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Published: January 20th 2008
Pool 2
Not a bad setting for a pool party eh?Hello all. Right, I know that this is over a year late, I know that I’m now safely back in sunny Colchester, I know that most of you have probably heard half of the following stories already, but I don’t care. It seemed criminal not to at least round off the South East Asian leg of my trip so I’ve added one last blog (for the time being) to tell you all about my final few weeks in Thailand. If you read it excellent, please leave a comment, if not no worries, it’s more for my benefit that anyone else’s!!
The journey on the train was as expected to be honest - in my eyes the most comfortable way to travel in Asia. It was however much quieter than previous trips. There didn’t seem to be many other people in the same mindset, therefore most of our time was spent in the company of a few crosswords and a good book. As mentioned before, this time our final destination was Koh Phangan as opposed to Koh Tao. We therefore alighted the train at a place called Surrathani which is slightly further south than Chumpon (the point we left the mainland
for Koh Tao on our original trip). There were certain advantages to this: 1) it is a more prominent station, therefore we weren’t rushing around like a couple of fools trying to gather our belongings after nearly sleeping through our stop, and 2) because it is a more
frequently travelled path, the coach that awaited to take us to the boat was surprisingly luxurious considering the insignificance of the journey ahead.
Although approaching from a different direction, the boat once again deposited us at Thong Sala, the main port of Koh Phangan. To my relief our taxi took its time to negotiate the frankly ridiculous inclines of the slopes that the road south to Haad Rin rides, as it conquers the mountainous terrain. We jumped off the back of the taxi to be greeted by a 15 foot graffiti-style mural painted on the side of a building that marked the entrance to our favourite hostel. The more than appropriate image showed a rather inebriated gentleman, sitting on a deck-chair on the beach, looking as though he was enjoying the spliff and mushroom shake clutched in each hand a bit too much! It was a great start to our second
stint, and I thought that it would act as an excellent benchmark for our own mental and physical state over the next few weeks!
On arrival at reception it was apparent that not much else had changed - apart from the development of the new extension that was being built. I can’t say that I was unhappy about this in the slightest, especially when I began to notice more and more of the same cheeky grins sprawled across the faces of the staff, who not only served us, but became our good friends during our previous visit. We wasted no time in dumping our bags and setting about making our renewed presence known. First stop.....the bar!!!
After donning our boardies and ordering the usual, we were gradually engulfed by a rather strange, unpleasant and bafflingly familiar smell. We asked Shane if he could shed any light on the mystery, but all he could tell us was that over the past week the same smell seemed to drift in and out of the area, sometimes for only a minute or two at a time. No closer to finding the origin of the stench, we were ready to shrug it
off as Thai drainage systems. Then, out of the corner of our eyes, we noticed something familiar near the pool with a bucket in its hand. We exchanged a hopeful and jovial glance and decided to take a closer look. As we approached, we were able to study the distinctive tribal markings on one of its shoulders. It was at this point we were certain that we had uncovered the source of the smell - it was none other than our good friend Kiwi Paul! (haha! Sorry Paulie, you know I love you really!). We wasted no time in joining the old bastard for a drink and a catch up and to our delight, lying next to him in true form, was the sun addict Celia, roasting herself in the midday rays. We knew they were both only a week or two ahead of us, but we were unsure as to whether we would see them back at Coral, so it was a great surprise. While chatting we also noticed another familiar face. It was Gary, our soundtrack to the Gibbon Experience! Once again a classic example of how small the world is.
The next few days were spent
befriending all of the resident wrong’uns of that particular era, and we soon felt at home once again. It was a very strange feeling arriving back, not just at Coral Bungalows, but at Koh Phangan in general. This may sound weird, but due to the fact that we had spent more time here than anywhere else in Asia, and that we were so familiar with the roads, towns, bars, shops and people, it felt like a sort of homecoming. We had been back to other places more than once, namely Bangkok, but it only ever felt like a stopover rather than a destination. We were thoroughly happy to be back.
Day to day life at Coral Bungalows rarely changes, except that every so often faces filled with satisfied, but regretful smiles disappear, and are replaced by those filled with apprehensive, but excited smiles at things to come. I found myself falling into the usual routines: drinking hard in the evenings, then spending the hot and humid days nursing a hangover in front of a DVD, or lying by the pool trying to sweat out the alcohol left over from the previous night’s debauchery. I had also begun regular
training once again with M and Eddie.
One thing that I find amazing is the level of acceptance you can gain from countrymen by showing skill at their national sport. When training on that slab of concrete, open to the elements with only the most basic equipment, I would often find myself the subject of many a curious Thai eye. In most cases, the builders working on the extension were on tea break and all decided to check out the ‘farang’ trying to train his lanky body to fight Thai style. Their initial plan was obviously to have a laugh, however as I trained I noticed a change in those eyes. Initially the look was one of critical expectation, this transformed into general bewilderment, then genuine interest (strengthened by an exchange of words with my trainer, M), then finally arriving at smile of acceptance and even, dare I say it, respect. It was amazing how this opened up a number of local faces on the site who would not have previously acknowledged me in passing. I think the problem with the island resorts, and most of Thailand is that the locals are all too often exposed to loud and
obnoxious westerners, who have no interest in anything except destroying their environment, fighting their friends and fucking their women. This is understandably seen as serious disrespect and I think it’s quite refreshing for them to meet a farang who actually shows interest in their culture and respects it as a result.
As I am sure I have mentioned in previous blogs, Coral Bungalows owns the Haad Rin Thai boxing stadium and puts on monthly tournaments which include fighters from the hostel itself. M’s brother Eddie was due to compete and we often trained together in the weeks leading up to the event. During our time training both James and I became quite involved in its organisation and eventually ended up helping with the promotion by selling the tickets. The Thais were very grateful for this due to the fact that our native language was English and that generally backpackers have more trust for a fellow western face when parting with what little money they have. We proved to be quite a success, selling a large number of tickets in and around the hostel for what was set to be a great night. One evening, when I was deep into
a sales pitch at a table full of unsuspecting backpackers near to the reception area, I thought I heard familiar voices. Often when you’re travelling in strange countries and are surrounded by foreign languages for the majority of your time, when you hear an English accent you are fooled into thinking that it is familiar. In most cases this is due to the unfamiliarity of every other sound that you hear on a daily basis. Out of habit I was ready to ignore it, when I looked up and, even though we had arranged to meet up, I still had to double take. There, standing in that crazy place so far from home was a welcome part of home itself in the form of Natalie Jennings, Chris Brotherhood and Lucy St. Ledger. I quickly forgot about the pending sale and greeted them all with a big hug and a sloppy kiss! Nat and Chris had left home before me, had already travelled Australia for a year and were rounding off their trip in Asia. Lucy, after a previous stint in Thailand and Australia, had decided to pack her bags and leave England with a one-way ticket to Thailand in search
of scuba diving work somewhere along the country’s Coral-rich coastline. Either way, they had all recently arrived in Bangkok full of beans, and shot straight down to Koh Phangan. What better place to vent that excitement than Coral Bungalows?!! Obviously, first things first, I sold them all a ticket to the Muay Thai and the rest of the night was spent exchanging stories and generally catching up on the past year’s adventures.
A couple of days rolled by filled with plenty of fun and games, especially when Nat, Chris and Lucy produced some frankly quite scary masks that they had bought in Bangkok. Before we knew it, it was the night of the Muay Thai. On arrival, James and I went over to pay our respects to Eddie, M and the rest of the Coral fighters, who were preparing themselves in a corrugated iron open sided shelter set back from the ring behind the crowds. One of the ways the Thai boxers prepare themselves for each fight is by covering themselves in boxing liniment to try and numb their bodies to the impending onslaught of blows. When sitting ringside watching each match you are engulfed by the sharp smell
of the liniment and I will always associate it with those many exciting nights. As I approached Eddie, the intensity of the liniment's odour piercing my nostrils, I could tell that he was in another place. He could see, but he wasn’t looking, he could hear but he wasn’t listening, his eyes were filled with focus and drive. His mind was fixed on one thing only and he certainly didn’t need some foreigner speaking to him in a funny language and breaking his concentration. I quickly wished him luck and made my way to ringside. I took my seat and in the moments leading up to the first bout I took some time to take in my surroundings. There’s nothing quite like a Muay Thai event in Thailand, especially on the islands: being bombarded by the frantic din of many a chattering and cheering local; watching the determined concentration on the faces of assiduous bookies, as they pick their way through the throngs of dubious looking punters that make up the illegal gambling rings; listening to the eerie and clumsy, but curiously beautiful sound of the wind and percussion accompaniment to every fight; witnessing the undying passion every fighter has
for the sport by watching the overwhelming emotion expressed by both the winner and the loser; but probably most important of all, seeing the mutual respect every man has for his opponent, regardless of the outcome.
As the night went on, the fights went on, inside and outside of the ring (usually gamblers upset about their losses), and the overall atmosphere and standard of bouts was excellent. When Eddie approached the ring the crowd errupted in cheers that lifted him up and onto the canvas and gave him a well-timed, strong and confident start. Unfortunately it was reasonably short-lived, as his fitness (or lack of it) got the better of him in the latter stages and his opponent ended up taking the advantage. This however didn’t discourage the crowd, or dampen the atmosphere and Eddie’s flattened spirits were quickly lifted again with the help of a few buckets at the after party!
During the early days of our stay we had met a couple of Mancunian lads by the name of Tank and Pete. By appearance they were quite an unlikely pair: Pete was quite short with a medium build, whereas Tank was an enormous gentle giant,
standing well over 6 foot tall and nearly as wide. Neither drank much and both were your classic easy-going stoners, out in Thailand for a few months to sample as much of the Thai weed as possible. Tank actually caused great hilarity early on in the stay when, after a hefty smoke, he fell asleep under the sun with his hands folded across his stomach and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. The result was exquisite! He was red raw all over except for a white band across his belly and the same across his eyes. He looked like some comical superhero with the white strip on his face resembling a mask and the one on his belly resembling some sort of utility belt!
Word got out that Tank’s birthday was approaching and the general consensus was that we organise a pool party to celebrate. Therefore, me, James, Kiwi Paul, Pete, two crazy Australians called Angie and Catia, two Irish girls called Niamh and Marie and a couple of jordie girls called Kim and Nancy got together with some speakers, an ipod and lots of buckets to celebrate. The rest of the day was as to be expected:
lots of drinking and laughing until the sun went down, resulting in a great day had by all. A few days after, once the hangover had subsided, we were approached by Ping Pong. After seeing the success of Tank’s birthday gathering, he was interested in organising a Coral Bungalows pool party as a regular event and showed us a flyer he had created. It consisted of a picture of the 11 of us on the previous day, sitting in the pool, raising our drinks to the camera, with the heading pool party sprawled across the top and various other details below. We agreed wholeheartedly and he immediately set about organising food and a sound system, while we were roped into recruiting everyone at the hostel to participate. James and I began working our way around every backpacker staying at Coral, along with a few that weren’t, and getting their names on a list for the party the following evening.
The next day, when the time rolled around that we felt was appropriate for everyone to start drinking, it was apparent that nobody was really up for it. At the time we dismissed them all as jessies, however in hindsight
M's son Ek
In a few years he'll be world champion, watch this space! it was only lunchtime so we couldn’t really blame them! As time crept away, seating was arranged, along with a monster spread. The food consisted of an array of seafood, spiced curries, vegetables and fruits, resulting in a plethora of colours and smells that sent my taste buds crazy and left me drooling like a pitbull in a pussycat club! When we saw the row upon row of empty seating, we were almost certain that Ping Pong had seriously over estimated the attendance, however sure enough one by one, people drifted in and took their seats ready for the meal. To our astonishment, as the food was served the number of people in the restaurant area must have been in the hundreds. From there onwards, as the warm sun melted into the mirror of the sea and yet another hazy day transformed into a humid night, the initially half-conservative atmosphere of the pool party rapidly descended into complete carnage. I remember feeling quite a sense of achievement as we watched all those people being seduced, just as we had, by the irresistible charm and unashamed blatancy of the Coral Bungalows party style. I was so pleased in fact, that in
a drunken state of swollen confidence, I got on the microphone to thank everyone personally. I’m not quite sure what I said, and I don’t think anyone else was either, as all I saw were hundreds of blank expressions staring at me. The only break in the silence as Sol grabbed the microphone from my unsteady hand was a couple of courtesy claps and the occasional jeer. As most things do when you’re in the state I was, it seemed like such a good idea at the time, only to transform into a source of extreme embarrassment the next morning!
All in all the pool party was a runaway success and I hear from various people who have been there since, some I know, some I don’t, that the pool parties have spiralled into epic proportions. I’m told that once a month they attract up to 400 people, some even making the journey across from Samui for that one night! The best part however, is that the flyer is still based around the same photo. A little homage to James, Kiwi Paul, Tank, Pete, Angie, Catia, Niamh, Marie, Kim, Nancy and I on that spontaneous day when a legend was
born!
The second week of our stay saw the arrival of Anne-Sophie and Maria, the German girls that we had met in Pai riding bareback on elephants (mmmm...a thought to ponder!). They had since travelled south of Bangkok and spent some time on a small island called Koh Samet. After taking a few days to settle in, they booked a boat trip around the island and asked if we would like to join them. These boat trips are a common occurrence on Koh Phangan and are operated by most hostels or bars. The majority follow the same drill: A longtail boat picks you up from sunrise beach, takes you on a tour of one of the island’s waterfalls, then to a few snorkel spots before depositing you back where you started. This particular trip was organised by the Cactus bar and required us to meet up at the frankly ridiculous hour of 10am. Kiwi Paul and I begrudgingly tagged along and made the 10 minute walk over to Sunrise Beach to meet our party. It was quite interesting, as when we arrived we realised that the majority of people were German and for one of the first times
Crazy Thai hardtalking the punchbag
We deduced that this guy must have just lost his job, or caught his girlfriend with another bloke cos he was not happy! we found ourselves in the minority. The Krauts did not refrain from using their mother tongue and by seeing it from the other side of the fence, I began to realise just how ignorant us English are. Anyway, the German accent does not produce the most dulcet of tones at the best of times, especially with a hangover, therefore Paul and I decided there was only one thing for it.......beer!!! We skulked next door to a 7-11 and indulged in a couple of bottles each of the infamous lottery beer. After much umming and ahhing over the whereabouts of the boat, we were finally directed down to the water’s edge where a traditional Thai longtail was waiting for us. After spending no longer in the water than I had to ( if you saw how many people piss, spew and shag in that sea on a nightly basis you would understand why!), we were up, seated and (semi)comfortable, ready for the maritime adventure that lay ahead.
The trip itself was very pleasant indeed. The water was calm, the weather was good and it all seemed to be going according to plan. Due to our delayed departure (we eventually left
about midday) our first stop was at a small bar in a secluded bay around 20 minutes north of Haad Rin beach, where we had some lunch. It was a decent enough spread and everyone had their fill. A half an hour walk took us to the waterfall. We swam and chatted for an hour or so then made our way back to the boat for some snorkelling.
Once safely back aboard, we set off to the north for around 15 minutes, then the engine stopped and the boat drifted to a halt about 50 metres off-shore in the open sea. Our guide exchanged a few rushed Thai words with the driver and hurriedly fumbled under one of the benches for the snorkelling gear. Once the two masks, two snorkels and one and a half fins were produced for the 10 of us to share, she announced that we had arrived at our snorkelling destination and that we could feel free to dive in. A couple of people obliged, but Paul and I exchanged a confused and slightly concerned look. Considering the water was about 40m deep, there was no coral and the boat seemed to be drifting its
own course around the island, we concluded that something wasn’t quite right. We sat for a few minutes, trying not to ponder on it too much, until we heard somebody ask what we thought, and I’m sure you will agree, was a very good question:
“Where’s the propeller gone?”
All of our eyes made their way to the end of the long propeller shaft only to find nothing but thin air where the only source of our movement should have been. Instantly our gazes of disbelief shot back to the driver looking for answers, only to see him vaguely gesturing to an area of water in the distance where the faint traces of our wake were rapidly disappearing. A few minutes went by that were taken up with the serious consideration of swimming ashore, when the day was saved by that amazing piece of technological wizardry - the mobile phone! I knew they had to be good for something! The call was made, and after a while another boat came to our rescue and took us back to sunrise beach.
When we arrived safely back on dry land, Paul and I found the whole situation hilarious. The
way we saw it, when you pay 500 baht (about 6 or 7 English pounds) for a full day trip including boat hire, petrol, lunch and the wages for a driver and guide you have to expect a few hurdles along the way. Besides this, we had experienced a lot worse and felt grateful that we had got off so lightly! We’d already had a joke with the guide and arranged for her to give us a sangsom bucked as compensation! Others however, were not so understanding. The attack was led by some miserable old kroan who absolutely drilled this poor Thai girl into the ground and demanded all of her money back as if the poor girl had orchestrated the whole situation to swindle us all. This initial attack obviously spurred a number of others to demand the same and resulted in the guide having to draw the money out of her personal bank account to pay it back (when you consider it was probably about a week's wages for her and not even an hour's wages for us, it seems a little harsh!). By this point Paul and I had seen enough. We tried our best to reason
with them but it fell upon deaf ears, so we gratefully accepted our buckets and made our way home. It really was quite an unfortunate end to an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable day.
Although our original plan was to continue on down to the Perenthian Islands in Malaysia, we decided to stay and live out the final days of our Asian experience on the south islands. This was mainly due to the fact that the military coup had just kicked off and we didn’t want to chance not being allowed back across the border into Thailand if it turned nasty. James had met a young lady that he decided to chase off over to Koh Tao for the remaining few days and meet me back in Bangkok, whereas I decided to stay put. The number of people at Coral fluctuates each month to coincide with the full moon parties. A combination of this and the fact that it was low season saw the numbers slowly diminish until on my last day there was literally just me and two other guests at the entire hostel. Eventually, on the 13th October 2006, I said goodbye to Coral Bungalows for the final
time. It was quite an emotional experience, due to the fact that it really had become like a home to me. The bungalow like my bedroom; the restaurant like my dining room; the dvd lounge like my living room; and sunset beach like my garden. Not to mention all of the staff being like my roommates, or even extended family! M arranged a lift for me and he accompanied me to Thong Sala to catch my boat. Hugs and promises of a triumphant return preceded my reluctant departure. Once aboard, sitting on that boat scribbling in my journal, while watching the shores of Koh Phangan - an island where so many friendships were forged and countless memories were written - disappear into the trademark Asian haze, I fought the feelings of regret at leaving with thoughts of new adventures to come.
After an overnight bus journey on what was THE most luxurious coach in Thailand (it really was amazing), I arrived in Bangkok and checked into our usual - Kawin Place Guesthouse. James arrived shortly afterwards and our final few days in the capital were spent spending what was left of our cash on the occasional bargain t-shirt from
the many stalls that line the pavements of Khao San Road. When our time finally came, we flagged a meter cab and realised just how badly we had been fleeced on our arrival in the city. When we arrived in Bangkok, wet behind the ears, all those months ago back in April; we paid a taxi driver 800 baht to take us to Khao San Road from the airport. On leaving we handed over a measly 150 baht! Unbelievable!
When we arrived at the airport I was feeling a little more positive; the thought of Sydney and the new adventures that laid in store for us over the coming 6months had lifted me somewhat. These high spirits stayed with me until, when I attempted to check in, the guy behind the counter told me that I was not allowed to board. Apparently according to his computer I did not have the required visa to enter Australia (this was not true as I had already arranged an electronic 12-month working visa through STA travel before leaving England). He directed me to a colleague and, after a brief discussion it was apparent that I had two options: 1) Miss the flight,
stay in Bangkok and get in touch with STA travel as soon as they open to try and sort out the mess, or 2) Buy an Australian 3 month tourist visa there and then and try to sort it out from Sydney (bearing in mind that if for some reason the working visa hadn’t processed, it is impossible to apply for one inside the Australian border) and risk having to leave after 3 months - or less considering my lack of funds. In the end I reasoned that as my flight home was booked from Sydney, it would make more sense to get myself there so that I wasn’t stranded without money or a means of getting home. I reluctantly handed over my cashcard, however just before she processed the payment, she received a phone call and handed it back telling me that they were going to give me the visa for free.
This put me in a bit of a situation. After living in Asia for 6 months, I know that if an Asian person tells you something, it does not always mean that it is actually going to happen! With literally 5 minutes to spare and a
1km walk to our departure gate (Bangkok airport is huge!) I hurriedly agreed and we legged it to off to board our flight. Unfortunately the situation dampened my formerly high spirits that I had worked so hard to raise. It wasn’t just the fact that I may not have a visa, but this was our first taste in six months of the anally retentive bureaucracy of the Western world. I mean shit; you would never have had that trouble crossing the border into Laos!!! All that aside, we were safely on the plane and in the air at the end of the first chapter of our travels, excited about what the future may hold in Australia.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people that I have mentioned since the very beginning of this online journal, and the thousands that I haven’t, good and bad, that helped to shape this trip into the truly unforgettable experience that it became. The best experiences will always have a fond place in my heart and the worst experiences will always be the best stories to tell. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my sublime and often ridiculous antics
in South East Asia and I hope that I have inspired a few of you to do the same. South East Asia - a place where dreams are made!
P.S. If you fancy a stay at Coral Bungalows, check out this link to their website:
http://www.flashahead.com/coral/index_site.php
If you have a look at the 'Coral Party pics' section for May and October 2006, you'll see plenty more pictures of our stay. Also, check out the 'Special guests' section and you'll find me and James, firmly in place in the Coral Bungalows wrong'un hall of fame!
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niamh
non-member comment
lovin' it
Memories! Free love at coral - you just can't beat it! What a holiday!