We spent our time on the island of Koh Pangan. Well, most of it, as KPG is only like a million miles from where we live. Reality: A 12 hour overnight bus and 2.5 hour ferry and we were in business. The ferry ride did nothing but reinforce my extreme fear of being defenseless in open water. I freakin' hate it. Riding on a long-distance ferry isn't too far behind flying on the list of my fears. Especially in a country like Thailand, where you know, they sink. I'm reporting after the fact so I have clearly made it safe and sound, but that's not something I have interest in doing again, ever. I would like to say for clarification that if I were to find myself on a sinking ship, I would not go down without a fight. Mother nature, sharks, you'll have to deal with me. I got my dukes up.
In the end I'm glad I swallowed my fears and stuck it out, as it was a great New Years. Below is some photographic proof.
Bright and early 7 am just getting on the ferry. This one's for you mom. Here I am, alive and well.
The view from my bungalow was so much more than I ever expected. We ended up at the perfect place, staying not at the main beach but in a different area of the island. It was nice to have a little distance and privacy.
I spent a lot of my time in this position.
Afternoon spent at the beach. This is the touristy area, and it was jam-packed full of people 24/7.
Welcome to the full moon party. It was a fun experience but I have to say I'm not really in big-time party mode anymore. I mean, seriously, when did I get so old? Either way, I'm there. First one to hit the hay, first one up the next morning. That's the new me. I kinda' like it though.
As you can see, the locks on our bungalows were foolproof. Clearly, no one could break past this security. I didn't mind though, and I felt completely safe where we were. I would not have appreciated that arrangement so much had we been in the main area, but it was great for our location.
From the cliffs.
This photo isn't on KPG, rather Koh Si Chang, just off Si Racha. I ended the new years holiday by taking a day trip Sunday and relaxing one last time on the beach (well, last time for a few weeks anyways). I thought the water here was even prettier than on Koh Pangan. It was amazing to see how much nicer it is now then when we would go over the summer. I wouldn't have dreamed of swimming in it at that time; now, it's beautiful.
And the details:
I'll start off with my absolute favorite part. Jet-skis!! For me, it doesn't get much better than riding a wave runner in the ocean, especially when it's a particularly pretty ocean. I am always in pain when I finish, having beaten the crap out of my body going right into the waves at just the wrong time. Bam. Ouch. I love every second. I am not a crazy driver on land at, quite the opposite. On the jet-ski I can really let loose. It was super cool to ride with the cliffs all around, and we went out much farther than I ever would have imagined (that kind of sort of freaked me out). Awesome. I thought it was soooo expensive (500 baht for 15 minutes, roughly a dollar a minute), and I'm so glad my cheap-ass self was convinced to go ahead with it.
I was also really impressed by our accommodation. We were in the absolute perfect location. Far enough away from all the mess, but we could still get anywhere we wanted on foot. And, on top of that, it was nice. I had a big porch all to myself, several hammock options, and the best part of all -- a big, very clean bathroom. If you give me that I'm a happy camper. The rooms weren't any bigger than the beds they put in them, but I couldn't have cared less. It was clean.
We were very fortunate to have someone on the island book a room for us, as this NYE was the biggest night of their year. People were sleeping on mats in our bungalow office, on the beach, benches at the bar, couches and hammocks, anywhere and everywhere. I was very lucky not to be one of those people. Go me.
I had some delicious Mexican food, an occasion that never goes under-appreciated.
Other than that it was pretty much your typical tourist hell-hole. No complaints though, we were with great people and had a great time. I will say, like always, I wasn't as impressed with the water as I expected. All in all, Thailand has very few remarkable beaches. Now, from the photos I've seen if they're remarkable they are absolutely breathtaking. But, so far, the most beautiful beaches I've seen are all in Mexico. Hopefully I will make it to Koh Pi Pi and Riley (pronounced Ray-lay) and see for myself. A word of advice: don't go to Phuket. Every other island in that area is better, don't listen to Lonely Planet. I promise you.
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