Adventures of a Farang: Koh Koh Life

Recently, I have been traveling the Southern part of Thailand. No I didn't feel the earthquakes which affected the North. No there is barely any radiation that is affecting us other than the contamination of certain Japanese products which I haven't even ever seen such as grocery store sweet potato and mackeral (learned that from the news)..

On the other hand, there have been some unnatural disasters where I am. Floods. Mudslides. Definitely not typical for this time of the year in Thailand. But I've been lucky so far. I didn't need the Thai Navy to save me. I left one of the two islands that were stranded just before it was shut down. I made it safely to all the places I've been to so far.

The first island I went to was Koh Pha-Ngan for the Full Moon Party. One word to describe it. Insanity. People are up til the next day still dancing and rocking on. I lasted until sunrise, had some breakfast, and took a nice nap. It's not something I can see myself doing again, but it was fun while I was there. It was also one of the last places I will ever see some of my friends I've made here in Thailand since I will be leacing soon.

I skipped Koh Samui but did head to the Ang Thong Marine National Park which is near by. A one day snorkel excursion. Not bad. I got to sit onto a speed boat for the majority of the day, and I got to hike to the Emerald Lake and to some random caves.

Koh Tao. New favorite. Not only did I meet some great people, but the size and accessibility of the island is what I like. Small but not too small. You are able to walk around from point A to point B. Although it is more known for diving, I went snorkeling. I must of been crazy that day. The two girls I was with and I set off despite the rain coming down. Keep in mind, since I started my island hopping, it's been off and on rain. Yuck. BArely any sun, but still warm enough to enjoy little walks. Then there was also this real cool concert I got to attend for free. Because Koh Tao was trying to reach a world record for the number of days for Songkran (New Years), it just happened to coincide with the concert. Perfect. Although conditions weren't favorable, it was an amazing time. Dancing in mud with locals and foreigners all over Reggae is something I'll never forget.
Side story: So I mentioned I just left an island before it was shut down. That was Koh Tao. I got onto one of the last three ferries. My boat ride seriously traumatized me. The waves were ridiculous. At one point the boat looked like it was going to be swallowed. I definitely slide from my seat and was slammed into the window several times because of the severity of the conditions. And my window wasn't a window but a board of wood. People were throwing up left and right. Fumes from that and the engine made me nauseous. Even the crew members weren't doing so hot. EEEKK. That was only 1 of the 3 ferries I had to take before making it to Krabi. After that boat ride, I was extremely nervous about getting on another boat. Thank goodness the other two boats I took were decent. I made it to Surat Thani to get onto a bus to head to Krabi. I left Koh Tao at 930 and arrived 12 hrs later in Krabi. What a trip.

Koh Phi Phi. Don't know it? Think about the movie, "The Beach," with Leonardo DiCaprio in it. That famous beach was filmed based off this island. It just took me 4 days to realize how much it resembled it due to the downpour and gray clouds. I was here for about a week due to the lack of boats running. I'm glad I was there for so long, but I definitely did get island fever. I was ready to leave until the sun came out. I hiked the viewpoint and got to get a glimpse of the entire island. I then slept on a beach that was almost empty, and was able to walk in the ocean past the docks and the water barely went past my hips. And snorkeling was out of this world....I saw a sea turtle swim right below me!!! Enough said. Made the trip.

And then there was Koh Lanta and Railay. Both are extremely different from one another. Koh Lanta is one of the larger islands, and Railay is even smaller than Phi Phi. Koh Lanta you need a scooter to get around, and hosts one of the many more remote cheap to luxurious resorts you could find, while Railay (at least where I stayed) was more rustic and not something I prepared for at all.

In Lanta, I mainly lounged by the pool and the oceanside hoping to tan a bit more before I know I'll fade to pale. I got onto a scooter with friends I made who took me round the island, but other than that... I was a bonafide bum. Loved it. Plus getting to watch the most amazing sunsets each night didn't hurt.

In Railay, Jenny and I went to a charity concert to help the victims of the flood, mudslide, and those affected by the crazy earthquakes in Japan. Charity concerts are something I never thought to associate in Thailand, so when I saw that, I was stoked. Despite the costs, I coughed it up and enjoyed the Reggae music they played. I even got to see a famous band I've been hearing since I moved to Thailand...Job 2 Do, play. Yah!! Oh and we kayaked round the famous mountains rather than climb it liked I hoped. I was seriously intimidated by the upper body strength these people had...they looked so at ease trapezing up these vertical cliffs.