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South East Asia

February - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Sam Read more
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  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    11
    Day 11

    Day 11

    February 16 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Bamboo Rafting & Elephants

    After missing the sunrise which Alfie said was definitely worth it, we woke up and enjoyed a beautiful breakfast of watermelon and jam on toast. After gathering our things, we head out of camp and get picked up by a van and head towards bamboo rafting.

    Bamboo rafting was alot of fun, it was 3 per raft, so it was Sam, Alfie, and I sitting on these long shoots of bamboo with our "captain" effectively punting as along with a shoot of bamboo. We were the last to depart and whilst everyone had a relaxing time cruising along, we were hitting rapids and almost capsizing. With a soggy ass we pulled up and hopped back in the minivan to head for lunch.

    Seemingly in the middle of nowhere we pull up to a little hut with tables and chairs where we were cooked a chicken Pad Thai. We had been in our groups now for over a day and we were getting to know the others quite well. Americans, Itallians, French, Polish, it was a mix of it all.

    After lunch we headed back to the minivan and headed for what may have been my favourite part of the whole trip so far. We walked 10 minutes down a track and headed to this remote elephant sanctuary, where there were 3 elephants that had been saved from labour and were being bathed and fed. It was time for us to start feeding the elephants. Sugarcane in hand, we could either feed it straight to their mouthes or give it to their trunk. It was surreal seeing such massive creatures be so gentle. Their skin was dry and leathery with a small amount of hair and their trunks seemed so strange. After getting surrounded by trunks from 2 elephants on either side, it was time to wash them. The keepers lead them down into the river and we followed soon, taking small plastic pots to spread water over them, washing the sand off their backs. This was still so surreal but my face was stuck with a permanent grin.

    Saying goodbye to the elephants and their keepers, instead of walking back up the dirt track, 12 of us hopped in the back of a pickup truck and precariously made our way up. My insurance almost definitely doesn't cover this...

    Safely at the top, we say a deep thank you to Ron for a great experience and being such a nice dude. It was time to head back to our hostels, which was probably just over an hours drive from where we were. Passing out almost immediately I woke back in Chiang Mai and it was time to check in.

    Somehow, we had scored was a holiday resort with a massive pool, a private twin room, and an awesome bathroom for what was our cheapest night yet. After a quick swim, shower and our first load of laundry yet (yuck), we headed out to the night bazaar and met up with Sam (English), Sheryl (French), Anita (Dutch), Francesco (Italian) & Pietro (Italian) where we ate and drank and talked the night away. Saying goodbye to our new friends, some to never see again, we head back to our hostel, chuck our clothes in the dryer (which did almost nothing) and went to bed.

    PS alot of my photos are stuck on my GoPro for now so enjoy a limited selection    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    Day 12

    Day 12

    February 17 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Pai

    We woke up too early for my liking and Alfie didn't quite make it for his morning swim, but eventually we made it to breakfast and checked out. It was the day for the bus from Chiang Mai to Pai, infamous for its steep winding roads with 762 turns. When we booked our ticket it suggested we took motion sickness pills beforehand. We boarded at 9.30 into a small bus where our luggage was concerningly strapped to the roof. I quickly fell asleep on the way out of the city but not for long, as I wake up to my head being slammed into the side of the bus on the first hairpin turn. I guess the road had started. It was a beautiful road and would have been lovely to ride a scooter on, but that'll have to wait to tomorrow.

    I'm not sure if it was the motion sickness pills or I was super tired but I kept passing out before being woken from another slam of a hairpin turn. We stopped halfway where I grabbed an ice cream before heading back on the road to Pai. We ended up arriving an hour ahead of schedule so I guess our driver was cruising along. We hopped out the bus in Pai before we could check-in to our hostel but thought it was worth a shot anyways. We arrive and meet our host, Momo, who all the reviews had raved about. He allows us to check in early and we sort ourselves before heading out into Pai's main street (which for once was directly outside our hostel) and went for some lunch.

    After, we went on the hunt for renting a scooter. After realising that we were too late in the day to get any from the big companies that we were gonna get some from originally, we eventually found this small place with a very nice couple of people running it. They were fine renting to me as I said I had ridden before, which isn't technically a lie but isn't far off. My logic was an automatic would be easy enough - and I was right... only after taking slightly too long to turn the scooter on. Alfie however hadn't ridden before but one of the guys there (I think his name is Eddie) who was an 18 year old English teacher so, was generous enough to give Alfie a free lesson in an empty lot. What a dude.

    After the amazing lesson, Alfie hopped on the back of my scooter and we drove to "Two Huts" to watch the sunset over the mountains. It was as beautiful as it was touristy (which yes I know still includes me and Alfie). We drove back and meandered around the night market, looking at dry bags, a bookstore, and Jetboil brand backpacks??? We then grabbed some food - I went for a mystery meal but the ladies running the stall pointed and said spicy so I fucked around and found out. It wasn't too much that I would have started sweating but I was definitely not far off. We went via a 7-11 to grab some snacks then sat on some chairs at our hostel and ate. This was when we started properly chatting to Momo. He is hilarious and a lovely, giving guy. We were then joined by a German guy who kept telling me his name but I kept forgetting, and 2 English peeps and we sat around chatting and talking whilst Momo grabbed us some blueberry fried rice with sesame seeds and milk. Its hard to explain but apparently the people in the mountain make it once a year during Chinese New Year and we were lucky enough to try some. He then promised to cook some more up for me and Alfie to pack away tomorrow, as well as giving us melon and some soju, absolutely free of charge. He said he loves seeing people enjoy new food. What a fun guy.

    And with that, I had a shower and popped to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    1211
    Day 13

    Day 13

    February 18 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Mae Hong Son

    This will be a day that makes all my 2 wheeled lovers very jealous. After waking up at 8ish, we go and find some breakfast in a nearby restaurant and ordering a shakshuka and a mango smoothie we prep our bags and Alfie rents a scooter from Momo and he sends us on our way - gladly offering to store our large bags for us and giving us a banana and a tupperware full of the blueberry sesame rice thingies for our travels.

    Our first stop after the fuel station was the Doi Kiew Lom viewpoint, giving stunning views of many mountains and jungle far into the distance. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the actual road as I'm a responsible (aka somewhat scared) driver but I can promise you it was a lovely winding road up and down the mountains with great views either side. If I didn't want a bike in the UK before, I definitely want one now. The best bit was there was almost no other traffic on the road.

    We stop at Pha Mon Cave, which was not originally on our plan but there was sign posts for it and after nervously passing right by a security check without them batting an eye, we pulled over and with a quick walk it was clear that the entrance had collapsed and no one had been down this cave for a while. We hop back on our scooters and drive to the main cave of the journey, Nam Lod Cave.

    Arriving at the same time as Andy (from our hostel last night), we head towards the entrance where we paid 600 Baht for the 3 of us to be guided through all 3 sections of the cave by the light of a lantern. Our guide, again, was absolutely lovely but, again, I can't remember her name. She walked us through the first 2 caves and pointed out all of the rock formations that looked like something, from curtains to sharks, from frogs to breasts (yes really - it had a sign next to it describing it as "breast-shaped"). We then hop onto a bamboo raft - this time with seats - and we're guided through a river filled with what must have been 1000s of fish. I had brought some fish food and it was crazy to see how they jumped at food as soon as it hit the water. Above us, there were bats squeaking and flapping about. Apparently at dusk, all the bats flood out from the cave which must be phenomenal to see. Reaching the end of the cave, we get a beautiful view of the other side with trees and sunlight pouring into view. Our final cave had coffins from 1000s of years ago, as well as a very feint painting on the rock also thought to have been from 2 or 3 thousand years ago. We head back the way we came and then said goodbye to Andy after grabbing a lunch and the 2nd mango smoothie of the day.

    Our next cave on route was Mae La Na Cave - however like the 1st one, it didn't go so well. Google Maps I think decided to take us the "most direct" route which took us through decreasingly quality roads through a vilage that I doubt see many tourists pass through. Once we had climbed a sandy hill we decided it was time to retreat from our voyage and head back on the main road. Soon after we see signs pointing up a different road for this cave, obviously the "correct" route but was nowhere near adventurous.

    Alfie then starts to run out of fuel so we pull over at a 4.7 star rated fuel station. This fuel station didn't seem to exist but soon a woman crossed the road and after getting the message across that we needed gasoline, she goes out back and grabs plastic bottles filled with bright orange liquid. I point at my paperwork for 95 petrol and she nods that this is the right fuel so we pay double Thai prices - roughly English prices for a few liters and start pouring in our Irn-Bru looking petrol. With 1L left over we get going again, pleased that our bikes still work.

    Our final stop before Mae Hong Son was Tham Pla (Fish Cave) which uses the word cave very liberally. It was a small nature park with a river running through, part of this river was obscured by some rocks (cave) and there was a small hole where heaps of fish gather. I brought some fish food for these fish too and after feeding them and reading that this hole in the cliff contained spiritual water, we went on our merry way. It was a lovely spot and would have been nice to explore in other circumstances, it just wasn't a cave by most definitions.

    We arrive in Mae Hong Son and check in to our hostel (the only hostel) and our host let's me know of some good spots both in the town and for our route tomorrow. We then head to the night market which is a very small scale market we had seen before, we could have counted how many stalls there were. Nevertheless it was a peaceful atmosphere and I chose an assortment of meats on an assortment of sticks as that is mostly what was sold. And thus it was declared - Stick Day! After sitting down (on mats on the floor) and enjoying the view of the lake and temple, we headed back to our hostel.

    I spent the next couple hours talking to a lovely Singaporean dude named Hong Yao who was doing the full Mae Hong Son loop in the opposite direction before doing the Ha Giang loop in Vietnam. Mid way through our conversation a Dutch biker walked in claiming that he had planned to get the whole loop done in 1 day (which takes 3 or 4 minimum) and now had to spend the night here before leaving at 3am to get back to Chiang Mai where he left his passport. Very bold. Eventually we head to bed planning to be up to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning on a hill with Hong Yao.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    1
    1
    Day 14

    Day 14

    February 19 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Ban Rak Thai

    We woke up early at 6am to get ready to catch the sunrise, where I accidently threw water all over the floor in the hostel. Luckily, our host was up too and was happy to clean it up, not letting me help. Alfie, Hong Yao and I took a 5 minute ride up to Wat Phra That Doi Kongmu where we were a tad early for the sunrise, so we chilled for a while taking in the view of Mae Hong Son & the surrounding mountains before the sun peaked over.

    With a quick checkout and a famous 7-11 ham and cheese toastie for breakfast, we headed towards Pang Oung, also known as Little Switzerland. It was this small lake nestled among some trees, with a small campsite on the water front. It was a nice place but we didn't stay too long before heading up to Ban Rak Thai. On the way I used a self service fuel machine that felt super futuristic considering we were in the middle of the countryside.

    As we are about 1km out of Ban Rak Thai, someone flags down Alfie then all of a sudden jumps on the back of his scooter, obviously wanting a lift into town. Meanwhile, I was just behind them pissing myself imagining what was going through Alfie's head. Dropping off our possibly homeless friend off into town we park our bikes up and do the small loop around the man made lake where our friend gave Alfie a big hug. Ban Rak Thai is a small town right on the Myanmar border which strangely has alot of Chinese culture rather than Burmese.

    It's known for its tea, so we find a small café and sit by the lake. I went for an iced peach tea where as Alfie went for a hot apple tea, served with complimentary chai. I'm not sure how authentic iced peach tea but it was definitely nice. We then grabbed some lunch, which was definitely a cross between Chinese and Thai cuisine, looking over the lake once again. After a small ride up to the Myanmar border, technically crossing into a new country, we head back for Pai.

    The highlight of the journey back was when we stopped in a small village where a local farmer let us relax on his land overlooking the fields and mountains before bringing us water and snacks. After a 30 minute or so rest, we leisurely and carefully rode back to Pai, dropping our bikes off before hopping on our bus back to Chiang Mai. I opted for another set of motion sickness pills just in case and I can confirm they definitely knocked me out last time because I slept most the way back this time. The main stop was when we pulled over on the side of the road where our driver hopped out, checked the bus then ran down the road for seemingly no reason.

    Back in Chiang Mai, we check in, grab some food, and I pass out almost immediately.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    111
    Day 15

    Day 15

    February 20 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Chiang Mai

    Today, we were meant to be doing a day trip to Chiang Rai to see the white and blue temple. However, when we woke up, all the busses were sold out till 12.45 which then wouldn't arrive till 4.30 so that was a no go aswell. I gave Dang a call to see if he was free for Muay Thai but unfortunately he was in Bangkok. This left us with no real plan.

    We head out in search of a pharmacy and breakfast. A short walk away and we find somewhere to top up our supplies, finding suncream and some bandages. I also needed tissues, a razor, and shaving foam but I couldn't find any of them for the life of me. A stop in 7-11 found me a razor but no shaving foam. I had never shaved with a non electric razor before so i opted for a 10p more expensive Gillette razor than Alfie's Bic.

    After we grab some breakfast (now more lunch to be honest) from JJ's Waffle again, we head back to our hostel. I go for a quick swim then whilst Alfie goes for a nap I head out into town. I didn't really have much of a plan but I was on a mission to buy some more stuff. Without the tethers of Alfie's judgemental eye, I finally feel brave enough to buy a typical Thai elephant shirt, going for white and red to mix up the colour palette.

    At a temple, I met a dude who had travelled up from Phuket to buy wedding dresses and suits for his daughters wedding, as Chiang Mai was apparently the best place in South East Asia, better than Vietnam which although is cheaper, apparently won't last. I thought fuck it, and with his recommendation headed to Tom's Tailor where I chatted to him about the different materials and prices. Surprisingly, the suits ranged from £180 to £260, which was much more than I was prepared to pay for something I didn't need.

    I grab a mango smoothie, finally find shaving cream, and head to a park to do some planning along with a durian ice cream (wouldn't have again). The park was small and had a nice fountain with some very skilled slackliners set up not far from me. After an hour or 2, I order my very first Grab bike back to the hostel (imagine South East Asia's version of uber, but on the back of a scooter, as fast as it is cheap).

    After a while, we head out to a few of the night markets that weren't too far, where our mission was a dry bag and a shirt for Alfie. As Alfie's clothes are about as diverse as the Brits in Benidorm, he found nothing to his liking and declared he was gonna go to H&M tomorrow. I managed to find a dry bag which would be useful when we venture down South. After finding some fried squid which didn't have a lot of flavour going on, we sit down when I get a message from Hong Yao inviting us to a Cabaret show which just so happened to be less than 1 minute from where we were sat.

    Alfie went back home, but I joined Hong Yao for a 390 Baht experience of a night, with a Chang beer on the house. I can't super describe what the show was like, but it was an hour and a half of both drag and non-drag queens dancing & singing, with alot of audience participation & interaction. It was also an hour and a half of cheering & laughing. Leaving with my ears ringing and not trying their signature drink "Suck Me Please!" which was served in a penis shaped glass, we headed towards some bars.

    These bars also happened to be the red light district, as well as a Muay Thai arena, where for free we were able to watch a 5 round fight of green shorts vs yellow shorts. We obviously were on team yellow shorts. They both persevered but eventually green shorts was declared the victor and we headed towards 7-11. After grabbing some cookies and FINALLY finding some tissues, we chatted more about the differences between Signapore & the UK, where I showed him what a roast dinner was

    Eventually, I grabbed a grab bike back home, brushed my teeth and went to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    1
    Day 16

    Day 16

    February 21 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Chiang Mai > Bangkok

    Today was another day of alot of nothing. Woke up and my first mission was to shave. I've never shaved without an electric razor before so it was definitely a mission. 30 minutes later (which is probably embarrassingly long) my face was as smooth as marble and I didn't even cut myself. I'll count that as the biggest victory of the day.

    After checking out around midday, we went on a trek to find lunch - having not had breakfast. We stop and find some beef noodle soup in the only restaurant in Thailand I've ever seen a queue for. After our first beef of the trip, we head to another place and I grab a lychee smoothie and mango sticky rice. Out of all my smoothies, this was the worst - more of a slushee than a smoothie.

    We then head to a bookstore which didn't allow photos but had thousands of 2nd hand books which made it almost impossible to choose one. After maybe an hour I finally decide on the 1st Lord of the Rings volume as I thought maybe chilling on the beach was a good excuse to read. It wasn't until later that I realised I needed to read The Hobbit first oops.

    We collect our stuff from our hostel then walk past over a highway to head to a massive mall. It was a throw back to the Western world with H&M, KFC, and best of all M&S. Whilst Alfie was checking out shirts in H&M, I went into the M&S and somehow prices were even higher than in the UK. Shirt brought, we collected our bus tickets and grabbed a classic toastie from 7-11 before getting on our bus.

    Although it wasn't the VIP bus, only standard, the seats still reclined and I actually fit in them for once, allowing me to actually sleep most of the 10 hour journey. Also, one of the bus steward (I don't know if that's the name) was *definitely* flirting with me as every time he came past he would start chatting to me alot, even giving me his personal phone's hotspot. Main issue is, I had absolutely no idea what he was saying so I had to awkwardly smile and nod along trying not to be rude.

    Arriving in Bangkok at 4.30ish, we eventually find our Grab and get dropped off at the bus terminal. Getting another 7-11 toastie, we get given our boarding passes for the bus and ferry, given stickers to wear so the bus drivers could easily sort us out between the 6 different busses. Leaving just before 6, we were on our way down South.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    Day 17

    Day 17

    February 22 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Bangkok > Koh Samui

    Today was a whole load of travel. From Bangkok we boarded another bus which went from 6am to about 1pm to a pier down South. I spent most of it sleeping and having to rewind my audiobook after being woken up to the sounds of Gollum in my ear. Once we arrived to the pier it was a completely different vibe, crystal clear blue water, sandy beaches, and alot of people ready to party.

    Eventually we board our ferry which was due to get in at 4.30... this was a lie. Our ferry went to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan before Koh Samui which in my head wouldn't take that long. Turns out it took almost 5 hours. We spent the first part in the shade before I ventured to the top deck by myself for better views and better sun. I sat next to this American rock climber and we chatted a bit whilst he drank Soju straight from the bottle. Eventually this other American older couple sat between us and like every other American, were very chatty too. Recommendations received, we eventually arrived at Koh Samui for sunset.

    We grab a transfer from the pier to our hotel and check into the nicest place we've stayed so far. Quickly sorting ourselves out, we head to the night market and I get another mystery meal with a mixed fruit smoothie and a chocolate banana bread. I grab a much much needed shower and head out solo whilst Alfie called Daisy, heading along the main road. I can sum up Samui in about 2 things, alcohol and weed. Every other shop sold one or both of these things. This was definitely where people came to party.

    After eventually getting onto the beach, I call my dad and wander down towards what looks like a fire performance in the distance. Eventually I arrive to the steady drum of bass and I stumble onto the biggest beach party in Samui it seemed. Men in black and white masks did amazing things with sticks and balls of fire. If I wasn't by myself I would have loved to grab a beer but instead I wander back to the hotel, watching some Brooklyn 99 (on my data as the WiFi sucks) before going to sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    112
    Day 18

    Day 18

    February 23 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Koh Samui

    After a desperate search to find a cheap ish breakfast, I eventually find a Thai chicken noodle soup to munch on. Shortly after, I go on the search for a scooter to rent, using Google to find the places with the best reviews. After trying a couple and them not having any left, I saw a sign on the street that pointed to this random place. This was the quickest scooter rental in history. At first, he said 250 Baht then after I thought about it for a couple seconds it was dropped to 200. "For you my friend special price!". Already you could tell this was a reputable place. After not seeing my passport or drivers license and not even asking my name, I had handed over 5000 for a deposit and I had a scooter. I had a scooter but that didn't mean it had a number plate or any fuel. So after buying some overpriced fuel from this slimy businessman I rode away from what I expected to be the last I saw of my deposit.

    As this was my only full day on Koh Samui, I thought I'd ride down South on the island to experience more than just Chaweng Beach. After passing a beautiful viewpoint and meeting a Liverpool couple called Tracy and Paul (most British names ever), I made my way towards Lamai Beach. I parked my scooter up and walked along the beach passing resort after resort until I get to this rocky area down one end. I suncream up and head into the water which was the nicest water I've ever been in. This was no Scottish Loch, where you have to brace yourself every inch you go in. It felt like I was diving into a hot tub, just as warm as it was clear.

    After some time punting about wishing I had brought some snorkel, swimming over to the 'Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks' - which were just rocks shaped like genitals, I swam back and soaked in the sun on a beanbag. Though I had to spend some time patching myself up as some of the rocks were too sharp for my curious mind. Eventually, I walk back down the beach to my bike where a local dog decides he wants to hitch a ride. The cutest dog insists on sitting in my footwell, and when I eventually got him off, he would run alongside / infront of my scooter. He was adorable but it took a while before I eventually got him to stop trying to hitchhike Koh Samui.

    I grab a late lunch at this pier, very similar to what I had for a breakfast and then decided to head to the Tarnim Magic Garden (a garden full of statues of Buddha and animals) but halfway up a hill, there seemed to be a military blockade prohibiting access further up the road. Not wanting to get arrested, I cut my losses and headed back.

    Getting into town again, I return my scooter, surprisingly getting a full deposit back, annoyingly leaving it with more fuel than it had when I got it as I didn't want to run out on the road. After a quick stop at our hotel, me and Alfie head to the night market where we grabbed some mango sticky rice before heading to the beach so I could show him the fire show I saw last night.

    We head back via a local shop and a 7-11 where we could see a selection of British snacks including wagon wheels and digestives, as well as a very creative stall outside 7-11 with some fun bracelets. We get back to the hotel and after a quick attempt at turning on the TV, we head to bed ready for our boat tour bright and early tomorrow. It would have helped if the AC wasn't as loud as the planes that flew directly over our hotel.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    22
    Day 19

    Day 19

    February 24 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Mu Ko Ang Thong

    We woke up super early for a 7.15 pickup from our hotel, where we must have guessed about 100 wrong cards before the right one finally came by. A short journey to the pier and we were sorted onto our boat with maybe 100 other people - definitely not a close & personal tour - but atleast it made it cheaper.

    On the boat we were served a disappointing breakfast of a tiny crossing and a banana, where we were given a briefing from our guides Christina & Philip about what to expect from the day. An hour and a half later we finally arrive into the marine park. Most of us, equipped with a life jacket and a dry bag, hopped off the back of the boat into kayaks, giving us an opportunity to kayak around the edge of one of the 42 islands before landing on a beach, soaking in the beauty of this national park.

    This beach then took us to a very steep set of stairs, allowing us to climb them and reach the viewpoint of the famous Blue Lagoon (Emerald Lagoon). After doing a loop up and down these sets of steep stairs, we board a long boat back to our main boat where we eat a beautiful lunch with the best potatoes Alfie has ever had. We then are crammed back onto a long boat to head to another island with 3 options: hike to a viewpoint, explore a cave, or swim & snorkel on the beach. We opted for the viewpoint which was a steep hike on well defined steps with stops for viewpoints on the way up. We saw monkeys chilling in trees whilst surrounded by the whistle like harmony of insects and birds. After reaching the top and being very grateful for being a mountaineer (seeing the state some other people were in), we got a stunning view over the national park. This was all whilst Alfie donned his business casual attire from H&M. We headed back down to the beach and went for a quick swim before heading back onto our big boat on our way back to Koh Samui.

    After a nap, we arrive back on the pier and are dropped off at our hotel. We grab some food from the night market & book our transfer to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party tomorrow. Although tonight was the full moon, the famous party was tomorrow and I was looking forward to it alot. Deciding to abandon our plans for the barcade (bar arcade) as it looked dead, we go back to our hotel and shower before I have a lovely call with my mum then go to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth East Asia
    Day 20

    Day 20

    February 25 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Koh Phangan

    I'm writing this the next day and to be honest it was a blur so I'll say as much as I remember.

    The day started off late, so we grabbed some food and then booked our travel onto Koh Tao for the next day. We then headed down to Chaweng Beach for a couple hours. Whilst Alfie sunbathed, I took to the water and after messing about in the waves my new mission was to swim as far out as the bouy. This was great fun going out as the tide gently pushed me out and all I had to worry about was avoiding any potential jet skis. Reaching the flag I now turn around and fight against the tide swimming back to shore. Out of breath I eventually make it back to Alfie then sit on the beach, unintentionally letting the waves fill my swim shorts with sand. Looking down at my foot, it seemed at some point I must have stepped on a squid and my toes were covered in thick black ink, that wouldn't come off nomatter how hard I scrubbed.

    Eventually we head back to our hotel grabbing an ice cream from 7-11 for 1/10 the price as on the beach. We get showered and changed ready to head to Koh Phangan for the famous full moon party. We're eventually picked up from our hotel by a van and we head over to the pier before jumping on a speedboat. I can confirm this speedboat had earned its name, we were flying. Arriving on the island for sunset, we take a back street off the pier to avoid the superficial entry ticket and explore a little before finding some food.

    After grabbing a double dinner of overpriced food, we head to a store and grab our first Chang of the night, starting slow as it was a long long night ahead of us. The beach was still relatively quiet, as the party didn't properly get underway until closer to midnight. We walk up and down the beach seeing what we were in for, and our hopes for some dance classics or white girl tunes (my favourite genre) were dwindling as the heavy repetitive thump of electronic music filled the beach, taunting us with Sweet Dreams before it went back into electronic fuzz. This was until the sweet sound of Murder on the Dance Floor boomed from the speakers. The party had officially started for me. Dancing like a fool I was ready for the rest of the night.

    We then headed off the beach to grab the first of many famous Thai buckets - a small bucket filled with nothing but spirits and mixers. This is (unsurprisingly) when the night starts blurring. We eventually meet with Sam and join some people from his hostel. The beach was now packed with thousands of people dancing under the light of the full moon. Music blared up and down the beach, with a new micro party every 30 meters at a different bar on the beach. Coloured lights flooded the crowds and the ocean with people jumping over flaming ropes & performers throwing balls and sticks of fire.

    I ended up paying way too much for UV paint and I didn't even get a picture! The atmosphere of UV paint and clothing was pretty cool. Eventually I'm pretty done out around 4am and I head to 7-11 (which was completely rammed) to grab some biscuits - my new favourite snack in Thailand - before heading over to the pier. The pier was maybe the most chaotic place on the island. Hundreds of people wanting to get back home trying to push their way forward onto the boat. Fights were breaking out and drunk, high, or both partiers were shouting at the staff. Eventually I get onto a boat and sit right at the front. Speeding through the water, alot of people were screaming and shouting every time our speedboat bumped but I was chilling enjoying the wind drying the sweat off my hair under the light of the full moon.

    We dock on Koh Samui, where transfers from pier back to hotels were a bit calmer than the pier on Koh Phangan. Luckily, I make my way into a van heading to my hotel, probably skipping ahead of the intended queue. Getting back to my hotel, I knock Alfie awake and he lets me in before I shower the UV paint off and sleep for a couple of hours.

    The full moon party was fun, definitely a fun experience to have but I think I'm done with parties and alcohol for a while. The beach was full of empty bottles, buckets, and straws and looked like a dump by the time I left, although the next morning there is a massive cleanup effort which would have been nice to stay for - seeing the beach in the sunlight & help clean it - but I had to get back to Samui.    Read more

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