The sun and the sand and a drink in my hand with noooo botttoooomm

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We got to Ko Pha Ngan in the mid afternoon and after checking out the resort we were staying at I just went and tanned by the pool for a few hours, got an uninspiring dinner at the restaurant at the hotel and then hung around until the pool party started around 9 or 10ish. Drank a fair amount of wine, swam in the pool and made catty comments while watching people either hit it off or strike out with the opposite sex. The music was actually really good (techno versions of many different genres) and I made it to sleep at some point past midnight and before the sun rose again.

The next day I just read by the ocean, tanned by the pool (until a passing shower disrupted my plans), played the most embarressingly awful game of poool I've ever played (it was completely the table's fault - noam you would have understood completely how I felt), and then got sick and had to nap for the next few hours. Lucky for me I woke up at the crack of dawn so by the time I felt better it was still mid-afternoon and the day definitely got better afterwards. We rented "the little scooter that could" (basically a vespa) and drove down to Had Rin (sunrise beach) where they have the full moon party every month, bought our tickets back to Bangkok on the 24th from Ko Tao and then I learned how to drive the scooter, which was an automatic so not particularly difficult as long as I can remember to stay on the correct side of the road since everything is opposite here. We took the scooter out for a spin around the island and the drive was just how everyone else describes it in their travelblogs - like a yo-yo, up and down and up and down and up and down these crazy steep hills, with grades up to 20% and twisty little corners, its like the PCH on crack, but the views are INCREDIBLE. BREATHTAKING. OUT OF THIS WORLD. We drove through a bunch of little villages and eventually I got in front and learned how to drive with someone on the back of the scooter and then we stopped at a little fishing village to get gas. I took the scooter out to practice by myself a bit more and drove around for about an hour, while my friend bit his nails down to the quick thinking I had crashed and died somewhere. Regardless, we both survived the experience and we got dinner at a beautiful little restaurant overlooking the beach (just like the one in the Bahamas). The restaurant had a display of fresh fish sitting out front (which is what had caught our eyes in the first place) and you could pick out exactly what you wanted (Kngfish steak!) and they barbequed it to PERFECTION. And served it with grilled pinapple, grilled tomatoes and grilled chili peppers, and an actual western style veggie side salad (instead of coleslaw without the mayo which is what you normally get). We survived the drive back to our resort, stopping along the way in the mountains to take in the vast panorama of stars above us - too bad Orion is the only constellation I can recognize but since there are no lights anywhere for miles around it may have even been better than the night sky in the Perhentians.

I woke up early the next morning (as usual) and took the little scooter that could out for a spin back along the same road we had driven the day before (just to see if I could handle all the crazy hills - which I could), same amazing panaramic views, same amazing weather, crisp, slight breeze, paradise. I cruised around for about a half an hour, pushed the scooter as fast as I dared on the straightaways and bought what turned out to be the most delicious mango ever from a fruit stand at the side of the road. I drove back down to the town of Hat Rin and visited Sunrise beach, went for a little walk and then came back to the hotel to return the scooter and check out and then spent the last half hour or so on Ko Pha Ngan just watching the waves lap at the shore while sitting on the restaurant's edge.

Took a pickup truck taxi down to the pier at Thong Sala at 11:30 for the 12:30 boat, which left at 1:30 since this is Thailand, and got into Ko Tao around 3pm. Took another pickup truck taxi (they are all the rage here) to Hat Sai Ri and wandered around trying to find a room for a while. On the map it looks like the entire beach is nothing but bungalow after bungalow but all we could find were dive shops and clothing shops everywhere. Eventually someone took pity on us and the girls behind us and was like "you need room? Follow me" so we ended up with a pretty nice bungalow just across the "road" (read: alley-sized) from the beach.

Next stop was LUNCH, (it was 4pm at that point) and we went to a really nice, relaxed fancy looking restaurant on the main strip, (white elephant I think it was called) and we got a northern thai spicy salad and yummmmm. After that we rented motorbikes (manual transmission this time - names: Rat and Runaway). Time spent learning to drive manual 10 min. Time spent trying and failing to get up the first steep hill the first time I tried it (20 min). Time spent trying and failing to get up the second steep hill I attempted (5 min - because I just quit and we took one bike). We went for a spin around the island on the bike and just should have taken the fact that everyone coming down the hill we were going up was on an ATV as a sign but nooooo we can make it with two ppl on one scooter. No, we couldn't and that's how my scooter earned its "Rat" name. For being the little scooter that couldn't.

Uh oh, I'm out of time since I have to catch the ferry over to Chumporn this afternoon but I will try to update before I get on the bus to Bangkok!

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Comments

[Traci Haback]

You better have presents when you return
Because I'm so jealous of your awesome travels. Sounds like you had quite the feisty little bike! I don't know what else to say except that it's 28 degrees here and I'm wearing an itchy wool jacket and updating spreadsheets. You, on the otherhand, and riding all over SE Asia and eating delectible things and lounging in the sun.