Grant and Simon's Travel Journal

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KO PAN NGAN AND THE UK! (Si)

Wow, it's September 19 so this is a little overdue, but I can include some UK info at least. I'm in the UK now of course, and Grant is in Greece still enjoying the tale end of the travelling bug. Anyway, I should moan for a few paragraphs about how sick I was to dig up some sympathy form you all, and share a few thoughts on the UK so far!.

I travelled from Chang Mai to Bangkok, then straight to Surat Thani, which was about 20 hours in the train over a day and a half. It's quite comfy on the Thai trains though, and you can sleep, buy beers and pop to the Canteen room for a smoke if you want.

Upon arrival at Surat Thani, it was only a short Bus ride to the coast, and a not so short boat trip to Ko Pan Ngan. While the boat I was lucky enough to meet a guy from the US (Trev) who I ended up spending a lot of time with over the next week, and was unlucky enough to fall asleep in the sun and get burnt (just in time for a couple of weeks in the Sun - good show Si!).

Once on the Island, Trev and I travelled by scooter to a small French run bungalow that was quite out of the way, but was apparently the closest we could get to Hat Rin with only a couple of days to go until the infamous full moon party (yea).

The place was great though, quiet, hammocks on the bungalows, anti-globalization posters and so forth everywhere and yummy, if a little pricey (for Thailand) food. We spend a couple of days lazying in the Hammocks drinking whiskeys (without coke of course) and mouthing off all the good and bad things we thought about the States, and all the great things about woman. We hatched a plan to walk around the Island, but later discovered this was near impossible as much of the coast is just cliffs and natural bush.

Then it was full moon party I'd heard so much about!. We didn't get there until about 11pm, as an earlier evening at Hat Rin, when we'd started late afternoon, had left us a little worse for wear and ready to sleep at 9pm. So, whats there to say about the full moon?. It wasn't really what I had expected, nothing like Visions in NZ, more like lot's of bars on the beach and heaps of people. People were sitting and chilling for hours, then dancing for hours after about 2am, and by the early hours of the morning, the scenery had the added addition of people urinating and vomiting into the sea, and collapsing on the sand everywhere. A lot of the time was spent wandering up and down the beach like ants, and there were heaps of crazy people to keep us all entertained. Bars were selling all sorts of food and drink everywhere, and we were able to indulge in the delicious shakes Hat Rin is so famous for.

The Sunrise was amazing (the beach is called sunrise beach by the way), and it was probably my favorite part of the night/morning There were still crowds of people awake, most of us just sitting down and relaxing by now (there were still a few cat's dancing away like legends - where do they get their energy from ! )

So, with the full moon party over and my brain and body giving up on me, I got a taxi back to my bed, crashed for an hour then made the move to another beach we planned to stay at. I really needed sleep and started feeling quite energyless.

The new beach (I can't remember it's name) was much quieter, but still with a fair few people staying there, and ot was heaps nicer in my books. I went for a walk round the bays for a while with Trev and started feeling a bit sick so went back for a lie down. This was the start of a few weeks of lovely dengue fevor, which was the perfect way to end a fantastic adventure in Asia.

So, the rest of my time was spend shivering and sweating in my bungalow bed, with a little time in the hospital. I won't bore you with all the details but it was definitely the worst two weeks I can ever remember going though. I really feel for the poor bastards that had to deal with it without anti-fever drugs and fans!.

Eventually it was time to go, so we headed back to Bangkok by train. I woke up on the train without a fever for the first time since I'd started and thought I was over it, there was much rejoicing!!!!. But alas, it was just a trick. That night in Bangkok we spent some time with Al and Min, who were in Bangkok for a couple of days on their way back to Japan. They had just come from Tibet, and wow!, that had some ugly stories about the situation there!. This included watching a Tibetan truck driver be beaten up by two soldiers and thrown into a ditch because he hadn't backed his truck UP the hill to make room for bus quickly enough. The two soldiers had prostitutes with them, who enthusiastically congratulated them on their bravery.

The next day, Professor Dengue came back, and I was a mad Simon. Being tricked like this was the last straw. I still forced myself to go out and buy cheap cloths for the UK, and a few other necessary chores (which I'm stoked about now of course, as I have new cheap cloths to wear - tee hee). On the plane back, I was sitting next to a woman I thought was a bit wacky, but it turned out she was just enjoying the effects a some Valium. After a long long sleep, she woke up and was quite interesting.

We arrived in London after what seemed like a really short flight to me, and all I wanted to do was get a bed and crash in it, but unfortunately we had to negotiate the tube system, find out the budget hotel area, get there and find a hotel, which took most of the morning.

After a few days in the hotel, Lico and Vicki came back from their Austrian holiday, so we made our way over and thats where I'm staying now. I got better about four days arriving in the UK, and yea!!!, it's SOOOOO fantastic to feel healthy again after so long!. In many ways I think it was a good reminder for me to take care of myself, I don't want to feel anything like that when I'm an old man.

Brief thoughts on the UK so far :

- Big red double decker busses, just like you expect, fantastic!
- Expensive Expensive Expensive, especially getting around and accommodation. Groceries are quite cheap at some budget supermarkets though.
- The weather was grey the day we arrived, but has been sunny and nice most days since. That's not meant to happen here is it?
-Really nifty looking taxi's, and really slow and cheap looking police cars.
- People really seem to keep to themselves in public!. This is probably an impression reinforced by the polar opposite in India, but I am pretty sure the isolation is more prolific than in New Zealand.
- The tube is fun to travel on, and some stations are huge underground.
- London is another city without all the skyscrapers I was expecting. There are tall buildings for sure, but nothing like New York or Bangkok.
-Queues everywhere, as is the cliché for London. It's true though, kind of. Especially in banks and the like anyway.

I've since been looking for a job most of the time, and studying for a computer exam as well (sounds fun doesn't it :). The job market is definitely harder than the NZ IT market at the moment, but I'm sure something will come up. A big thanks to Lico, Vicki, Jenny and Karen who are letting me stay for free (for now...), London would have chewed up my money without this generous hospitality.

I guess this is my last post, unless Grant or myself become completely voyeuristic and decide to post the rest of our lives here. I've had a fantastic time and am excited about this year. I'm already missing my friends and family in NZ though (you know who you are) and it's going to be one fun reunion when I get to see you all again!.

Love to you all!

Simon

Ko PanNgan - Grant's version

I had a rather uneventful trip back to Dehli then Kolkata, but did learn how to play that strange card game those Indians are always busy with while they're skiving off work. It's actually quite fun but can last for hours - indefinitely actually.

Less than 24 hours after flighing into Bangkok I arrived on that lovely little island called Ko PhaNgan and found a nice beach called Coral Bay to stay for a few days. At that stage the courageous but naive Simon was planning to walk around the island so was waiting to hear from him via email. It's was a really lovely quiet beach to stay at even though there was quite a few people there (apparently an influx of post fullmooners). Amazing sunsets and really good snorkling right outside my bungaloo too - people even longboated in from other beaches to go snorkling there - cool huh!

After much email tag I finally managed to track down Simon and head off to find him. When I got to the beach he was meant to be staying at he was nowhere to be found. The bungalow staff said he'd left that morning - 'The bastard' I thought. Soon afterwards I ran into Trent, a guy Simon had been hanging with on the island. It turned out the poor bugger was in hospital, so I planned a trip there the next day to see if he was ok. So I get the hospital the next morning and (you guessed it) he's checked out already - what the? So I arrive back at the beach at who's checked in to the bungalow beside me - the crookest looking monk i've ever seen. Simon with his shaven hair and orange blanket shivering on his bed, with a non-too-impressed look on his face, was quite a sight I assure you (the moment is gladly captured forever on camera). Turns out he got Dengue fever from a nasty little mossie while trekking near Chang Mai. I'm happy to say he's all well now, but i'll leave the fever story up to him to tell - it wont be too pleasant I imagine :-)

So while Si was on the mend I was left to get up late, read lots, sun bathe, go for the occassion swim, watch topless women wander around, eat and generally be lazy - it was tiring work I assure you.

But now we're back it Bangkok and doing lots of shopping before we head to the UK - Simon's even getting a fitted suit! We just ran into Al and Min (Simon's friends) here last night which was cool. They've got interesting stories from their travels in China and Tibet - doesn't sound like the most pleasant place to be right now but really interestng.

Getting pretty excited now - only two more days and we'll be in London - wahoo!

BACK TO THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND

Hi All.

Since my last post, I've made it back to Thailand, spent a few nights in Bangkok, and then travelled to Chang Mai in the north. In Bangkok I stayed a night with the host family, and had some genuine thai home cooking that was really yum. We ate spiced green plant a bit like hard thin asparagus, a soup with lots of things in it, and an egg mixture, all on rice of course. My Thai family now have two dogs living with them, and they are EXTREMELY effective guard dogs (read - they hate everyone not in the immediate family). Their house keeper got bitten twice and has now left. They have wisely decided against another. This does mean every visit to the home requires a bit of room shuffling as the dogs are moved from room to room to allow me safe passage around the house, but luckily I've not had to introduce myself to the dogs directly as yet. Also in Bangkok I spent an evening out with Ken and his friend at a restaurant/nightclub/bar/live music venue. The only other activity in Bangkok of note was a visit to the red light area with a couple of English country lads, and once we arrived, one of them fell asleep, so we had to carry him back to a taxi, then put him to bed. It was also interesting going out with some of the staff of our guest houses, and finding out that they really don't like working there at all, the pay is shocking, and they really just want to find some rich man to marry and take them off to a western country!. In fact, there was actually a wedding in the guest house while I was there, between an Englishman and one of the Thai staff.

Chang Mai was pretty rushed, as I wanted to get down to the south of Thailand in time for this infamous full moon party, so I only had about four days there, three of which were spent on a trek in the Thai "jungle". The Thai jungle looks uncannily like New Zealand in parts, and is even scattered with ferns. Their was often thunder and lightning in the distance, but we were fortunate to avoid rain during the day times. None the less, the tracked turned into a good solid foot of mud in some parts (nice and steep down-hill bits!), particularly right at the end, ensuring everyone got the real jungle experience. The evenings were spent lodged in some hill tribe villages, although they were obviously used to lot's of western traffic, as the wore mostly western cloths now, and had typical refreshments available. Not very authentic as such, but still fun, and perhaps it's better not to go forcing treks in every remaining "authentic" northern hill tribe area, as it inevitably turns them into tourist hot spots. The hill tribes had the cutest little pigs as pets!.

The trek included a ride on some elephants, and some bamboo and standard rafting. The Elephant part was so muddy, and I was amazed at the steep sloshy bits the elephants were able to traverse through, especially without knocking us off. I was lucky enough to sit on one right at the front, and without a saddle, which felt much closer (to the elephant), although was a little rough.

The last night I managed to catch up with Touch, an old friend I used to know when last in Thailand, and ate some supreme Som Tam (see previous posts for recipe), confirming this to be THE single most delicious edible dish on the planet. Chang Mai is famous for temples, and I'd thus far not had the oportunity to view any, so Touch took me on a night tour of some of the more famous ones.

I'm back in Bangkok now, between two night trains to the south. Bangkok is coming alive in preparation for the celebration of the Queens birthday. Her colour is light blue, and there are ribbons, posters and decorations everywhere, and heaps of people are wearing special light blue T-shirts.

Ko Pan Ngan, if similar to Ko Chang, will have expensive internet access, so I might be a bit slow on the email replies and updates for a couple of weeks.

Take care all, I'll post again when back in BangKok.

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