The Serenity in Complacency
So the day before we left Sydney for Thailand, we thought that maybe we should have something planned for the trip.. we booked a return flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui and figured we'd fill in the gaps along the way.. and off we went..
We arrived in Bangkok at about midnight and found that our taxi driver couldn't take us all the way to our hotel because the roads were all closed around Koh San Road because it was Song Kran (Thai New Year).. so we trekked along the almost deserted streets which were weiredly all wet with puddles of this white clay even though it hadn't been raining.. the next day we found out why..
The Thai people celebrate their New Year with full blown aqua warfare!.. water is thrown on anyone and everyone with whatever you can get your hands on (it's supposed to be symbolic of washing away bad luck)!.. buckets, water pistols, hoses, bottles, pots and pans and we even saw a high pressure gurnie being used!.. Some sort of white clay is smeared on people's faces supposedly for good luck also.. So, needless to say, we spent our first day in Bangkok armed with super soakers and all our valuables wrapped up in numerous plastic bags, soaked to the bone and covered in clay..
Thai people come from all over to celebrate in Bangkok, and the whole city shuts down for 3 days to celebrate, and with all the traffic jams of utes carrying lots of kids with drums of water around, we didn't really get to do much sight-seeing.. just alot of running away from the crazy thai's with the big buckets!!.. I thought I could try and blend in with my asian looks, but travelling with a tall curly haired white guy just made me more of a target!!
The tuk tuk rides, while pretty fun and a cheap way to get around were the worst for being a sitting duck in a bucket storm!.. some of our drivers would intentionally slow down when approaching a roadside party and sit while kids would just pour buckets of water down our backs, or when stuck in traffic, kids would jump off utes and run up to us with buckets and clay.. it was all pretty hilarious really..
We managed to get to Wat Po temple and see a few buddahs and wander through a few markets, but it seemed that they were mostly shut or deserted in favour of the celebrations.. Oh and we managed to eat quite a few servings of Pad Thai and chicken satays from the street vendors.. the most amazing Pad Thai I've ever had for just 20 baht (30p)!!..
The next day we did a bit of shopping in the markets (again it seemed that most things were closed for the holidays), but we managed to buy a few bargains and of course the essential thai fisherman pants!..
We took a longboat on a tour of Bankok by river, where our driver took us to this weird little zoo in the middle of no where.. the condition of the animals and enclosures was really bad.. but they put on an amusing snake show and we got to have pictures holding a python and a monkey (not at the same time)..
That night we thought we'd brave Khao San Rd and got a position at a table at a bar right in the middle of the action.. crazy water fights everywhere.. it's just funny watching it all happen in front of you!..
After 2 days of mayhem in Bangkok, we were glad to be getting out of there and flew down to Koh Samui and hopped straight on a ferry to Koh Pha Ngan with no other real plans but to find a bungalow on the beach for a week.. we had heard that the northern beaches were the nicest so we got a taxi up to Ao Thong Nai Pan and were lucky enough to find just what we were looking for at Star Hut.. A bungalow on the beach with ensuite, a/c, a small deck and a hammock for the price of a serving of bangers and mash in london per night!.. we were in heaven!.. I would definately recommend this place and would definately go back again!..
The week was spent swimming in the almost-too-warm water, playing frisbee (until the tragic disappearance of the beloved world-travelling glow-in-the-dark frisbee R.I.P), sunning in the blazing sun, reading in the hammock, eating the great thai food on offer and drinking Singha...
One of the days we hired a jeep and took ourselves on a tour of the island, sat in the cool waters of Thaan Praphat waterfall, took a quick dip in the isolated Hat Yang, then around to Koh Maa a small island connected by a sandbar which had great snorkelling, then down to Hat Rin the beach where they have the full moon parties.. This place was manic, tourists everywhere, and bar after bar along the beach pounding out cheesy tunes.. so we stuck around for a quick feed and then made our way back to our quiet and serene beach!..
Sunset over Koh Maa
The next day we took the jeep for one last trip to Bottle Beach and realised why all the guide books say that this beach is only really accessible by boat!.. the dirt roads were mostly rainwashed away, and pretty steep and scary in some parts.. but we made it to the beach for a swim and declared that actually our beach (Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi) was in our opinion, the best on the island.. the trip home was almost a disaster, we managed to get the back left wheel of the car stuck in a hole such that none of the actual tyre was touching any dirt (it was a big deep hole).. luckily we aquired that in-human strength you seem to get in times of peril, and we managed to lift the car out of the hole (it was only a little suzuki).. and i let blake drive up the hill while i walked.. (i didn't like watching the little tilt-o-meter go into the red)..
With the island mostly explored, the only other time we left our beach was to go on a scuba diving trip.. since neither of us have our certificate, we were only allowed to dive 12 meters accompanied by a divemaster.. but it was still fantastic!.. our first dive was mostly full of learning and testing our basic skills, and a quick look around at some nice coral, and some amazing schools of fish.. one school just looked like a shimmering rock wall, it was so dense with fish!.. the next dive was at Sail Rock, basically a big rock with a shear face that rises up and out of the sea.. We saw an eel, lots of beautiful fish and some amazing coral and anenomes!!.. it was a great day out..
The rest of our time at our beach was spent on Thai massages and discussing our plan to go back next time and stay a few months!!..
We arrived in Bangkok at about midnight and found that our taxi driver couldn't take us all the way to our hotel because the roads were all closed around Koh San Road because it was Song Kran (Thai New Year).. so we trekked along the almost deserted streets which were weiredly all wet with puddles of this white clay even though it hadn't been raining.. the next day we found out why..
The Thai people celebrate their New Year with full blown aqua warfare!.. water is thrown on anyone and everyone with whatever you can get your hands on (it's supposed to be symbolic of washing away bad luck)!.. buckets, water pistols, hoses, bottles, pots and pans and we even saw a high pressure gurnie being used!.. Some sort of white clay is smeared on people's faces supposedly for good luck also.. So, needless to say, we spent our first day in Bangkok armed with super soakers and all our valuables wrapped up in numerous plastic bags, soaked to the bone and covered in clay..
Thai people come from all over to celebrate in Bangkok, and the whole city shuts down for 3 days to celebrate, and with all the traffic jams of utes carrying lots of kids with drums of water around, we didn't really get to do much sight-seeing.. just alot of running away from the crazy thai's with the big buckets!!.. I thought I could try and blend in with my asian looks, but travelling with a tall curly haired white guy just made me more of a target!!
The tuk tuk rides, while pretty fun and a cheap way to get around were the worst for being a sitting duck in a bucket storm!.. some of our drivers would intentionally slow down when approaching a roadside party and sit while kids would just pour buckets of water down our backs, or when stuck in traffic, kids would jump off utes and run up to us with buckets and clay.. it was all pretty hilarious really..
We managed to get to Wat Po temple and see a few buddahs and wander through a few markets, but it seemed that they were mostly shut or deserted in favour of the celebrations.. Oh and we managed to eat quite a few servings of Pad Thai and chicken satays from the street vendors.. the most amazing Pad Thai I've ever had for just 20 baht (30p)!!..
The next day we did a bit of shopping in the markets (again it seemed that most things were closed for the holidays), but we managed to buy a few bargains and of course the essential thai fisherman pants!..
We took a longboat on a tour of Bankok by river, where our driver took us to this weird little zoo in the middle of no where.. the condition of the animals and enclosures was really bad.. but they put on an amusing snake show and we got to have pictures holding a python and a monkey (not at the same time)..
That night we thought we'd brave Khao San Rd and got a position at a table at a bar right in the middle of the action.. crazy water fights everywhere.. it's just funny watching it all happen in front of you!..
After 2 days of mayhem in Bangkok, we were glad to be getting out of there and flew down to Koh Samui and hopped straight on a ferry to Koh Pha Ngan with no other real plans but to find a bungalow on the beach for a week.. we had heard that the northern beaches were the nicest so we got a taxi up to Ao Thong Nai Pan and were lucky enough to find just what we were looking for at Star Hut.. A bungalow on the beach with ensuite, a/c, a small deck and a hammock for the price of a serving of bangers and mash in london per night!.. we were in heaven!.. I would definately recommend this place and would definately go back again!..
The week was spent swimming in the almost-too-warm water, playing frisbee (until the tragic disappearance of the beloved world-travelling glow-in-the-dark frisbee R.I.P), sunning in the blazing sun, reading in the hammock, eating the great thai food on offer and drinking Singha...
One of the days we hired a jeep and took ourselves on a tour of the island, sat in the cool waters of Thaan Praphat waterfall, took a quick dip in the isolated Hat Yang, then around to Koh Maa a small island connected by a sandbar which had great snorkelling, then down to Hat Rin the beach where they have the full moon parties.. This place was manic, tourists everywhere, and bar after bar along the beach pounding out cheesy tunes.. so we stuck around for a quick feed and then made our way back to our quiet and serene beach!..
Sunset over Koh Maa
The next day we took the jeep for one last trip to Bottle Beach and realised why all the guide books say that this beach is only really accessible by boat!.. the dirt roads were mostly rainwashed away, and pretty steep and scary in some parts.. but we made it to the beach for a swim and declared that actually our beach (Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi) was in our opinion, the best on the island.. the trip home was almost a disaster, we managed to get the back left wheel of the car stuck in a hole such that none of the actual tyre was touching any dirt (it was a big deep hole).. luckily we aquired that in-human strength you seem to get in times of peril, and we managed to lift the car out of the hole (it was only a little suzuki).. and i let blake drive up the hill while i walked.. (i didn't like watching the little tilt-o-meter go into the red)..
With the island mostly explored, the only other time we left our beach was to go on a scuba diving trip.. since neither of us have our certificate, we were only allowed to dive 12 meters accompanied by a divemaster.. but it was still fantastic!.. our first dive was mostly full of learning and testing our basic skills, and a quick look around at some nice coral, and some amazing schools of fish.. one school just looked like a shimmering rock wall, it was so dense with fish!.. the next dive was at Sail Rock, basically a big rock with a shear face that rises up and out of the sea.. We saw an eel, lots of beautiful fish and some amazing coral and anenomes!!.. it was a great day out..
The rest of our time at our beach was spent on Thai massages and discussing our plan to go back next time and stay a few months!!..
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