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Published: January 4th 2010
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Happy New Years! Our last entry was about two weeks ago and we’ve done a lot so here goes the recap….. We’ve been slowly traveling northbound towards Bangkok, ended up on the island of Kho Phagnan and are getting ready to cross into Cambodia today.
Our first stop after the “visa run” was in a city called Chumphon. It was another tired industrial town that had a few large street markets and not much else. The larger cities in Southern Thailand have been unimpressive. The prices for food and accommodation drop a bit which is nice but the cities themselves are very drab. Many old unkempt buildings, massive dormitory style apartment structures, air quality that trumps LA in smog and filthy streets are what come to mind. I can only compare these places to what I already know and have seen (mainly cities along the west coast of the states) so in comparison, they’re a little on the depressing side. Picture the rougher spots of Pomona or Tacoma minus the danger.
We rented another moped in Chumpland (my nickname because it was a frustrating time and place) and escaped 20 km north to the tiny windy beach of Hat
Wa Sa Leun. We stayed for three days taking it very easy which was nice and needed. We played cards, read a lot and took advantage of free wireless internet at a nicer resort down the road. The beach was extremely windy making it ideal for traveling kite surfers. When conditions were best in the afternoon at least 15-20 were out in the ocean skipping across the waves which was fun to watch/film.
We befriended our favorite restaurant owner of all time there. He was a kind old man who cooked the best Thai food in town and had modest prices. We ate almost every meal with him and his family of pets. He had a couple cats, an older lazy dog and many chickens and roosters that cruised around the place at will. We left him a healthy tip on Christmas Day and I’ve never seen such genuine appreciation in my life.
After that, headed to another beach area nearby called Hat Sairin, (Hat = Beach). We got there and decided not to stay because it was very similar the previous spot and we were ready for a change of pace. This left us essentially stuck in
a region where nothing else on land seemed attractive so we chose to head to an island. This decision was made on Dec. 25th meaning the highest of high season where all major islands are almost fully booked and prices skyrocket, not an easy task. We met a travel agent at a nearby Pier named Peter who came to the rescue. He called over 30 hotels and found an affordable bungalow on Ko Phagnan, an island about four hours away. The boat didn’t depart until 7am the next morning we took Peters invitation to stay at his office at the Pier for the night. We didn’t really know what the sleeping arrangement would be but we went with it to save a little money. It turned out to be hard mats on a cold floor in a room filled with piercing fluorescent lights. To top it off a busload of about 50 other travelers arrived at 3am (allowing no sleep) and Beash got a mosquito bite on her eyelid. Merry Christmas….
Morning slowly came and we loaded onto the boat, relieved and delirious. The four hour ride flew by as we met some hilarious travelers and laughed over a
few beers. Chris was from Canada and established an English speaking school in Japan, Simon was a funny character from Germany who was wrapping up a full year of travels and Adam was a filmmaker from Johannesburg, South Africa. The most rewarding part of meeting other travelers is sharing different perspectives, learning about what life is like various places and slightly breaking down foreigners’ view/stereotypes of Americans.
Then we arrived in Ko Phagnan.
We spent a total of 6 nights there and if not for needing to leave Thailand by Jan 4 we would have stayed many more. The place is addictive. We found it to be the perfect size; you could drive around the whole coast on a moped in a day. There was only one big, popular beach area called Haad-Rin and our bungalow was far from there so the vibe was un-crowded and mellow for being so heavily populated. The terrain was very mountainous making moped riding simultaneously extremely fun but more dangerous. The waters were on par with the clearest we’ve seen with great sand, mellow tides and stunning sunsets. One of our favorite hangouts was a smoky lounge called Amsterdam. Perched up on
a steep hillside it’s elevation provided the best sunset view. When the sun was dropping the place was packed with digital cameras in the air and the looks of amazement at the shots they were getting. After the crowds thinned, the atmosphere mellowed allowing us to chat and soak up the view for hours.
New Years Eve was culminated with the Full Moon Party in Haad Rin. Supposedly it was the first time that the full moon landed on Dec 31st in 15 years, making it that much bigger. 30,000 people cruised up and down the beach dancing at bars pumping electronic music. Everyone painted on themselves, people were skipping flaming jump ropes and slugging down their signature “buckets” of booze. We had a blast.
Before we knew it we were standing in the rain amidst a million people loading onto boats heading off the island. This marked the beginning of 28 hours of non-stop traveling. Four hours on the boast, two more on a bus then an overnight 13 hour train ride to Bangkok then finally five more on a commuter train to the border town of Aranya Prathet with layovers here and there. We handled it surprisingly
well and are currently sitting poolside at a hotel before heading to cross into Cambodia.
Next on the agenda is Angkor Wat. The largest temple is Southeast Asia; it takes 3 days to experience the entire compound. The rest of Cambodia will be explored on the fly as we head towards Vietman. Our outlook is strong and we feel good. We hope everyone had fun and safe NYE’s and love all the responses so please keep it up and wish us luck!
Cheers,
Marcus and Beash
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Nick Small
non-member comment
Hi Beash and Marcus im typing this in my digi. comm. class lol. wow sounds like u guys had a blast for new years i got shot at buy fireworks and won 9 bucks! i got to go love u all and hope you have a fantastic trip with love from me and everyone eles Nick