Southern Thailand - Beachtime!

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Southern Thailand, with limestone cliffs (think James Bond), beautiful islands and hundreds of beaches beckoned after enduring the chaos and bustle of Bangkok. An overnight bus took us (JC, Marlene and Mike) to Krabi, on the west coast, where we stayed in Ao Nang for two nights. There we relaxed on the beach, where monkeys come down to play, and did a day tour which takes you to various small islands with snorkelling opportunities. White beaches, jungle and karst cliffs. What more can you ask for?

In Ao Nang we also witnessed Songkrat, the Thai New Year celebrations. Orinially Songkrat was celebrated by sprinkling a little water on older people however, over the years it has evolved in a fully fledged water fight where everbody partakes. The streets are filled with cars, pick-up trucks have barrels of water on the back, and everyone douses everyone. No-one is spared.. this goes on the whole day.

Next on the itinerary was the island of Kho Phi Phi, which took a bad hit from the 2004 tsunami. Most of the town has been re-built though, and the only thing reminding you of the tsunami are the signs indicating an evacuation route. Once again we did what we do best, and relaxed on the beaches, had a few toots, snorkelled, and toured the surrounding islands (including the famous beach where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed).

Next up was Kho Phangang, a laid back backpackers island, infamous for its monthly Full Moon Party. We rented some nice beach bungalows, with aircon and pool. A little bit of luxury never hurt anyone after all. And best of all, it was cheap cheap! I had been to Phangang about 6 years ago, and it has developed quite substantially since then. Most of the roads are now paved, which is great and makes driving on the islands much safer - good for us, since we hired mopeds one day to cruise the islands. We took it easy for a few days in preperation for the the Full Moon Party, where literally thousands (up to 20.000) backpackers converge for the beach party, partying till sunrise and beyond. The Full Moon Party takes place on Hat Rin beach, on the southern end of the island, and starts kicking off at about 12pm, which is about the time we arrived. Already in full swing, the whole beach was full of people, painted in different colours, and in various states of intoxication (either from alcohol, drugs or both).

We stuck to our trusty old buckets (thai whiskey, red bull & coke), which have quite a kick, and it served us well. We partied with a few people from our beach resort till after sunrise, glad not to be passed out on the beach like many of the others..

And before we knew it, our time on the islands was over. Mike had to be back in Bangkok to catch a flight, and JC & Marlene still wanted to see a bit of the norhtern Thailand. So with only 2 hours sleep after the party, we dragged ourselves to the port to catch a ferry and then bus back to Bangkok.

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Photos

Songkrat
Thai new year celebrations - one massive waterfight

Ko Phangnan
the full moon party