Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Party Paradise: Koh Phangan


Our original plan for Thailand was to stay in Bangkok all four nights. However, the moment our flight attendant notified the plane that we were getting in a half hour early, we had to call an audible. With an early arrival, we could catch the last night bus to Surat Thani and get on the early morning ferry to Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is one several islands off the eastern coast of Thailand and more importantly, home of the famous Full Moon Party. The Full Moon Party had already happened but a few fellow travelers told us that the island was worth checking out because there is a party every night. We knew they were right.

After almost 9 hours on the road, we exited the bus and rested at a café in Surat Thani. It was now morning so we munched on some breakfast snacks while waiting for another bus to take us to the ferry. After another hour of waiting, we made it to the ferry and secured our sports on the bow of the boat. Koh Samui was the first stop on the boat ride. It took nearly an hour to get to and seemed to be a destination for couples and honeymooners. Chase and I hadn’t moved much further beyond our relationship status of friends since the beginning trip so we stuck with the boat for another two hours.  By mid day we were on the island and en route to our bungalow. Several backpackers on the bus recommended staying at the Coral Bungalow so we went directly there on a limb. We knew they were right though.
 
Coral Bungalow’s was one of the finer establishments on the island and conveniently located on the beach; the same beach where the full moon party is held. Our room was the definition of luxury after our accommodations in India.  We have never been happier seeing toilet paper and a usable toilet in our room.  After walking along the beach and grabbing lunch, we took a much-needed siesta and prepared for the evening festivities.  Next on our plate was dinner and it couldn’t have looked any better.  Chase and I ordered two plates of pork Pad Thai and polished them off before the server could get us our silverware. So good. With dinner past us, we ordered a few more rounds of Chang beer and waited in the main dining area for things develop. It didn’t take much time to pick up and before we knew it the room was packed. We joined a table of twin brothers from Holland and fellow Dutchmen for some card games and good laughs. People from Holland are awesome.

Our table grew and grew with people as the night went on. Unfortunately, our fun times at the resort had to end, as our entire table had to catch a party bus to the Ban Tai Jungle for the “Jungle Experience”. Covered in fluorescent paint and ready for a great night, we made it to the jungle safely. There was one problem though. The party had been moved to the beach directly next to our bungalow where the full moon party is located.  It ended up working out and we made it to the beach fashionably late for some drinking and dancing.

We went to bed pretty late so our day started at noon once again. We were actually pretty impressed with ourselves. Scooters are the most popular form of transportation on the island so Chase and I decided to rent two; just to fit in with the locals. The next 5 hours whizzed by as we drove around the entire southern coast of the island. The views were amazing and we got to see what the island was like outside of the resorts and hotels. There wasn’t much but we did stumble upon a Thai track meet. They were pretty slow.




Before we turned in the scooters, we met up with the Dutch twins at the beach and relaxed for an hour or so before retiring to our bungalow. After cleaning up, we joined them again for dinner and drinks. We would remain there for the rest of the night. The Coral Bungalow was hosting its “World Famous Pool Party”, attracting Westerners and Foreigners from all over the island. Again, convenient.  It actually had a sign that said no locals allowed. This meant no cute, Thai lady-boys L. More body painting and more partying occurred in the pool and by the bar until early in the morning. Luckily we were up early enough to catch our bus back to Bangkok.

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