Day 10: Christmas Eve on Koh Tao

We woke up early enough to grab some breakfast and take in the view before being whisked off to the port to get on the snorkeling boat. 

(Seriously, the greatest view ever. Got to love those mango shakes!)

We then got onto a boat that would take us to four different snorkeling locations. We only had Chris' iPhone, but we more than made do. 

(The last stop, and where the most of these photos were taken, was called Koh Nang Yuan.) 

We then went back to Koh Tao. After relaxing for a bit we went to a different massage parlor (can't remember the name), which also had a beach view for coconut oil massages. This may have been the best massage I ever had. 

After this we went and got some dinner and went to enjoy the many festivities happening on the beach. In Koh Tao there are countless little resorts and bars lining the beach. Every single bar had a party going for Christmas Eve including some with live music and fire shows. There were also venders selling paper lanterns to send off with wishes written on the side. Of course, we bought two and set them off into the Thai ski. 

I can easily say that this was one of the best days of my life let alone one of the best Christmas Eves I have ever had. It was magical. I think I will be chasing this day for years to come. 

-N

Day 9 : Koh Tao

We got up after listening to the sounds of the waves and decided to look for breakfast. Chris did not want to eat at the hotel and wanted to see the big beach of Phangan. After a little bit of coaxing he got me back on the little death machine, also known as a scooter. After one minor meltdown on the bike, on my part--we were going up and down these large hills--we eventually got to our destination, Haad Rin. It was a pretty beach, but it was more or less deserted at that time. This  beach is famous for large and intense parties every full, half, and no moons (they clearly like to party).

We eventually found a place to eat breakfast and I ordered a delcious coconut shake. I cannot get over the access to fresh fruit here. And I should mention the fresh fruit is unreal in that the flavors are powerful, divine, and cheap. If you are going to Thailand take advantage of the fruit and the fruit shakes!

After we walked on the beach and hung out a bit before heading back. I wasn't as terrified on the way back and enjoyed the ride. I even tried my hand at driving it.

I did not want to leave the island, but we already had reservations on Koh Tao. When we went to return the bike we ran into an unexpected scam of the island. Apparently, as we learned first hand and from some other travelers later on, the running scam is to rent out bikes that may or may not have been set up by there owners to fall. And when the inevitable accident occurs, they'll try and bleed as much money out of the renter as possible. While we did not pay the original quoted price, we did end up paying more than we should have. As it turns out, if you go to the police or threaten to, you usually don't have to pay, because the owners know what they are doing is illegal. If you do decide to rent a bike on any of these islands here are a few tips: 1) Look at the tires. Do they have enough tread on them? Are the tires designed for more sandy and rocky roads? 2) If you fall, remember that you should pay for some of the damage, but no more than 1,000- 2,000 baht, 3) Wear the damn helmet and protect your brain, and 4) If you are being held up for money, threaten or actually go to the local police. Or if you have a nice hotel person ask them to help you. Remember, almost everything monetary, for good and for bad, is negotiable. 

After that experience, we were ready to leave and jumped on a boat to Koh Tao. We ended up at the In Touch Resort. I did not think it was possible, but I LOVED Koh Tao. I want to retire there. Such an amazing and beautiful place. If you are into diving, snorkeling, or just a kicked back beach vibe, then this is your island. I can also sing nothing but the highest praises for the resort. The restaurant was amazing, the view from their deck was awesome, and the people were beyond friendly. It was also very cheap! The bathrooms are a little rustic and you should be somewhat comfortable with bugs (only in the bathroom). But remember you are in tropical paradise, bugs are native to this environment!

Chris had been begging for a massage since we landed, so we found a place overlooking the ocean and both got Thai massages at "AC Massage" for around $18 for the two of us.

The view from the massage parlor.

That night we ate on the deck (see above) and then walked around. We bought tickets to go on a snorkeling tour around the island for the next day (x-mas eve) and decided to call it an early night!

-N

Day 8: Island arrival, Ko Phangan

Our morning flight was from Don Meuang airport down to Surat Thani province. This quirky little airport had been our gateway to Phnom Penh. It has a golf course right off the tarmac - odd! It was a quick jump down to Surat Thani city, which is mostly a transportation hub town. We found a bus/ferry combo at the Raja Ferry kiosk and were quickly whisked onto the bus. You have to travel to Donsak pier first to get to any of the islands.

The whole process, while utilizing three separate transport means (air, bus, boat) was actually very easy and enjoyable. And, aside from the gross-out sounds of a woman puking her guts out from seasickness on the ferry, it was a seamless process and we were at our next hotel by early afternoon.

Ko Phangan is the so-called "middle child" island, between Ko Samu and Koh Tao, and also between them in size. With white-sand beaches and waterfalls, it also hosts occasional parties on Haad Rin beach like the famous full-moon party. We had reserved a beach-side bungalow at V-View on the southwest side. It was a dreamy, relaxed atmosphere and really the highlight of the whole island for us. The staff was friendly and the travelers were in full chill mode.

We relaxed in the hammocks and swam in the ocean for a couple hours. Then, perhaps to Nicole's dismay, my restless desire for more activity-based fun soon took hold and I asked to rent a motorbike from the guest-house. Soon, a woman and her two children showed up with two motorbikes. We told her we only wanted one, she charged 200 baht for 24 hours, and made me sign a paper and hand over my passport in exchange. Her little one was cute running around with a helmet.

We were soon on our way to explore the island after putting a couple of liters in the tank. Many little shops by the roadsides in Thailand sell recycled bottles full of gas. But, while getting the feel of the bike and its turning style, I misjudged a turn and went into some sandy, bumpy road. We slid onto the bikes side, scraping the side up and popping a mirror off. My right arm was road-rashed along with my right knee and Nicole's hand. Shaken, we got back on and continued. We tried to make it up through the middle of the island but Nicole didn't like the elevation and curves of the road (she had a point) so we decided to turn back, filling the tank on the way.

note my stubborn determined look

We grabbed some Mexican food and margeritas for dinner at a place called Ando Loco which was excellent and a nice break from Thai food. Relaxing on the beach at night was awesome and we could watch movies playing out on the beach at the place next door to us. We went to bed and, after laughing at some lines from "Tropic Thunder" drifting their way into the bungalow, fell asleep.

- C

Day 7: Taking it easy in the Thai capitol

My stomach was better in the morning, but not back to normal. Nicole and I decided to take it slow and make use of the laundry option to wash our clothes at the hotel. We agreed that we were glad we had already hit some of the main sights in the city on our first day there. We talked about trying to see a floating market but realized that even early afternoon would have been too late in the day for them. Most are located outside the city anyhow.

We transfered hotels, but had some difficulty finding a taxi that wanted to take us near that part of the city due to the protesters who want to shut down the government. They believe that the current prime minister is just part of a corrupt cycle of family connections and not a representation of true democracy, so they want to install their own people. They are in the minority for supporting this change, however, as there is much support still throughout Northern Thailand. Walking through the streets where the protesters were, we were able to see and buy patriotic items from street vendors while watching a speaker talk on a big screen. We just hoped nothing turned violent while we were there.

Our next hotel, The Viengtai, was just one street over from popular Khao San Rd. - a moderately sized hotel with a basic, but charming feel. We decided to grab lunch across the street (an appropriately bland one for myself) and head over to Wat Arun, located to the southwest of the Grand Palace.

You have to take a ferry across Mae Nam Chao Phraya river, which costs 10 baht, or about 3 cents and it takes just a few minutes. Wat Arun is a spectacular temple, Khmer style, with incredibly steep stairs leading up to the second and third tiers - even steeper than those we encountered at Bayon and Angkor Thom. Visitors gripped tightly to the railing on the way to view the sunset and the surface of the temple, glittering with broken ceramic, colored tiles, and gold. Truly a breathtaking panorama of Bangkok from here, and even prettier when the sun went down and orange colored lights turned on to wash the whole temple in a golden hue.

We made our way back and tried searching for a place called Ranee's, which was supposed to be a good restaurant. Walking down the backroad, we were approached by a European-looking dude, who softly said, "Hello guys... are you looking for... anything?" We said we were not. We joked later about saying, "We're not looking, we've already found Jesus. Have you found Him?" and launching into a tirade that would have caused his smirk to fade pretty quickly. We found the restaurant, ordered an Italian noodle fusion dish, a fish burger and a large Chang beer. It was a tranquil end to what was a somewhat mellow day. But we could feel our anticipation rising for the next morning when we would fly south to the gulf side islands!

- C

Day 6: Return to Bangkok, Sukhumvit

We left Siem Reap early to catch a direct bus to Bangkok. It was supposedly the only one in town according to many of the travel websites, though many other agencies in town were advertising similar trips. It was a bit pricey and they told us it should take about 6 hours. We enjoyed some of the Western Cambodian countryside before arriving a couple hours later in the border town of Poipet.

Neither of us could remember the last time we did a land border crossing. It was odd walking through the small town, trudging up some stairs to the border office, and waiting in line for over an hour just to climb down another flight of stairs into Thailand. As we waited for the bus to proceed, we chatted with a British man and marveled at the two wheeled carts, piled to the sky with goods, crossing the border with just one or two people pulling them by hand. There was almost a slow-motion accident involving one.

Finally, we were on our way again, for not 4, not 5, but about 6 MORE hours. All in all, we agreed, we would not have done that again. We lost a good part of the day to travel when a bit of money more would have bought us a quick hop by plane.

Tired from the ride, we checked into the Phachara Suites, which is an outstanding modern hotel in a ritzy area of Bangkok known as Sukhumvit. It seemed to be geared towards business travelers with extended stay, as it was essentially an apartment complete with stove and washer/dryer. Hooray Wells Fargo rewards points. We ventured out for some dinner at a Chinese noodle shop in the heart of town. The meal was spicy, but delicious.

Walking through Sukhumvit is like a strange science-fiction version of the future, where every imaginable culture is represented in some small way, crammed into neon-lit streets. A bit what I imagine Hong Kong to look like. A predominant influence was muslim Arabs, some of the women wore a full niqab. Nicole was greeted by a man, saying "Welcome madam" in a sultry voice. We saw a couple of women wearing what we later found out to be called a batula/batoola: a gold face mask covering the nose area as a kind of "veil", similar to this one:

We stumbled onto an area that we had heard about as being the "red light district" of Bangkok known as Soi Cowboy. The bars, bathed in red neon light, were filled with scantily dressed women (and a few ladyboys) beckoning businessmen and tourist-looking single men in to play pool, have a drink, etc... They didn't seem to quite know what to do with Nicole and I, so we just strolled through. These startling contrasts to the women a few streets over decreed by their religion to cover head to toe, were interesting to see.

The night took a turn for the worse as I came down with a case of food poisoning. Damn that cheap, delicious Chinese food. I slumped into bed as Nicole tended to me.

 

- C