happy songkrannnn... and full moon... and easter... right!

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After our crazy ride from Kampot, we stayed in Bangkok for 2 days... just long enough to book a bus/boat combo to Ko Phangan, one of the islands in the southhh... Bangkok kinda lost it's appeal the second time there... but we met a cool dude from near home, and Sarah got her hair dyed and brushed (for the first time since we left Cannnada!). That took an afternoon...

So after an only slightly disturbing bus ride (movies 24/7, and friiigid air-con!!!!), we hopped on the ferry, and arrived here!!! We got a bungalow with the first dude that approached us, but lucky for us, it was awesome! Our place is on the hill above one of the mre secluded beaches, with an ammmmmazing sunset view. Cool staff, too... one of the guys talks in Australian slang... awesome! Cool people at our place, too... The beaches are amazingly aweeeeesome! The weather can get a bit strange (random bouts of hard rain, then nothing!)... When the sun is out though, nothing is more gorgeous! Bule skies, white sand, turquoise water, palm trees everywhere... gorgeous!!! But the heat is insane. We're both burnt to a crisp, too. Niiiice!!!!

We spend our days chilling in our hammock, chilling in the cushion-seating restaurant that's part of our place, swimming, chilling on the beach, reading, eating, hanging out with our fellow bungalow-inhabitants, and biking around the island on a little Honda motorbike. It doesn't get much cooler than this... we can hardly call it travelling... but it's pretty amazing. Needless to say, we love Ko Phangnan.

The first time we took the bike out, we headed for the mountains... it suddenly poured rain, which turned the sketchy windy, hilly roads into a sort of mushy mud... We met some people, and started a "motorcycle gang"... hahah. We eventually found a waterfall, which was pretty cool... gorgeous scenery, too... only bad thing about the day was trying to get back to our place after dark... the horrible roads!!! Thankfully, some thai dudes stopped to help us up the hills, and we survived the day with only a smallll scrape (aka a "thai tattoo"). Defenitely an amazing ride, though... so many wicked palmtree forests, and the hills are usually superfun. Found some awesome beaches on the bike, also! So great... we love the motorbikes!!!

So, after a few days of loafing came SONGKRAN... thai new year!!!! They make a huuuuuuge deal out of this occasion... that day, we were biking around, not expecting anything more than a few watergun splashes... buuut, we got SOAKED!!!! every five meters, pretty much, there were gangs of people with hoses, waterguns, talcum powder, and paint, ready to halt and annihilate any passerby! It was FUNNN... scary!!!! but fun... got coooovered in water, powder, and a bit of pink paint, lost some sunglasses in the craziness, but thankfully, (and surprisingly!) we didnt get into any accidents! Not exactly the most safe holiday...

That night was also the night of the illustrious "Full moon Party"... People travel to Ko Phagnan every month from allllll over just to party at Hat Rin Beach for the nite. Very crazy, so we heard, and that night, because of Songkran (double holiday!), it was supposed to be super. crazy. And it was! When we arrived in our pickup truck, we were blown away by just how intense this party was. Ten thouuuuuuuuussssand people!!! All packed like sardines, dancing away on one beach! The setting was perfect... nice beach, the ocean... There was super-loud trance music blasting from every bar's sound system... just insanity! It was a lot of fun, though! We ended up having a good time, staying until sunrise... a greeeeeat party!!! No pictures, though.... everyone knows taking your camera to one of those parties means you'll never see it after.

So since the party and Songkran, we've pretty much been having a great time loafing, motorbiking... it's sweet. Found some great restaurants, wicked-awesome beaches, cool travellers.. this is quite an awesomely chilllled place. We went to a Muay Thai boxing match yesterday!!! It was incredibly cool... they're quite intense fighters! A few injuries, a few bleeding noses... all in good fun! Quite cool to see... all the thais get really into it, too. RAD!

So... tommorow, we leave for Ko Tao, to hit up the scuba-diving scene... hooopefully... weshallseee....

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!! Save some chocolate for us!

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Comments

[mom newc]

beautiful, tanned beach bums
Wow, what a stunning picture of the two of you and the scenery isn't too bad either. You certainly do not appear to be suffering. You look healthy and well rested and I assume Sarah your foot is healing well. The grass is turning green and the daffodils ,tulips and magnolia trees are starting to bloom but I certainly do envy you. Happy Easter. Love from all of us.

[KP (mom)]

Happy Easter!
Wow - Great beach! This is where I would like to be spending my Easter - palm trees, hammocks, and beautiful sunsets. You two look great, happy and relaxed. Glad to see that you can slow the pace down a bit. Missing You !