Thailand, known as the Land of Smiles, was somewhere that I wanted to go for a long time. It was the one place that I had really heard about before embarking on our SE Asia adventure, and perhaps the driving force for going to Asia. We began our SE Asia adventure in Bangkok, and I think it is safe to say that between being jet lagged and overwhelmed, we were extremely out of our comfort zones. After unsuccessfully searching for a bus that no longer existed, we gave in and took a taxi, where I spent most of the ride doing a head bob, fighting sleep. I’m not sure much could have prepared me for the chaos that is Khao San Road. Stepping out of the cab, we were immediately accosted by multiple vendors, all buying for our attention in hopes that we might buy whatever trinket they were selling. To sum it up in one word, it was insanity.
Our first few days in Bangkok were spent sleeping, walking up and down Khao San Road, eating Thai food, and occasionally adventuring past Khao San Road to see more of Bangkok. We made it to the Grand Palace, the Golden Palace, and to see the largest reclining Buddha, all of which were extremely interesting. One of the coolest parts about being in Thailand was going to see the Buddhist Temples, the impressive palaces, and all of the different statues of Buddha. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and it made me slowly but surely fall in love with Thailand. Although we were definitely out of our comfort zone in Bangkok, we ventured out to enjoy what would be the first of many buckets in Thailand. The end result was an adventurous encounter with some deep friend bugs, and a really strange night at a locals club… oh, and a pounding headache. Thai whiskey almost always results in a pounding headache.
We spent 4 days in Bangkok before making our to Cambodia, Vietnam, and then Laos. From Laos, we had a bit of an epic travel adventure back to Thailand and down to the island of Koh Phagnan for the Full Moon Party. In one day, we took a bus from Vang Vieng in Laos to the capital of Vientiane, where we caught a plane back to Bangkok, with just enough time to catch the over night train down to the coast, where we took a ferry over to Koh Phagnan. I think it is safe to say that we were exhausted by the time we made it to the Thai Islands. What can I say about the Thai Islands? They are truly a tropical paradise. The sun shines all day long, sparkling off the beautiful aquamarine water. The sand is a pure white with palm trees stretching high in the sky and then bending towards the water, reaching out into the horizon. In truth, the scenery on the Thai Islands is nothing short of breathtaking.
Ryan and I had ventured to Koh Phagnan with the sole purpose of participating in the Full Moon Party… and that we did. The evening after arriving in Koh Phagnan, we made our way from the beach of Thong Sala, where we were staying, to Haad Rin beach where the party was taking place. We began the evening with a meal from Mama Schnitzel’s, the legendary schnitzel restaurant, and then met up with some friends that we had met in Vietnam to begin partying. The partying is epic, to say the least. Everyone on the beach is dressed in scanty neon gear, drinking excessive amounts of Thai whiskey from buckets. The beach stretches for a few kilometres, and is packed with thousands of tourists from around the world, dancing, drinking, jumping over fire ropes, and being belligerent in ways that are only acceptable in a place like Koh Phagnan. In between sipping (chugging) Thai whiskey, painting ourselves, and dancing on tables on the beach, we made our way back to Mamma Shnitzel for what may just be the best drunk food out there. Within a few short hours, we lost everyone from our group and were left to dance, party, and drink on our own. I’m not sure where the time went, but before I knew it, we were drunkingly watching the sun rise over the water. By 10am, we were back in our not-so-cozy hut on Thong Sala, attempting to sleep off what may just be the worst hangover I have ever had. I think it’s safe to say that the Full Moon Party got the best of us. Now, would I do it again? Although I am happy that I adventured to Koh Phagnan to experience one of the most epic parties in the world, I probably wouldn’t do it again. Once was enough for this girl!
After nursing our Full Moon Party hangover for a day and night, we took the ferry over to the island of Koh Tao. Equally as beautiful, but a bit slower and more relaxed, I felt immediately at home on this island. Koh Tao is known for it’s diving schools, and we were there to do our PADI Open Water dive course. We began first thing the next day, and after 4 months of traveling and playing tourist, it was nice to learn something new and to use my brain again. We spent a day and a half learning about diving, the techniques, best practices, etc., before making our way into the pool to learn the basic dive skills. Once I had the dive gear on and was in the pool, all my fears about the ocean were gone, and I was ready to actually start diving. The following day, we set out to do our first dives. While under water, we practiced clearing our masks, using our partners oxygen tank, equalizing, and being buoyant. On our final day of dive school, we got to really enjoy diving, and I absolutely loved the feeling of floating under water. Although diving seems scary at first, it is actually very peaceful, and incredibly cool. The water was clear off the the coast of Koh Tao and we were able to see a ton of fish.
Once we had finished up our PADI certification on Koh Tao, we made our way across Thailand and over to the island of Koh Phi Phi. I was immediately struck by the landscape here, as it is nothing short of breathtaking, beautiful, amazing… and the list goes on. Koh Phi Phi has become fairly touristy and is quite run down by backpackers and families staying in resorts. While in Koh Phi Phi, we did a deep water dive, where we got to crack an egg under water and pass the yolk back and forth; we also did a fun dive, where we saw an octopus, a sting ray, 2 reef sharks and a turtle. It was easily the best dive we had ever done in terms of sea life. We spent a lot of time sitting on the beach, relaxing and soaking up our little tropical oasis, in between sipping fresh coconuts. What a life! One afternoon, we hiked up to a lookout point and got a stunning view of the tiny little island of Koh Phi Phi. Although it was hot, sweaty, and difficult in the heat, the view was completely worth it.
It seems that all good things eventually come to an end, and eventually we had to leave our tropical paradise and make our way back to Bangkok…. unfortunately.
If you want to hear more about our time in the Thai Islands, check out our podcast here!