From Koh Samui to Koh Phangan
Hi all,
Following on from the last post I did end up having fried crocodile. It was lovely. A mixture of chicken and pork but with a stronger taste. We’ve left Koh Samui and our lovely bungalows on Big Buddha Beach. We already miss it. Mostly I miss my hammock and the book exchange. Rachel misses the huge fruit and yogurt breakfasts we used to have.
Before leaving Koh Samui we visited Chaweng, the tourist capital of the island. We Fancied a night out on the town and we certainly weren’t disappointed. First of all we had to get there. We found some weird pick-up truck taxi thing called a songthaew (see below for a picture). It was a hairy ride but we got there in the end. The place was super busy. We found a cracking little street filled with funky bars where seemingly anything goes. In the first bar we were watching people playing pool. It’s a winner-stays-on scenario after watching a few matches and talking a good game I decided it was time to unleash my pool playing skills on to the world. I played one game and lost. I’m putting it down to the climate and the fact there were semi naked Thai girls everywhere putting me off. After a couple of bars we found an almighty out door club surrounded by a moat.
Picture of a songthaew (not us in picture)
The only thing I didn’t like about Chaweng was all the street sellers hassling you. I walked passed one guy who said ‘hey nice pants…they linen?’ I walked on. Two metres later I was stopped by another bloke saying ‘hey, nice shoes yeah?’ Anyone who knows me knows that I have never had nice pants nor nice shoes. It’s cheap and cheerful all the way. But we’ve been hassled everywhere we’ve been so far so we’re starting to get used to it.
To get to Koh Phangan we had to take a 45 minute ferry ride. The seas were fairly choppy so we had a hard time trying not to throw up. The ride was improved somewhat by the sight of two dolphins swimming away from the boat.
KOH PHANGAN
So far we really like Koh Phangan. There’s plenty of night life, mainly situated on the beach and it’s fairly priced. Our ‘hotel’ is a bit dodgy but what can you expect for 6 pound a night! Our stay there would be a lot better if we didn’t have to put up with some bloody cockerels screaming away at 6 in the morning, especially when there’s a hangover threatening. I swear, if I thought I could get away with it I’d strangle those little shits.
Our first night in Phangan was great. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to the beach for a good old drink. When we got to the beach we bought a small bucket of drink. In it we got a 250ml bottle of vodka, a can of redbull, sprite and some Thai rum. All for 4 pound. We ended up getting drunk with a Belgian couple, Olivier and Emilie, engaged that day. They were a good laugh. Fortunately Olivier didn’t speak English very well so I got the chance to practise my French skills. After a couple of sips from the bucket I was convinced I was fluent.
Rachel and the Belgians ended up in some weird contest with a load of other people where you had a balloon tied around your ankle and you had to pop other peoples balloon while keeping yours in tact. She was knocked out in the second round. She says she was confused about what was going on but I think she was just not up to scratch.
That’s it for now. Keep your eyes open for the news headline ‘Savage Englishman strangles kind, and friendly cockerels in Thailand’.
Au revoir.
