Koh Phangan - The land of the buckets

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We travelled by ferry east to the island of Koh Phangan and checked in at the Friendly Resort in the main party town of Haad Rin. After dropping of our bags we all headed out for dinner to The Lucky Crab restaurant which, without exaggeration, had everything you could ever imagine on its menu! The cocktail list on its own was 10 pages long! We headed down to a fire party on the beach where young guys were flame throwing before they broke out the fire ring and fire skipping rope which people were invited to have a go at (we observed on this one - Im not sure how I would explain that one to the insurance guys!) Other games were on offer too though, the boys headed off to shoot hoops and based on their distance from the hoop they could win prizes if they got it in. Colin and Chris both won vodka buckets (which is where the night both began and ended). The buckets were the death of everyone on this island, for £2 it comes with half a bottle of vodka some soda and some red bull!!

Our second day there we headed off on a boat trip to the north of the island to deserted beaches to chill out, play volleyball and go snorkelling. After lunch we trekked up to a waterfall but there were very slippery rocks and Colin fell and badly cut his foot which ruled us out of any water based activities for the afternoon.

The next day we went elephant trekking up the mountains, which was even more amazing than we thought it would be and there was some awesome views from the top. Afterwards the weather took a turn for the worst so we all headed back for an hour long massage which didnt cost more than £3.

That evening was a big one all round, it was our last night as an official group so began with our farewell dinner which turned into a day early birthday celebration for Colin complete with balloons, cake and pirate headwear!? After more than a few drinks we got our neon paint out and prepared ourselves for an evening of dancing at the Half Moon Party. We took the scary 20 minute ride by taxi (which was actually all 12 of us crammed into the back of an open top van). Once we got there alive we purchased our buckets and headed for an unforgettable night of fun and laughter.

The next evening we spent Colin's birthday at a Muay Thai boxing match ringside. Which is a definite reccommendation and worth every penny, although it is very full on and brutal so dont expect anything less. Oh yeah, and dont expect to see any fighters that are actually advertised either!

After a few more days and nights of Koh Phangan life, fire parties and buckets we decided to move on to pastures new. But unfortuately this meant leaving our new found friends behind. Shell, Jo, Chris, Matt, Sam, Jodie, Lorraine, Canada (James and Pedro), and Helen made our first ten days in Thailand truly epic and unforgettable. Thanks guys, and hopefully cross paths with you again on our travels.

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Comments

[Susan]

Nice blog on your Ko Phangan visit. The photographs are also great.