I thought i might as well do a little update now as i'm back in Bangkok and heading off to Cambodia tomorrow. Bangkok is still as stupidly busy as ever with the Thai Red Shirt Protestors still about and more and more tourists arriving by the day. Guess i should put in a little bit more about the final times on Koh Tao.
When i last wrote i had just been to the Lady Boy show, i may or may not have gone again, i'll let you decide on that one (they had different songs this time...) All the rest of the time was spent doing more water testing. This did have a negative effect on my willingness to go into the sea after physically seeing up close just how much "shit" (literally) there is in the water.
It was arround this time when more things about Koh Tao began to emerge, rumours of Mafia issues and corrupt officials that would be more suited to an Eastenders story line than real life. But as much as from a western view you would say "this must stop, do it like this or like that" it seems to work here. There are no problems with theft, if sonmething goes wrong the people sort it. This is very much because most, if not all realise that tourism is what keeps them afloat. Koh Tao needs people to come along to the dive shops and want to stay for a week, trying out the different restuarants and massage parlours. Walking back at 3AM on Koh Tao i felt safer than walking down to see Sours on a matchday (not that tottenham is a bad area....i'm just....hmm..)
The final week on Koh Tao seemed to go really quickly. The place ended up feeling like home, places will when you know all the random shortcuts or the people in your local shop. But i felt ready to leave and get going to do other things. I'm not such a fan of being in one area for too long, especially when there are Lady Boy shows on other islands.....(har haaar).
Nikki's two mates came over to stay on Koh Tao for a bit, we had our tickets for the Boat to Full Moon so over to that we went. During the day before we went on a little hike and found such a picturesqe beach i may have let out a little whimper. It even had a swing tied to two coconut trees. Honestly what more do you need. Danielle, Nikki and Katy preferred to lie there sun bathing, but being the raw blooded male i am, i spied some rocks and went for a little climb. Discovering my inner Bear Grylls i made it to the top of one of the larger ones that jutted out into the sea. Hard to decribe just how nice this was, sat there with waves lapping against the rock, looking out to absolute nothingness, then turning round and seeing the little bay with the swing gently rocking in the breeze. Looking down and seeing oddly coloured fish darting in and out of the coral. (it was also at this point that over near the head of the bay i saw two people snorkling, what to begin with on the guy what i thought were white speedos turned out to be the most awful/amazing/"put it away son" tan lines ever, well played sir). After chilling on my rock, that's right it is mine, no one else could climb up to it, i went for a little snorkel (shorts on don't worry). I had seen them already, but this time is saw Nemo and his Dad actually in the Anemememememenies. Dating about, little bit intrigued by my camera and then swimming back in their home when it made a noise.
After applying after sun (witha dded Cocoa Butter) like there was no tomorrow we headed off down to the Pier to catch the catermaran over. After getting all 3 types of bat from koh Tao now this is by far my favourite as it jumps up and down over waves and i'm a massive child. As you would expect the boat was packed and everyone was pumped for the night ahead (the next morning the boat back was very much, very, very, very much the opposite..) From the Piear at Thongsala we got crammed into taxis, i especially was performing some kind of yoga move for the 30 minute journey, naat cool. Once we got there we grabbed a bite to eat, met up with Miranda and her Boyfreind for a bit, bought some UV Paint (best idea of the night, especially when it explodes and covers all your money so that when you spend it you offend the Thai people as their King is now covered in Neon Pink, Green and Yellow). I didn't really know what to expect from Full Moon and Haad Rin. I'm not usually one to beleive the hype about places until i've been there for myself. It is all it is cracked up to be and more. Cheaper than i thought, Bigger than i thought, Louder than i thought. "sweet as" is all i can really say about it, because unless you have been, you won't get it.
It is however very easy to lose people. I lost the girls after afew hours and was very lost for a good hour until jumping down of a platform i saw Lucy (THANK YOU LUCY) as otherwise i swear to god i would have wandered more and ended up on another island. There were some choice incidents during the night though...both of which were entirely down to the fact i like sarcasm and talking, a lot. So if a guy who is in a group of 4 (and it turns out they are thai boxers on a break from training) comes up and asks at the end of the night if there is space for 4 in your taxi and you reply with a rhetorical question that would make David Cameron blush don't be too suprised when you then get death stares, hands dragged across throats and a demonstration of what they would do to my head with their knees. Prang. I pre-emptively gave Yamit my Blackberry, priorities are always there for me.
In the end thought it worked out alright and i went up and apologised fior being an absolute prick, which i had been and it was all alright, albiet a little awkward....
Rest of the time on Koh tao was more of a build up to going home and saying my farewells, especially to Lin who owned the Internet cafe below where i was staying who was lovely the whole 2 weeks. The 18 hour journey back to bangkok was as one would expect it, nice time on the boat, terrible time behind a very irrate italian....cheers luigi.
anyway time is running out and i'm going to go meet the rest of the people i am doing the Cambodia trip with.
SOURS? SOURS? OH. SPURS!!! Gosh Lorcan, I hope no ARSEnal fans read this...
Good to hear from you, was starting to panic! Keep having fun, keep safe and try and keep your big sarcastic mouth shut!!! Lots of Love Mummy xxx
Reading your blogs are the only thing I have to pass the time of me being bored, left alone, and being so lonely.....:(......if you stop I will have to find something else to keep me amused! xx
mummy
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SOURS? SOURS?
OH. SPURS!!! Gosh Lorcan, I hope no ARSEnal fans read this... Good to hear from you, was starting to panic! Keep having fun, keep safe and try and keep your big sarcastic mouth shut!!! Lots of Love Mummy xxx