as the sun rose I had just enough time to pack my bags and head to the next island.

7/24 Repercussions from the night before were had on the boat ride to Kho Pha Ngan. The tumultuous waves teamed up with my nasty hang over leaving me head between my knees vomiting the entire boat ride (which luckily only lasted 30 minutes). Once we got off the boat, I collapsed onto the cement with my backpack half supporting me. While I was happy to be on dry land, queasiness stuck with me until we reached our resort and I was able to sleep the rest of the day.

7/25 Charm Beach (our beach resort) = the best accommodations thus far. It was run by the sweetest lady, Pi-Lick, who was more of a mother to us than a hotel manager. We spent the day relaxing on the beach in preparation for the night ahead. Although we missed the Full Moon Party (said to be the best party in the world), we made it just in time to catch the Half Moon Festivities. Just after midnight we were taken by songtaew to the party's jungle venue located just off the main road. There we paid a 300 Bat (about $9) entrance fee that included a free drink coupon....an incredible rate considering it truly was the most insane party I have ever been to. From here I will not go into further detail just because I think it's one of those things you have to experience yourself to understand. Lets just say I plan on going to the Full Moon next time.

7/26 A day of beaching, boating, and snorkeling on the island. We took a guided tour with Steve (a native of Wales) and his team of two. Although the weather wasn't great and the water clarity a bit disappointing, we met some interesting people including three Belgian friends and a family of Brits. For lunch we had our first taste of pizza of the trip. Delicious!

7/27 While the other girls opted to stay at the resort I spent the day exploring the island by motorcycle with Alex--a northern Italian who I had befriended at our resort. I was the guide and he was the driver. Let's just say that at least the driver succeeded in his role. We ended up driving on the most treacherous roads I have ever crossed. It had rained the day before, so there were giant mud cracks that we had to weave between. We sped up and down inclines which sometimes got so steep that we had to get off and push the bike up ourselves. Once we got back on the main road things were much easier to manage. We visited several waterfalls and ended the day at Bottle Beach. For me, the adventure made up for the disappointing snorkeling the day before.

7/28 Another day of motorcycling, only this time, I was driving. We rented two motos for the day...Katja and Salla on one, Kara and I on the other. We toured the western coastline of the Kho Pha Ngang. Everything about the day was beautiful. It was liberating to be the one behind the wheel for once. Not having to depend on a taxi to take us around, we could go where we wanted when we wanted...and that we did. We finished up the day at the town center where we did some shopping and perusing. There I purchased my Mai Tai shorts.
That night we spent with the three Irishmen (Diarmuid, Brian and Fin) who were training at the neighboring Mai Tai stadium while staying at Charm Beach. We had delicious omlets for dinner and headed to the beach bar next door where we spent the night drinking and relaxing on axe pillows. Best night of the trip.

7/29 It was the day of our return to Kho Samui. An added bonus of packing our suitcases was returning the motorcycles to the rental place. On our way to drop them off Katja skidded on some sand and wiped out literally a quarter of a block from the moto lot. It was a panic-filled debacle that thankfully turned out relatively "ok" in the end. Her right elbow and knee where well marked by the fall but no broken bones (so we thought). It turned out later, once we she got to the states, that she had broken a rib. Nevertheless Katja handled it all with incredible resilience. She was still determined to make the best out of our last days in Thailand.

7/30 We took the boat back to Kho Samui where we spent two nights at Matlang Resort, a beautiful beach side bungalow that was the only affordable place on that particular strip of beach. We enjoyed the refreshing crystal clear waters for the last time.

8/1 Four hour boat ride to the main land where we caught a bus destined for Bangkok.

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