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Published: February 9th 2005
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Srithanu Sunset
Halfway up the West coast of Koh Phangan we found a perfect spot for a picture Well hello,
We’ve not written for a wee while, sorry!!! We’ve been busy getting into a lazy groove. It’s kind of strange not being in a normal, every day routine and it has taken us both a while to get used to where we are and what we’re doing. Which isn’t really all that much. We got back into Bangkok yesterday after 24 hours of travelling and since we last wrote a journal we’ve been on beaches and enjoying the sun.
We stayed in Ko Pha Ngan until Sunday the 30th of January. Our days consisted of sunbathing, eating, drinking, playing cards/scrabble and reading lots of books - fun. Thankfully we didn’t see a lot of rain. A couple of times we rented a motorbike which is a great way to get around and not too expensive. We took the bike to the main town on Ko Pha Ngan called Thong Sala and also visited some other beaches on the island. The West coast is the place to be to see the sunsets. We saw a gorgeous one on a beach called Srithanu.
Our biggest adventure on Ko Pha Ngan was the Full Moon Party, on the 24th
Full Moon Party
Like the sign says. Thanks to Miranda and Ronald for a great time and hopefully a lasting friendship of January. It was a spectacle and a very crazy night. We went with our neighbours at the Resort we stayed at - Ronald and Miranda are a lovely couple of police officers from Rotterdam, Holland. We bounced down the road from the North of the island to Haad Riin in the very South by way of open taxis. Lots of fun just bopping along in the pot holes, of which there are many. We got plonked in the middle of a road on arrival and found ourselves surrounded by lots of buckets. I knew we were going to a beach party but I hadn’t anticipated sandcastles!!! I soon discovered that they are for a much more agreeable way to spend the evening - drinking (well I am Scottish and Mike is New Scottish after all). The said buckets are packed with a small bottle of local rum or vodka, a can of red bull and a can of coke or sprite. These items are then all mixed together and straws are provided - wicked. Once armed with our bucket we headed down to the beach which was completely swarmed. So many people all watching the sights, dancing, drinking and
Buckets of Booze
Drunk and disorderly conduct just taking in the atmosphere. The beach itself has fire performers swishing blazing batons around and there was also fireworks and stalls if you wanted a luminous tattoo. The bars and nightclubs all compete with one another for music space so, depending where you are standing, the actual tune that you listen to can be very strange.
We had a great time and had fun dancing and enjoying ourselves. It was a late one though, or should I say early - as we didn’t get back to our resort until 6am. At least the only thing I needed to do that day was get up and go down to the beach. Mike didn't really make it that far.
That was certainly our biggest adventure although we managed to squeeze a wee one in the day before we left. We decided to go for a walk along the beach but our walk turned into a small hike in the jungle. Could be fun….. not so fun when said girl is wearing a pair of flip flops and gets bitten by about one billion mosquitoes - oh, okay by about 10 of the wee blighters. I tell you, that’s enough.
Now that's a fire!
Fire jugglers on Haad Riin beach We arrived home that day at three in afternoon and we both felt very tired, mind you, it was the most exercise we had done for quite a while.
So the time came to move on and we left Ko Pha Ngan feeling very relaxed and with lots of lovely memories. It was a great place and one that we would recommend to others if you are looking for somewhere peaceful and not too many people around.
We didn’t move on to far. Just down to the next island which is Ko Samui. Our life on Ko Samui reads pretty much like Ko Pha Ngan. The only thing was that we found the island a little more expensive as there are a lot more tourists. Someone told us that the tourist numbers have risen by 25% as a lot of people are visiting Samui rather than the East Coast. A lot of groups of guys which supposedly you don’t see so much of.
Due to things being slightly more expensive we decided to visit the local Tesco (Safeway type place) as you do when you’re in Thailand. We managed to get groceries and lived off of peanut
Pineapple man
No need to move for lunch on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui. Every five minutes someone comes along offering something. butter and jam sandwiches during the day and found this amazing restaurant to go to in the evening. We also did buffet style a few times and got food from street stalls which is good fun. We rented a bike and managed to get round the island. Chaweng, the main beach resort is completely chaotic - people everywhere. We didn’t like it too much there and stayed in Lamai which is the next beach to the south on the East Coast.
We stayed in Samui for a week and arrived back in Bangkok yesterday after travelling for 24 hours - yuck. We caught a train up from Surat Thani after getting the ferry over from Samui to the mainland. The train takes around 12 hours and we had beds which are fun, but sway over bumps a lot. A little sleep was had until about 5:30 in the morning when people decided to start brushing their teeth and coughing up stuff - extra yuck!!!
We are heading out of Bangkok tomorrow and are going to try another island - may as well, we have a week and a half until our friends Tim and James arrive so what
It's all good
In case you were worried. We're doing just fine. else to do but find a new beach to sit on. This time though we are going East and are thinking of trying an island called Ko Samet so we’ll keep you updated on that one.
We have been taking lots of pictures but didn’t want to update the blog until we got a new camera cable. We managed to lose our other one, don’t ask how as we really have no idea. We lost it about a week or so ago but only got a new cable last night in a big store in Bangkok. We managed to find one place in Ko Samui where we could buy a cable but they wanted a 125 dollars for it. We coughed a little at that price so waited and found one for around 25 dollars, slightly more acceptable.
So enjoy the new pictures. Take care and we promise to try and update the blog a wee bit sooner next time. We will have more news in the coming months as we are now going to actually start travelling rather than sunbathing. We’re going to be heading over to Cambodia and Vietnam - let the adventures begin and the good times roll.
Bye for now, lots of love
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anonymous
non-member comment
Hey Up
Hello Charlotte and Mike - its Friday night and we (kat, Charlie, Alan and Trev) are having a yummy curry and checking out your blog! Looks like you are having a brilliant time, we are very envious! Hope you are both chillin' out and totally de-stressed. Miss you lots x. - Kat Alan Charlie Trev