last day(s) at koh phangan

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Just a few more things about Koh Phangan ... i think anyone who has ever been on an island coverd with jungle
and an unknown it's easy to get lost, however i put into practise what i learned 30 years ago from my dear
friend Eric ... always use visual references, a mailbox, an orange painted house, a generator, elephant park,
antennas etc ... and if you then still can't find your way it doesn't matter either as at one point u just hit water
again and one look up to the sky and the Sun, moon and or stars will tell ya what part of the island u are
(midst of course u can read these natural directions - which i actually can ..,) so gotta say a few times i got lost
, however one week crossing around on the island in my way too expensive jeep i started to know the curves,
the bumps, the tops the valleys of the island and started to feel really at home ... this was also easy as
probably the foreigners outweighed the thai on the island ... there were so many dutch, english, irish, germans
, swedes, israelies, french, americans, austraiians, italians, russians, croatians, argentians, equadorians,
japanese ... a blend of the world, all there to enjoy themselves whether it was just for vacation with the family
, or for meditation of which there were many resorts or for sports ... i for myself swam and snorkled lots,
however i did pass by two meditation resorts, however they didnt feel right for mi and i was too busy having
some kind of a social life with my new gained friends ... i did have some quiet time after the full moon party
at the Chinese Buddhist temple ,,, it took mi one extra day to leave the island as twice as many people who
just came for the full moon party were trying to move on and/or go back home ... i splurged one more time
with my monies and hopped on a plane to Bangkok (after taken an early taxi, ferry and bus to the
Surathani airport, had a layover and then continued my way to Chiang Mai ... this all only for 50 euros
more than taking the train in where if would have travelled for 2 days, and now i did it only in 10 hours ...
i had my next two wks all planned out with staying in Chiang Mai for few days, then spend a week in the
jungle learning how to 'mahout' (read ride and take care) of elephants to then go to Laos ... however in
Bangkok i suddenly realized that my Thai visa didn't expire on the 24th, but on the 15th ... so had to run
around today to buy busticket to MaeSai (most northern city of thailand) to then start my adventure in
the 'Golden Triangle' with crossing the border into Myanmar ... i also went from bank to bank to purchase
some dollars as i've heard former BIrma and Laos r like Cambodia where almost everything goes in
dollars ... and then last but not least i purchased a small dufflebag and cut my 22.5 kilos (which included
'chic' dress up clothes and shoes and stones i have collected on the way) .... down to 8 kilos, so now m
becoming a real vagabond...to be continued ...

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Photos

hangover at Chinese temple complex...
I ain't 20 anymore;-)

last ride to mi little hut...
just above the dirt road

my last sunset at koh phangan
yeah yeah I know they all start looking alike, howevermy departure caused bit of sentiment