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October 23rd 2006

Published: October 24th 2006

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Disco stu2

sunrise

coming home

It’s just over a year ago that I hung up my backpack and even though this trip was really just a holiday to a country I’d been three times previous there is something strangely liberating slinging it on my back and going to Sydney airport.
I arrived in Bangkoks new ‘Suvarnahumbi’ Airport which had only been functioning for the previous 6 days in a Capital which itself had just witnessed a military coup two weeks ago. As expected Thailand was functioning normally although the airport was still undergoing some quite significant cosmetic adjustments. I was actually surprised to find the new airport open as Thaksin Shinawatra (PM) had previously staked much of political reputation on the airport being ready after the first opening date elapsed that it should surely it would have added weight to the coup had the airport not been open in time. Thai pride however does not stem their democratic system but their King and whatever western nations may think about the removal of a democratically elected PM his landside elections were only a reflection of available options and not his popularity or very questionable business/political integrity. Perhaps other countries where politics is so farcical that no worthy

Thai Buckets Veuve Clicquot Style

Keys 30th present

party on candidate can be flourish should take note (The US springs to mind but seeing as Rumsfeld already seems to have a good hold on the country they probably need less military leadership not more)
Flying in late at night I had decided to spend the night in the airport and get the first flight to Samui rather than getting swallowed by Bangkok. Then from Samui the journey was a simple taxi to the port, boat to Koh Pha Ngan, taxi to Had Rinn and finally long tail to the Sanctuary. The purpose of this break was more to meet friends ‘not in Sydney’ than have any new experiences.
First off Kalamity Keys who I’d left a year ago in Laos only to find that a year later he’s made it no further Thailand. Months spent in Burma monasteries and teaching English to Burmese political prisoners have perhaps taken his traveling to a different dimension. In fact since we departed it seems that both of us have become fully fledged ‘Yogis’ his in a meditation sense and mine from yoga. With loads to catch up not even my 36 sleepless hours could stop us having a good yarn and

Happy 30th

Pink Cheers

making it out that night. A night which started in Hadd Rinn and ended in Guys bar (Had Tien our beach).
It’s well know that the ‘The Beach’ was filmed on Koh Phi Phi and that the book was set on an island off of Koh Phanga but it also is becoming increasingly talked about in backpacking circles that Garland was actually writing about an Island he visited in the Philippines(credit to Coby). So it seems Garland was prepared for popular backpacker quest for their holly grail and rather than draw his map leading to his own beach sent us all to Thailand. I suppose Thailand has been suffering from this legacy ever since. I read ‘The Beach’ just before my first trip to Thailand and when I arrived at the Sanctuary all those years ago and experienced its community feel (where everyone is slightly unique and extremely friendly) I thought it was normal. It’s really only now after experiencing another places in Thailand and talking to others that have seen much more of Thailand than I have that I’ve realised it is unique experience (note the film from memory doesn’t really touch on the community and peoples roles and

Confusion of Hadd Rinn

The most uncoordinated party in the world

the sanctuary is most definitely not like the film)
In our temporary community we were known as ‘the two Stus’- where actually being same same does mean we were a little different from the other thousand of names and stories that backpackers exchange daily. Others included Coby ‘I like it spicy’ Dutch Princess, Laura the ‘mushroom massage’ Yank, Sgt Liz ‘least likely to be in Canadian Army but somehow is?’, Caroline ‘tell it like it like it is’ fellow sinner from Pinner, Sabrina the yoga teacher with a real move how you feel attitude, Kate ‘Surrey Diver extraordinaire’, Sarah ‘I’ll sell you this bungalow Loyd Grossman style’. Kylie ‘Australian Pharmacist turned Canadian Bar manager’, the two Germanswiss girls that both had French names?
So a general day on our beach started with some yoga (unless the previous night had been heavy), then it would be down to have some breakfast (no decision pineapple and yogurt every time). Grabbing a bed on the beach, talking to whoever might be around about why we needed to go into had rinn but then never actually end up making it. Reading a book and occasionally a long tail would come in or depart mainly

Bamb-who

Me Coby Liz and Keys

people making the trip to had rinn but occasionally you’d get new arrivals who we’d try to suss out (backpack suitcase? Yogi or Faster? Couple not a couple). Lunch would normally be had in the Sanctuary as anything more would just involve too much organization and besides deciding what to order was about as much as we’d like to deal with at lunch. Normally, being in monsoon season, a shower would roll in at about 6ish forcing us to vacate the beach so it would be time to get ready and maybe spend some time in a hammock. Meeting up about 7ish we’d predictably head up to the bamboo huts restaurant and be treated to the best Thai cuisine I’ve ever had. Then one of the bars (Eden or Guys) would have some sort of party which would normally mean just 30 or so people in a bar.
The second night and conversation on the beach centered on should we go to the full moon? is it worth it? I’ve been before? Do you know who’s going? I was completely undecided but tonight Keys was turning 30 so what ever he wanted to do was fine by me. To celebrate

Sanctuary massive

Laura, Me, Caroline, Kate and Keys

the event I’d gone the extra yard and picked up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose in duty free and kept it as a chilled secret till the night. A feast of a dinner was had at bamboo before we went to Eden for the pre-party. The guys that run Eden are extremely friendly and run a really good joint on the rocks between Had Tien and Had Yuan. We’d met them the night before and once they saw the champers they were more than happy to sort us out with an ice bucket (minus the spade). Strange but true story as we counting down for midnight and the end of keys 20’s I’d said to him 10mins previous that he may aswell remove the wrapper and cage so that it would be ready to open at midnight. Our conversations then wandered for a while till it was broken by a large POP. Having been sitting dormant for a good 10mins the cork had decided to pop of its own accord at ‘bang on’ midnight! It is a little bit of a contradiction to drink champers while backpacking and being on a beach as remote as ours. I thought we

Beach 'Bucket' Boys

Keys, Biesty, John and me

might have in danger of looking like idiots but to be honest very few eyebrow where raised and most people didn’t actually know what Veuve was….. although inquirers were impressed that it was French and that Keys was 30.
Onwards to the big debate of ‘should we go to the full moon’ - We were having a great time at Eden but everybody was leaving to the full moon so we decided to go with the flow and take the precarious walk down the rocks to a waiting long tail. The night before we’d been to had rinn and it had reminded me more of a greek 18-30 resort than…. Well what it’s meant to be. On the long tail we made the perfect entrance to the disjointed party which is now the full moon. With every bar along the beach trying to play their music that much louder than the other there is everything but a cohesive effort to party. We did the customary dance up and down the beach stepping over a number flaked out party goers before heading Mellow Mountain, which on previous trips I’d always found to have the best atmosphere. At around 3am it had

Another Dinner

Kylie, Caroline, Keys, Me and Sarah

all become too much and we decided to get a long tail to the sanctuary of had tien. Leaving by long tail again seemed more exclusive but as we said good bye, The Cactus (the most central and popular bar) sent us off to the dark see with ‘Go Greece Lightning’ which does make you think whatever magic had once started the full moon party has long since gone!!!!
Biesty, Danny and John friends from London arrived the next day but with no mobile or internet service at had tien we struggled to contact them and it was only by actually making the trip over to had rinn that we finally caught up to find them suitable partying way - although it was great hearing their deviant tails I could take myself away from the peace and tranquility of the sanctuary just yet……. I had to waet to the draw of the moon.
The Moon is big business in Thailand so much so that perhaps in a few years we’ll see 1/14th moon parties but for now they are stuck with full/half and black which equates to a party a week.
We were hoping by some reciprocal lunar logic that

Sun Dancer

half moon would be twice as good as the full moon. Set in the jungle the party was always going to be hard to get back from (boats at 5am are not easy to come by) and with everyone one we knew already departed we made an impulse decision to leave The Sanctuary and stay in Had Rinn. Coming with us Sarah and Kylie who thus far only met us in the context of the sanctuary (and I think we won the Pepsi challenge with their Whistler sh!t). Rendezvousing with the London guys, we had a few buckets and shakes before commandeering a taxi as our chariot. Alas there was one too many so keys opted to hang on the back of our pick up truck (check out the photo). Thankfully the Half Moon did follow our reciprocal lunar logic with a great venue banging tunes. Quickly tempted by the night time tattoos I decided to get ‘Om’ symbol somehow reasoning that the base of life would see over my night of debauchee. Keys then disappeared to get a big sun painted on his chest. It’s funny but I guess knowing us for a day or so in the confines

behind the bike sheds

...or so they thought

of the sanctuary where I do yoga everyday and keys disappears and meditates we’re perhaps not the first people that would spring to mind as candidates for jumping on a stage and going for it……. But that seems to be where and who we are - for now at least!
The next day I left Koh Pha Ngan and Keys to spend sometime on Samui with biesty and the guys. Although it prove to be a bit of an anticlimax - The Thai ladies (or lady boys) prove a constant barrage of E’llos and while providing some entertainment as to which where male and which weren’t but it does get a bit much. Shopping is great but and the haggling which starts as fun quickly becomes a tedious affair not wanting to back down on the equivalent of 1gbp just because that would mean them ripping you off.
Great seeing Keys, Biesty and The Sanctuary again! Hopefully I will see them all soon

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