Ko Phangan

Once we got settled in “probably the most famous” party island in the world, we anxiously headed down to Sunrise Beach (otherwise known as the location for the Full Moon Party). Now there is this drink that you have to have at least once called “a bucket.” Basically, it’s a cheap mixed drink in a sand pail with about 8 straws in it. Venders have set up stalls along the beach and try to out-do each other for most absurd, crude, or wacky sign. “F___ my bucket” or “I give good bucket.” We had never-ending fun reading all the signs. When we got closer, they all jumped up on the platform, sat in a squatting position and simultaneously started shouting and “John” eventually got our business. So we found a chair and watched the fire dancers!
So it happened that the night we got there was the same night as the Half Moon Party, which is a smaller version of the Full Moon and in the jungle instead of the beach. It still is full of body painting, techno music, and a lot of happy dancing people from all over the world. We happily put on glow-in-the-dark body paint and joined the fray.
After a bit of the nearby beaches, we decided to check out the rest of the island. Our first stop was to go elephant trekking. It was just a short ride, but we felt like we should be saving the princess like in “Around the World in 80 Days!” They also had a pet monkey that climbed all over us. We loved it! After a brief stop at a Thai/Chinese Buddhist temple, we went to a beach on the northwest corner of the island. It was sandy, shallow and warm; just like a bathtub! We were also surprised to find that this place also had some really fantastic snorkeling! The corals were all different colors and the fish (including the clown fish) were varied and numerous- still not as good as the Great Barrier Reef or the Cook Islands. We went with our tour guide and the rest of the folks on the tour, but I was very disturbed to see all these people WALKING, STANDING, etc. on the coral! The rest of the group made fun of me because I took forever to give my feedback, but I didn’t care. Hopefully, they improve their coral ethics.
Because the boat to leave was cancelled an hour before departure, we ended up leaving Koh Phangnan the next day. So we took the early boat to a bus to a mini-bus to a mini-bus station to another mini-bus to another mini-bus station to a covered pick-up truck at a random corner in the pouring rain to a tour agency to finally our lovely hostel, in Phang Gna. Apparently, a mafia has that route covered pretty well, and all the guidebooks say to just pay what they ask and get to your next destination as soon as possible. So that’s what we did. Everyone’s gotta get a piece, ya know? This trip was also where we met our friends, and infinite source of entertainment, the Israeli guys. It is best described in person, but let’s just say that the saying, “What are we, chickens? “ and “where will we put them, on my head” will be forever famous for Mike and me.