Haad Rin & Ko Samui

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Having spent a decidedly "quiet" first couple of weeks, I head south east on the island of Ko Phangan to the beach town of Haad Rin. I manage to secure lodgings at Seaview Resort, which is a "resort" in name only. The modest accommodations are offset by stunning scenery and discounted rates. For ฿300 a night you get a $300 view. I spend the first couple of nights relaxing and enjoying the sand, sun and sea. I am not however fooled by the picturesque views and near perfect weather. Unbenounced to the locals, a hurricane of trouble, flying at about 30,000 feet and several hundred miles per hour is heading directly towards the peaceful gulf town of Haad Rin. Normally, these storms derive their name from a phonetic alphabet of women's monikers; however, foregoing tradition I have decided to label this storm front "Hurricane Rattan". The storms' inevitable arrival was to fall under the guise of dark and there was little for me to do but wait.

Alright, that's probably enough of the "storm" metaphor. Having given Ian both verbal and photographic directions I assumed the probability of him finding our lodging was a robust 10%. As it turns out that was a pretty accurate guess. When I found Ian he was in the process of buying a "bucket drink", having long since given up on actually trying to find the "resort", and was struggling to dig his money out of his backpack. I don't think either of us were too surprised at how we eventually met up.

The next week was spent rather in the same fashion as the first few. Our biggest problem was trying to figure out how much time to allot to sand, sun, sea, eating and drinking respectively. Suffice to say some options received greater attention, depending on the day and our mood. All in all, not a bad way to spend your time. As we both became more comfortable in our new environment we decided to adhere to the Thai philosophy of "same same, but different". Deciding that we wanted more island fun but with a slightly different view we packed our bags and hopped on a ferry to the island of Ko Samui.

After a few days on Ko Samui you really begin to appreciate the wisdom in the aforementioned Thai mantra. While full of tropical cliches in and of itself, Samui has a decidedly different taste than Ko Phangan. Commercialization is much more rampant here... there is a Burger King and a McDonald's directly across the street from one another. The nightlife is more sordid and relentless. Every Night the same bars and clubs peddle the same drinks to foreigners while they dance to the same songs. Having said that, it is immensely enjoyable in the fact that I know that I can and will be leaving here. As for the locals... they are not so lucky. They must feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day... or whatever the Thai equivalent of that is.

After little over a week here on Samui, we have decided to try our luck on the island of Ko Toa. While Samui is known for its nightlife, Ko Toa is known for world class diving and snorkeling. Instead of drinking like fishes, we will settle for swimming with them. All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the islands, but I am again ready to move on. Next stop Koh Tao... then back to Ko Phangan for Full Moon Party 2.0. Wish me luck.

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Photos

The King & I
Ian and I enjoying the "king of Thai beers...Singah".

Another Beach, Another Photo
Pretty standard stuff in Thailand.

The Name Now Makes Sense
This is the view from the bottom of the hill at the aptly named "Seaview Resort".

Rookie Mistake
And this is why you don't wear your sunglasses all the time.

Twighlight
Another day, another sunset. Not much else to it.

All of This Could Be Yours
Me celebrating having two arms.