Journal – Four Wonderful Weeks: Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Nam Tok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Na Chon, Krabi town, Railay (Ton Sai), Phang Nga, Koh Tao, Prachuap Khiri Kahn

Thailand’s a pretty cool place, but not everywhere I went was equal. You can get a good basic understanding of how much I liked a place just by looking at how long I spent there. I traveled solo for most of the trip, and carried with me a 40 liter pack filled with clothes, toiletries, books, my I-phone, and my wallet.

Jan. 17^th Saturday night I arrived in Bangkok with Zoe, another Fulbrighter. We tried to waive the classic tourist option of jumping in the nearest cab, and were informed by the lady at the information desk that a bus would take us Khao San road. A friendly Thai student who we asked at the bus stop told us the same, but as we tried to board the empty bus the driver refused to let us on. It was very strange, possibly one of the first acts of institutionalized racism I have ever experienced. So we took the tourist route after all and dropped ten dollar for the 50 km ride into town. Once we got there we met up with Hannah, another Fulbrighter ,and after walking around a little bit I checked into the first empty hostel we found, a slightly sketchy dorm room with no lockers available and no locks on the doors. It turned out fine; I was bunking with some friendly Indian guys, a Pakistani, and a Thai girl. Then we hit the town, running into another Fulbrighter, Matt, extemporaneously. The night life was bumping!! Though a little fratty for my taste (see my section on tourism in Thailand.) The street food, however, was excellent, as it was everywhere in Thailand. Bangkok is just another polluted city, but I had a fun time there. Interestingly the military government shut down all parties at 2:00, which is great if you want to get to bed but kind of lame if you’re trying to go hard, as we were that night.

Jan 18^th Woke up pretty hung-over, what I would later learn is called a Chang-over (Chang being the cheapest Thai beer, which is also unregulated so it can either be anywhere between 3 percent or ten percent depending on the on bottle you get, though they are all marked at 6 percent). The Indian guys from my hostel informed me that the Pakistani had tried to steal the Thai girls laptop during the night and that most Pakistanis are thieves. It seems likely that there was some racism involved in this accusation but I liked the Indians anyway, they were very kind and one spoke great English and another had a really fantastic beard. Anyway I planned to hightail it out of Bangkok that morning, but given that I could barely form coherent thoughts from the excessive amount of liquor I had consumed the night before, I decided to accompany Zoe, Hannah, Matt, and Hannah’s brother on a day trip up to the city of Ayutthaya, which houses some of the more impressive ruins in Thailand. This was my first experience on Thai train, where I paid about a dollar for the two hour 120 km trip north. One interesting thing I found was that the squat toilets let your excrement fall directly onto the track as the train clattered along. Once we got to Ayutthaya we hired a tuk-tuk driver to ferry us around to some of the more interesting sights. Not the most exciting stuff but the last one in particular was pretty cool.

Then we hopped a shared mini-van back to Bangkok so Hannah’s brother could catch his flight home. Hannah was feeling sick, so Matt, Zoe and I got dinner at this amazing looking restaurant. It wasn’t amazing though. The food was ok but the foreign waiter was a dick and the food took about an hour. I’m pretty sure they forgot about our order and then lied about it. Anyway at least they agreed to give us a free bruschetta. After dinner we sipped some drinks and ate a subpar lava cake while watching some really impressive beat boxer dude and his breakdancing buddies before calling it an early night.

January 19^th The next day started with a really nice breakfast for fruit, yogurt, and granola after chatting with some interesting guys from Holland who I shared a dorm with. I then met up with Matt and we left Bangkok behind, heading North West towards Kanchanaburi by minibus. We walked around a bit and had an awesome lunch at a restaurant populated only with Thai people (pro-tip), and saw the memorial graveyard of POWs from WW2 who died working on the death railroad. Then we took what remained of said railroad north for a pretty ride through rural Thailand, passing sugar cane fields and often hugging sheer rock cliffs. As night fell we were fortunate enough to witness a stellar sunset over the River Kwai. The last stop of the railroad left us in Nam Tok, a town entirely devoid of tourists. We did see one Thai couple from Bangkok, but that’s about it. Fortunately the paragraph description of the town in my Rough guide was enough to lead up to a sweet bamboo shack, what Thai people call a bungalow and we got yet another great meal from a street vendor. Matt taught me how to play bridge and we drank a few beers before hitting the hay.

January 20^th The next day started off a little slow but picked up nicely. We got up early and walked to a highly recommended cave nearby, but it was closed. There we ran into the Thai tourists again and they helped us rent a motorbike and we set off in search of another cave. It took us a while to find it, but the ride was absolutely gorgeous and we also made it (accidentally) to hellfire pass (the area where the highest number of workers died working on a particularly dangerous portion of the death railroad) and saw the informative and dramatic museum and railway sight. The cave (Tham Lawa) was definitely the highlight of the day once we made it there, with multiple expansive chambers filled with incredible stalactites and mites and the occasional group of bats. Not to mention that we were the only ones in there. The one downside was that the pictures didn’t come out too well. Once we got out we were in high spirits and decided this would be a good time for Matt to try his first foray into motorcycling. He promptly fell down. Fortunately he and the bike were both unharmed, so we headed back to town, forgoing an elephant camp we passed after seeing the chained up babies and hopped a bus back towards Kanchanaburi. Once we got back Matt headed to Bangkok to catch his flight home, and I checked into a nearby guesthouse and caught a magnificent sunset over the river Kwai while playing with the kitties that lived there. The night scene in Kanchanaburi was weird to say the least. Lots of old white farangs and Thai prostitutes. The girls would sit outside the bars and call you in, chat you up, and play pool with you. And then they would try to get in your pants. One actually grabbed my dick. I spent most of the night chatting with some nice middle aged Thai ladies and lady boys that I met outside a bar. They were a little weird, but very friendly, even buying me beers to get me to stay with them longer.

Jan 21^st The next morning I rented a motorcycle to head north towards Erawan Falls, the 7 tier falls with crystal pools in a jungle setting rumored to be one of the most spectacular natural wonders in Thailand. Filling up the tank before heading out I met a cool Italian guy who was heading in the same direction, so we decided to ride together. The ride was magnificent and the falls spectacular, an hour long hike culminating with a dip at the top to cool off with fish nibbling at our toes.

After drying off I left my new friend and hit the road to get back in time for the night train to Chiang Mai, passing some monkeys, a snake, and stopping to buy a bottle of petrol at a convenience store (the lady at the gas station refused to put in less than 60 baht) which I ended up carrying with me until I rented my next bike up north. I got to the station with just enough time to grab some food and a coconut shake, but the nice elderly couple from Colorado who I shared a sleeper car with insisted that I eat half of their dinner as well. Being thus well fed I read up a bit on Chiang Mai and fell asleep to the rocking of the train.

 Jan 22^nd I awoke half an hour before the train pulled into Chiang Mai, not a bad way to cover 700 km for less than 30 dollars. Met some nice English blokes in the train station and we headed off together in search of lodging. We found a really great spot called eagle house at the recommendation of my rough guide, and spend the day walking around the Pai Gate area and enjoying the local eats. I made a smoking motion to our waitress at a vegetarian restaurant and she pulled me aside and handed me a bag of weed, refusing to accept payment for it!! Not bad Chiang Mai. Later that night I realized that I had lost my debit card somewhere along the way. Needless to say I was a little freaked out, but as usual my host family came through when I needed them and managed to cancel the card for me late at night after the English speaking hotline had closed. They also helped me check my balance the next day to find out my money was all safe, boy was I relieved. I think the most likely scenario is that I left my card in the machine and it got eaten. In Thailand, unlike any other country I’ve been in, they give you your money first and then your card, so I probably just took my money and walked away. Anyway I pulled myself together enough to get some falafel and play some beer pong with the English blokes. Turns out one of them was a really nice guy while the other was something of a chronic liar, I was glad to see them go a couple days later. The nightlife around the Pae gate was reminiscent of Kanchanaburi but a bit less sketchy. There was a Moe Tai ring where you could see free practice fights and plenty of bars with ladies and lady boys calling in people from the streets for a beer and god knows what else.

Jan 23^rd The next day I got a fabulous banana and pineapple pancake from our hostel (they also did great curries and vegetable omelets all for cheap). Then we rented bikes and road up to this temple called Wat Phrathat on a nearby mountain in Doi Suthep National Park. Neat place, lots of gold. Also a beautiful ride with impressive scenery and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. Even got to do a fun little hike near the summit, and arrived at the ruins to the south of the city just in time for sunset. Then we feasted at another veggie restaurant and smoked a small bowl while getting lost on the way to a happening bar our hostel owner had recommended to us. We quickly found ourselves wandering around a completely non-touristy part of town, but were still able to find a friendly Thai who smoke some English and was able to point us back in the right direction. Turned out the bar was completely non-touristy as well, full of well-dressed 20-30 something Thais. We stuck out pretty horrendously even by my lax standards in our bro tanks and elephant pants, but the cover bank was literally kick ass and we had a great time singing, drinking, and making new Thai friends.

Jan 24^th One week into my Thai adventure and I set off the epic Mae Hong Son trail, a 700 km motorcycle loop through mountains, valleys, hot springs, national parks, and waterfalls. The first stop was Pai, some 150 km and 300 turns away with the English chaps and some Russian swami and his lovebird in tow. Wow what a beautiful ride, stopping off for a dip in Mokfa waterfall and Tha Pai hot springs, basking in the epic views all day long. I truly began to fall in love with my semi-automatic  125 cc Honda dream during this trip. A fitting name for the bike. Finally we took a quick stop at the awe inspiring Pai canyon to catch the sunset before finishing up the last 10 km into town. Upon arrival checked into the first empty guest house we could find and soaked up the hippy vibes at the walking street night market before hitting a lively bar with a fire pit and a healthy dose of US exchange students. Little did we know that this was actually one of the lamest and most mainstream of Pai’s few bars…

Jan 25^th Started out the day by riding over the much lauded guesthouse called the circus school and checked into a 12 person dorm. They didn’t provide a towel or decent blanket and the rooms are shoddy at best; whenever someone rolled over the whole room would shake. But besides the sub-par accommodations the place is amazing. Swimming pool, billiards, hammocks, acro-yoga, juggling, etc., all strewn about the large courtyard and chill area. I played a few songs on a guitar they had sitting out and it wasn’t long before a befriended a Barcelonan smoking a porro and we departed with a Canadian girl, a guy from new Zealand and another Spanish guy from Madrid (after an unreasonably long wait for breakfast) to go river tubing. This adventure was kind of boring, picture floating slowly down a dirty river in the hot sun, but certainly a relaxing way to spend the day with numerous smoke breaks. Then we hit their favorite restaurant (the krazy kitchen) where an elderly pothead lady serves up pad Thais, strawberry lemon shakes, and tons of marijuana. She showed us a neat trick, bringing out the extra smoothie at the bottom of the blender that wouldn’t fit in out cups to top us off after a few sips instead of throwing it away (genius!). We then returned to Pai and hit up an open mic night at a bar called edible jazz. There are some great musicians in Pai! And I had the honor or performing alongside them.

Jan 26^th After a very cold and loud night I realized I didn’t have to actually stay at the circus in order to enjoy their pool/hammocks/ atmosphere. So I checked into a really nice spot by the river, paying only a dollar more a night for my own room, shower, and wonderfully warm blanket. In between lounging in the pool and sunning myself on the grass we took bikes up to the waterfall and Chinese village nearby (both underwhelming) and then headed to the giant white Buddha on a hill for sunset. After that I had dinner with the Russians and the swami told me that I’m a natural leader and I have to seize opportunities as they pass by, not wait around. We also did this walk in the woods life destiny personality test thing that was pretty cool.

Overall it was a good experience and he said he wanted to teach me, or rather for us to teach each other, which was nice but I think there may have been a sexual undertone. Anyway that night I stopped in at a jam bar with cheap beer and played a couple of tunes. The audience was very supportive and actually wouldn’t let me leave! Finally a woman who worked at a nearby bar came over and offered to pay me to play at her place for an hour so id decided to stay in Pai one more night.

Jan 27^th So I planned to hang around and work on my songs the next day (I had never played an hour solo set before) but by this point I had become thoroughly enmeshed in this strange multicultural group (symbolic of Pai) and they were planning to go check out this national park that I had suggested to them so I decided fuck it lets ride. Beautiful views but not much else met us at the park.  Decided to skip out on the krazy kitchen dinner (it’s really slow there, wonder why…). Instead I walked around walking street stopping in at whatever street food stall caught my eye, feasting on a burrito, a veggie wrap, a spring roll and ice cream, all unbelievably delicious. Maybe the nicest thing about the concert was that my friends all came to see me play. The guitar sucked, it was missing a string and then another broke half way through. Other than that it went really well. People seemed to enjoy the mix of songs and they were a very good natured bunch, even asking for encores. Plus now I know I can play in front of people for an hour no problem! It was a good experience for me.

Jan 28^th So the interrupted motorcycle trip resumed finally with the gay British Spaniard (he had emigrated from Spain some years ago) and the Russian swami following along (you can’t make this shit up) and we stopped at this jaw-dropping cave (Nam Lod) after eating this unbelievable breakfast at this unbelievable vegetarian restaurant (I got  an eggplant sandwich followed by an apple crisp, but everything on the menu looked to die for, I was saddened that I hadn’t eaten there at least once a day during my stay in Pai) Anyway the cave was pitch black and we rode around on bamboo rafts which seemed to be floating on a river of fish. 

We got out and explored multiple caves with our friendly guides who seemed to be there mostly to hold the smelly lanterns and point out stalactites that looked like random animals of artifacts. The cave was massive and awe inspiring and the boat trip felt like something out of harry potter. After that we grabbed a quick Thai feast before high tailing it to Mae Hong Son with a couple stops at the more impressive view points and some short nature walks. Once we got to Mae Hong Son we checked into a nice cheap place overlooking the pond and headed to the night market to grab some grub before calling it an early night.

Jan 29^th The next morning we had a great breakfast before hitting the road early. Our first stop was the Pha Bong hot springs that was really more like a smelly naturally heated pool, but it was nice just the same. After that we went off in search of Thailand’s biggest waterfall which was well off the main highway through some of the most beautiful rural villages and mountain roads on this trip chockfull of rural villages and mountain roads. Gone was the tourist Thailand where English signs and western meals abound, we were really in the boonies now.

Although the ride was amazing the Mae Surin waterfall itself was underwhelming, it was big and pretty but I had read in my guide book that we could take a trek down to see it up close, but the park rangers informed us with hand signals that we couldn’t, perhaps the trail was closed as my book was written some years ago. Anyway they were kind enough to refund our money and we continued on our way, but not before stopping for an amazing meal in one of the small towns we had passed through. This was one of many times I was very glad that my guide book had a small dictionary at the back which helped us order our meals, proof that Thailand can be as touristy or as non-touristy as you make it. On our journey onward we stopped for a glorious sunset high in the mountains, but realized we had little chance of making it to our next intended stop (Doi Inthanon National Park) unless we fancied riding for a few hours in pitch black, which we did not.

Luckily we saw a sketchy looking wooded sign on the side of the road that said coffee 18 km and had a picture of a bed on it, so I kept an eye on my km marker and sure enough 18 km later we were pulling up at what must have been the only guest house in 100 km.  The owner was nice and we managed to talk him down since we were clearly the only people staying there, and the rooms were fantastic little wooden huts for an unbelievable low price, so without a second thought we decided to spend the night in a town I later found out was called Mae Na Chon. A place like this in the States could have gone anywhere from 100-200 dollars, even in the middle of nowhere, but 6 got us each our own private cabin. We were pretty exhausted but not so much so that we didn’t fancy another delicious rural Thai meal; this time it was noodle soup washed down with some of the local whiskey offered to us by the restaurant owners. Bear in mind that when I say restaurant I really mean house that served food for money, as is often the case in rural Thailand. These were some of the most fantastic and authentic meals I got, and it never would have been possible without a little adventurous spirit and my own set of wheels.

Jan 30^th After a great night’s sleep we took to the road again, landing at Doi Inthanon national park after a few hours and one of our last delicious truly rural Thai meals. This national park boasted the highest peak in Thailand, complete with stunning views, two beautiful royal chedis complete with stone and marble carvings and amazing beautiful gardens right on top of the mountain. We also went on an interpretive nature hike with some friendly older Thai ladies we met and finished just in time to hit two of the parks most impressive waterfalls, Vatchirathan and Mae Ya before closing time. After one more meal in the boonies (an amazing curry) we headed north (now we were on a well-lit highway so we didn’t mind so much riding after dark) for an hour and a half and found ourselves back where it had all began: Chiang Mai. It was Saturday night so it took about 20 minutes of searching but we soon found a nice hostel and went out for a quick beer before calling it a night.

Jan 31^st The next day the Spaniard and I (we lost the Russians somewhere between Mae Hong Son and Doi Inthanon) headed back over to the Eagle guest house since we had enjoyed it so much the first time. I returned my motorcycle and we got a great western breakfast and spent most of the day walking around and checking out trekking and rafting agencies, as I planned on joining one the following day.  (I didn't use my camera much on the trek so excuse the lack of pictures). Unfortunately most of the people I talked to agreed rafting season was just about over and the rapids weren’t flowing like they were a couple months ago, and the other agencies seemed like they were just interesting in making a sale, so I joined on the self-proclaimed “non touristy hill tribe trek” which was two days one night and included rafting and elephant riding. I was a little reticent about the elephant riding, as it seems highly immoral to enslave such intelligent animals but it was the same price as the “just walking” two day tour without rafting or riding so I figured what the heck. That night there was a live free outdoor concert which featured a myriad of excellent performers from all over the world, and for the umpteenth time the past few days I felt extremely blessed to be where I was, doing what I was doing. I met some cool Europeans and then some cool Thai’s who I let drag me to another bar in the backpacker’s district although I had to wake up quite early for the trek the next morning. This place was bumping!! In one little corner there was a live music reggae bar, a live music ska bar, a live music metal bar, and a regular dance party bar, along with many others all with their own vibe and tons of frolicking young people. One of the Thai guys (a bartender at a popular local hostel) even insisted on walking me home after refusing to let me leave for about an hour though I assured him I knew the way. His intentions may not have been entirely pure but he was really nice and respectful so I didn’t mind letting him walk with me.

Feb 1^st Woke up bright and early the next morning to get started on the trek, the highlight of this was definitely the cool people I met. The trek itself was very underwhelming; we spent most of the time walking on dirt roads that cars could have driven on, often around cabbage fields, and didn’t even see any hill tribes or impressive views. There were some really interesting Czech boys who were studying in Seoul, and German girls who were pursuing their masters taking a semester abroad in Bangkok. It was refreshing to be around people my own age, since I had spent most of the trip with people far older than me. The guide was also a fascinating guy who came from a nearby tribe, and we spent some time discussing Thai politics and the problems with the elephant camps. He confirmed my fears that they were only kept around to please the tourists, and if it wasn’t for foreign influence they would most likely be living freely in national parks, kept from wandering into cities by low voltage electric fences. Instead they spend their lives in captivity, literally chained from birth to death except for to go on walks with tourists on their backs. We did see a few interesting things, like when our guide found a hole in the side of the road and dug away at it until a tarantula jumped out and latched on to his stick, or when we came across multiple budding marijuana plants by the edge of someone’s cabbage farm. It was also nice to spend a night out in the woods, cook dinner and make a large fire with a fun group of people.

Feb. 2^nd The next morning we hiked a little more and arrived at a river where we did some “white water rafting”. It’s in quotation marks because there was no white water. More like floating down the river, but it was somewhat enjoyable. Anyway then we headed back to Chiang Mai and I stayed with the German girls. We showered (amazing) and hit up a night market for dinner and some shopping (puke) before meeting up with the Czech guys and heading to the backpackers bars. The party was good but not nearly as raucous as last time I had been there since it was now a weeknight. Pretty soon the military rolled through and shut down all the bars as they had our first night in Bangkok, but we weren’t ready to go home so I asked a local if there was somewhere we could go to continue the party. He pointed us to a place not far away called Spicy’s, which was also recommended by my guidebook as the only late night party joint around. It was just your standard club, but kind of hidden behind a few doors and we hung out there for a while before heading to bed.

Feb 3^rd After this I was ready to head down south, so I woke up early, cabbed to the airport and hopped on the first plane to Krabi.  It was a nice flight, and during my layover in Bangkok I decided to forgo the overpriced airport food and wandered out into the streets around Don Muang. It wasn’t long before I found some street food and got a much more satisfying meal than I would have at the airport for a fraction of the price. After falling asleep at my gate and waking up less than a minute before my plane left the runway I arrived safely in Krabi and took a bus into town where I checked into a guest house recommended by the rough guide. The scenery on the Andaman coast was spectacular, with limestone cliffs jutting out as far as the eye could see. I booked a tour to explore Phang Gna Bay and headed to the night market to grab some curry and a smoothie.

Feb. 4^th The tour was again a bit underwhelming, as it seems many guided trips in Thailand are. It was heavily populated by wealthy older tourists and families, and I found myself fighting my way through crowds to get a glimpse of some rock that was in a James Bond movie which didn’t seem any more beautiful than the other 5 million rocks around the area. After that we got to take a ride in a kayak which was a lot of fun because you could go through these little underpasses to discover tranquil shaded mangrove swamps inside these massive boulders. But as soon as it began the kayak part was over and we were being whisked away to the next sight: a floating village built by Muslim families hundreds of years ago. This place was also really unique, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch under the shadow of gigantic crags and a golden mosque. After that we got to wander around the small village and check out the handicrafts, people playing and even kids in the three classroom school! Then it was back to the boat and back to the bus which ferried us to a not very impressive waterfall next to a cave temple whose main attraction was a plethora of the little monkeys you can see almost anywhere in Thailand. It wasn’t a bad day but I felt like just another tourist, and my 40 bucks probably could have taken me further on my own. By the time I got home it was too late to catch a boat to Railay, so I grabbed dinner and relaxed until bed time, as there wasn’t much of a party scene in Krabi town.

Feb 5^th Technically Railay isn’t an island, but it is cut off from the mainland by unrealistically large limestone crags so it can only be reached by boat. Along with this it boasts some of the region’s most impressive beaches. The next morning I headed down to the dock the next morning and after a short wait hopped a long-tail boat to Railay. The ride in was awesome, it was reminiscent of my trip to Zion, massive rock formations looming over you in every direction. When I arrived however I was struck by two things, the beautiful beaches and the expensive accommodations. After asking around a bit I learned that the backpackers area was located by the Ton Sai beach, and so I waded through the high tide and jungle paths to make my way over there. Railay is undoubtedly a rock climbers paradise, and you can’t walk far without craning your neck to see daring souls hundreds of feet above you suspended only by ropes, muscle, and bravery. Ton Sai wasn’t the most picturesque of the beaches, but the fact that it was surrounded by jungle rather than resorts certainly added to its appeal. Unfortunately all accommodations and bars were set back a few hundred meters from the beach, relegated by a 5 star resort that had purchased all the beach front property and was beginning to construct a wall to keep out the backpackers and rock climbers. I am glad I made it to this amazing place before the changes became too noticeable. Everything in the south is more expensive, especially on areas cut off from the mainland.

Walking up to my 400 baht bungalow I passed an Israeli guy sitting on his hammock strumming a guitar, so I went over and jammed with him for a while before heading down to the beach for a swim. There I met some Canadian girls and we set off in search of the caves and viewpoint discussed in my guidebook. The climb up to the view point was spectacular, something in between hiking and rock climbing, it was a nearly vertical ascent assisted by thick ropes and good footing. Halfway up there was a turn off for the lagoon, so we went to check that out first. It was incredible. After a steep climb down we found ourselves at a salt water pool, literally standing inside this giant massif. There were trees, caves, mud, and if not for the giant slack line stretched across the pool we could have been living in Jurassic Park. 

Unfortunately we arrived at low tide so the water was too shallow to attempt a crossing on the line safely. We met a cool Chilean guy and explored the cave, where we found a mosquito net and mattress pad, looks like someone’s been living in here! After that we made for the viewpoint which provided stunningly beautiful views of the Railay Peninsula. After that the Canadians headed back to Ton Sai while the Chilean and I went to another beach to catch the sunset before trekking back in the dark with only out I-pones to light the way. I met his friends and we had a nice meal at mama’s chicken before heading to the Viking bar for a good night of relaxed drinking and smoking. The bar was great, they had a slack line, cheap drinks, they sold weed and mushroom shakes, and even let you smoke out of their bamboo bong. It was a great place to meet cool people, and the night flew by all too quickly.

Feb 6^th Woke up and got a delicious tune melt from this cool breakfast joint nearby my hostel. Did I mention there are only dirt roads on Railay, and my bungalow is like halfway up a mountain? It’s actually really nice, except when you’re coming home drunk at 4 in the morning and the generator only runs from 6-12 p.m. so there are no lights and you forgot your headlamp and the fan obviously won’t turn on so your reallllly hot. Its times like these you learn to appreciate the cold shower. Anyway, I met up with the Chilean guy again and we decided to rent some climbing shoes and give the bouldering a try, we had heard there was some decent stuff in a nearby cave and down by the beach. Man was it tough!! I mean not just because I hadn’t climbed in almost a year, though I’m sure that was part of it, but they were just really hard routes!! I think I understand why most people stick to top roping. Anyway after getting our butts kicked for a while, we grabbed some lunch and went to get our butts kicked some more before retiring for the day and renting a kayak to explore the bay before sunset. Not a bad day but nothing to write home about.

Feb 7^th The next day we took part in the deep water soloing trip. This combined rock climbing a cliff jumping and basically means bouldering over open water so that when you get tired or just plain old scared you can turn around and jump into the water. Just over 20 bucks got us a pair of shoes, lunch, and transportation. They even brought some crappy snorkels along so we could float around and observe the marine life once we were tuckered out from all the climbing. The place they took us was on a nearby island, really beautiful and much more suited to novice climbers. There were plenty of easy routes down low, while the brave and the experts could fly up the walls like monkeys and jump from some 30 meters. I was way too scared to do that. In fact to my surprise the routes were so easy that my main limitation that kept me around ten meters was fear rather than lack of climbing ability. But regardless, it was a lot of fun to get some decent climbs in and get the adrenaline pumping, and I also spent some time snorkeling around. We had a picnic on a nearby beach which was also quite enjoyable before doing a bit more climbing and heading home. When I got back I wanted to take off for the eastern seaboard since I’d already seen a decent amount of the west and only had a few days remaining, but the long range buses stopped their evening service at 5. So I went as far as I could go which put me some 90 miles north in the town or Phang Gna. For some strange reason the bus left me on the side of the highway rather than at the bus stop, but there was a police man who put me on the back of his bike and for a dollar or two drove me the few kilometers to town. Once there I found a pretty nice cheap hostel, grabbed some pad se ew, turned on my fan that wonderfully enough didn’t shut off at midnight, and settled in for a good night’s sleep. 

Feb 8^th I spent the majority of the next day traveling by bus and ferry to the island of Koh Tao, deciding to forgo Kho Phangan (as I had Kho Phi Phi) due to time constraints. Neither journey was too noteworthy, though the ferry ride included a pretty sunset and pulling up to the islands in the middle of the ocean was pretty nice. Once I got to Koh Tao I quickly realized that most of the party scene happened at the beach a few kilometers down the road, so I hitched a ride over there with a teenager on his motorcycle since the cabs were all asking somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 dollars to drive me there, which seemed extremely steep to me after a month in Thailand. Once I got there it took some wandering around to find a place to stay, the island was pretty populated, mainly with scuba divers. But as always in under an hour of searching, being turned away by cheap places and refusing to settle for expensive ones I managed to find a room at a midrange place. The lady who owned the place agreed to give me a discount on the condition that I leave the next day, she just wanted to fill her last room and knew at that time it was unlikely anyone else would come by and I wasn’t going to pay her asking price. So I got my own large quite room just meters away from the main drag. Not bad! It seems most of the partying on Koh Tao happens at the beach bars where tourists drink themselves silly while breathing in excessive amounts of gasoline put off by the elaborate fire shows. It’s not a bad scene and generally descends into a mix of dancing and flaming jump rope and limbo as the night gears up. It’s a very college party vibe, with mid-20s-mid-30s Europeans realizing the glory days. I met some crazy French people and danced with them for a while until we were drunk enough for a night time dip in the ocean before calling it a night.

Feb 9^th The next day I had to wake up semi-early to check out on time, and I was still quite exhausted from the previous night of debauchery. So I checked into the cheapest hostel in the area and promptly fell asleep for another couple hours. When I awoke well rested I got some lunch, rented a scooter and set off to explore the island. My first stop was a short hike to a lookout point on the southern edge, which boasted magnificent views from the large boulders at the peak and sat next to the islands most pristine stretch of sand, freedom beach, with palm trees jutting out of the sand just meters from the water casting shade on hammocks and lounging tourists. Despite its beauty it was a little out of the way and thus not as populated as some of the other beaches, so I grabbed a banana, coconut, pineapple shake and hung out for a little while. On the way back I passed a street stand that looked like they made a mean sandwich, and indeed they did. I also saw a French bakery across the street and was enticed inside by the smells and stayed for a delicious blueberry pie. It had been awhile since I’d gotten one of those! I then continued my exploration till I found myself on the far north side of the island, closer to where I was staying, and visited another look-out/snorkeling area with great views of the adjacent islet. Along the way I stopped at a few guesthouses I saw on the side of the road to find the for the same 10 dollars I was paying for a dorm I could stay in my own bungalow just ten minutes down the road, and decided to check in there the next morning. After that I was ready for some good old fashioned beach bumming so I walked along the beach until I found a quite spot, took a dip, and laid out on the sand until the sun set and the mosquitoes started closing in. By then was ready for dinner, and after a day of Western food I was ready for a nice Thai meal, and so I got a reallllly spicy vegetable curry that hit just the right spot. Man, I miss Thai food! After that I went to check out a bar a little down the beach where I heard they sometimes had live music. The rumor was true but it was really nothing compared to up north. I met some nice European girls there and we talked for a while before checking out a lady boy cabaret show in town. It was interesting, a lot of scantily dressed lady boys singing classic western songs like “I Will Survive”. For the finale they took a few boys from the audience and dressed them up like girls, I kinda wanted to get picked but I was way in the back. After that we headed to the beach for (what else?) more drinking and dancing. I had planned to check out an advertised party at a nearby club but I was having fun with the girls I had met and was feeling too lazy to try and meet new people so I decided to just hang out by the beach. After the party ended we grabbed some food (an amazing hamburger from a street vendor for me) and headed to bed.

Feb 10^th First things first, after I woke up I went to check into this new bungalow place down the road. It was really nice to be in my own room again, and they even had a path that led down to the beach! I walked down and chartered a long tail boat (I’ve always wanted to say that) to take me over to the nearby island. I probably could have swam but it was only a couple dollars and the guy who took me out was friendly and even let me drive a little ways, which was cool. The islet was extremely beautiful but wayyy overpopulated with tourists. So I hiked up to the nearby viewpoint which was, again, strikingly gorgeous but maddeningly crowded. One nice thing was that there were these big boulders on top and since no one else there was daring enough the highest one was empty, and I was able to scramble up and have the best view to myself for a few minutes before some groups of Europeans were encouraged by my display and followed suit.

After that I headed back down and decided not to get any of the overpriced food and just tough it out for a couple hours till I got back to the mainland. There was a slightly submerged sandbar leading to the second, far less crowded island so I waded over and relaxed on the sand for a while until I found some snorkelers my age who appeared to be done snorkeling and just relaxing on the beach and I asked if I could borrow their mask, as renting them is way overpriced and this was supposed to be one of the best snorkeling spots on the island if not the world. It was indeed quite impressive, great visibility and a plethora of fish of all shapes, sizes and colors. After a while I headed back to the other side of the strait, which had cleared out considerably since midday and lay in the sand till the boatman arrived at 4 to take me back to the main island. After a shower and some dinner I hung out at the hostel and checked my emails since there was no Wi-Fi at my place. It was in a conversation there that I heard talk of this banana bar, which was apparently one of the few safe places to buy and smoke weed on the island, and since I was sick of the beer party/fire show vibe I decided to ride over and check it out. Only problem was the headlight on my scooter was broken and it was a pretty far ride up and down hills and along a dirt road, but I decided what the heck, strapped on my headlamp and set forth. It was quite a dangerous ride, in retrospect I probably shouldn’t have done it at night, especially without a headlamp, but I made it alright. I was the only person there (this place was in the middle of nowhere) but there were actually some hostels around, not a bad place to stay if you wanted to avoid the crowds. I bet 10 or 20 years ago the whole island was like this. I’d really like to hit some places like that during my travels next year. Anyway a French guy showed up not long after me, nice guy, construction worker, and we split a bag of some of the best weed I’d had in Thailand and smoked some bamboo bong with the owner before heading back to our respective homes.

Feb 11^th The next morning I decided I should probably hit the road to make sure I was back in Bangkok (some 700 km away) by the next night so I could catch my plane the morning of the 13^th. But the ferry wasn’t till two so I decided to go check out another viewpoint on my scooter, the highest on the island, where there was rumored to be another smoking bar. As usual the rumors were accurate, and I got to smoke the last of my weed while sipping a fruit shake looking down on the island below me. After that I returned my scooter and munched on a delicious veggie sandwich before boarding a boat headed for the mainland, Lomprayah to be exact. From there I grabbed a Pad Se Ew and hopped a train. I opted to skip the sleeper train and just go as far as I could for as cheap as possible, which landed me in Prachuap Khiri Kahn around 11 pm. As the ticket salesman had promised, I was indeed able to find cheap lodging there without difficulty, so I went across the street to where the night market was closing, found the one lady there who spoke some English, and got a mouthwatering dish of stir fried veggies (phad phak ruam) before bed.

Feb 12^th On my last day in Thailand I got up late and ordered another stir fried vegetable (my last L) while I waited for the train that would take me towards the end of my journey. It was a long ride! I underestimated the distance from Koh Tao to Bangkok, and it wasn’t until the sun was sinking into the horizon that I arrived in the city. Three things I can say about taking a long train in a 3^rd class vs a 1^st class (sleeping) car. The first and most obvious, though the third class car is not very comfortable the price difference is extraordinary, from maybe 35 dollars to 6 dollars to cover 500 + kilometers. Secondly, the food is wayyyy better in third class. In first class a professional looking lady comes to take your order from a set menu, and brings you back some overpriced reasonably tasty food. In third class vendors jump off and on the train at each station selling cheap snacks, peanut brittle, ice cream, drinks, fruit, and even meals with rice, meat and eggs. The vegetable options are lacking, but other than that it’s a pretty impressive system they got going on. Finally, the toilets are very different, squatters vs western style flush toilets. So anyway once I arrived I jumped on the back of a motorcycle and headed back to where it had all began, Khoa San. During the train ride I realized I had a bag of weed in my bag that I had totally forgotten about, so I checked into a cheap place, high up, with a balcony and smoked for the last time until I was to return to the United States 6 months later. I also bought a cheap hammock (that and my elephant pants are the only material items I retained during my month abroad), but refrained from going out since my flight departed at 8 the following morning.

Feb 13^th I stumbled out of bed just after five o’clock and walked out to the main road. As my hostel owner had promised, there were a group of taxi drivers waiting. Seeing me not drunk with a large bag, they realized immediately where I was headed, and whisked me into a waiting cab, and before I knew it I was on a plane with only my pictures, my journal, and my memories to prove it had all really happened. And so ended my adventure.