The Bangover Part II

From Koh Tao we traveled back to Bangkok for another few days. This time, we triumphed in our Palo’s fried chicken run which was every bit(e) as delicious as its description in Fodor’s travel guide (My mouth still savors this victory). During our second go around of the city we saw the Royal Palace, a 125 foot-long laying Buddha statue, and several temples. For these two days Kassy and I wandered around by ourselves which meant we didn’t have access to a camera. Although in 105 degree weather, I can’t say we would have snapped very many keepers.

Surprisingly enough, the most cultural experience I had in Bangkok was going to see the movie “Les Miserables” at a mall cinema. Before the movie began, Thailand’s national anthem was played to a video of the King. Every one stood up and stared proudly at the screen, it was like the beginning of a sports event. The Thai ads were also very amusing to watch and made for a good substitute to the super bowl ones that were taking place. Afterwards, Kassy and I almost randomly caught a glimpse of the King giving a speech outside the mall about the importance of maintaining good relations with China. We were informed by an armed guard that we were not allowed to stay and watch from the window above.

One of my favorite foods I tasted in Thailand was the banana pancakes (not the type Jack Johnson was singing about.)Banana pancake carts line the streets and operate like a benhauna restaurant. The cooking presentation was a treat in itself. I don’t know what was in the batter, but these crepe- like pancakes came loaded with chocolate, peanut butter, and banana slices. Seeing as how they only cost a dollar, I have found a new meaning to the saying “biggest bang for your buck.”

On the last night in Bangkok, we slept in the airport to catch our 6:15 flight to Hong Kong. In order to evade an overweight baggage charge, Kassy and I (s)waddled onto our plane wearing about four sets of clothes.

Snorteling

From Koh Phangan we set sail to Koh Tao, a smaller island about 2 hours away. Koh Tao is most note-worthy for its excellent scuba diving and beautiful coral reefs. Less noted but equally worthy is the island’s stellar 18-hole mini golf course.

Koh Tao

Instead of diving with a self-contained breathing apparatus we decided to take the snorkel route. I’ve never had any experience snorkeling, except one time in Peter Bender’s bathtub, and the new experience took some getting used to. I used to be a in through the mouth out through the mouth one-way breather. In some health class, I learned about potentially harmful pathogens that float around in the air that our olaf factory can block out but our mouth can’t (it was something like that, who nose.) Ever since then I have practiced to become a conditioned bi-breather. This breathing method significantly reduces snoring as well as one’s ability to snorkel. The band Modest Mouse recorded a top 40 hit entitled “The Osean breathes Salty,” and I did, every time I inadvertently breathed in through my nostrils. Within the first five minutes, I had my daily sodium intake.

We went to five different spots that day, each one more georgeous than the last. By the third spot I was finally accustomed to breathing through the snorkel and experienced a more enjoyable kind of breathtaking. During middle school I remember that I went to pull out a greenish color from one of Crayola’s giant 124 crayon boxes (complete with  an awesome sharpener on the back of the box) and getting “sea foam green.”  I thought Crayola had really gone over board, which apparently they did, right into the sea. Once I submerged my head I saw a whole new world of well over  124 colors, including sea foam green. I could not think of nearly enough adjectives to describe them all.

If I could have done college over, I would have chosen to be a marine biologist. The sea creatures were absolutely stunning. Ohio State pales in comparison to the size of schools I saw in the ocean (thankfully I’m not buck-eyed). Unfortunately we don’t have any photos…yet. We took a waterproof disposal camera but haven’t developed the film yet. Most of you have probably snorkeled somewhere in the ocean before, and know what it’s like. The myriad colors and aquatic life that’s down there was a real sight to sea.  

Ariel made a huge mistake, I can verify that

“Darlin’ it’s better
Down where it’s wetter,
Take it from me”

Our route from Kuala Lumphur to the island of Koh Phangan was filled with a plethora of transportation methods. From our hostel we took the monorail to the airport from there we flew to Surat Thani,* then took two seperate busses to get to the coast in order to board a ferry that took us to Koh Phangan island. (We also took a taxi to our hostel.)

Koh Phangan

We spent the most amount of time on our trip on this beautiful island. The nine days drifted by too fast. On the island, time really is relative, businesses open at... sometime in the afternoon and stay open til.... lateish. The only thing that keeps track of time is the lunar cylce.

Blue moon party

 Koh Phangan is most famous for its full moon party, the largest monthly party in the world. A gathering of about 30,000 youths draped in neon and covered with body paint. The party didn't really need much more hype, but incidently enough for the first time ever, the full moon party landed on Australia day (at least 1/5th of the teenage wasteland were Aussies). The night was a bit of a blur, or a whirlwind of colors. At around 8:00 in the mornning we hopped in the ocean as the DJ was still cranking Frank Ocean (that's what happens at a party based on moonshine). Although the party continued to rage, by that time we had experienced enough and decided to call it a day/night.The party was definitely and experience. I am still painted and tainted from it, but a party like that only comes once in a full moon.

After the creation of the full moon party, the island became a little LUNEY. In addition to the full moon party, they also host the half moon and the new moon parties as well. However, the island has much more to offer than just the party scene. About more than half the island's inhabitants engage in some sort of yoga each day. The yoga classes are suppose to be world reknowned and many will stay for several months at a time to become certified instructors. The island's attractions bring quite the dicotomy between binge drinking party goers and spiritual yogis.

Elephant tracks

The BIG experience was being able to ride a towering 15 foot elephant. After being escorted up a rickety wooden staircase we climbed out on all fours to get settled into our seat that was tied precariously around the elephant's stomach. The whole setup had liability written all over it, which made it all the more exhilarting. The best part was at the end when we got to feed the elephant. I was quite ignorant to how an elephant ate bananas, and was trying to peel them as fast as I could. Our pal, informed me not to waste our time by taking his trunk and pluking the bushel out of my hands. The %&$@ was bananas.

The best part of our stay was our beach side bungalow facing west. With two porch hammocks facing the ocean, our days usually had little aspirations beyond finding food and sun screen. The view was stunning, it might even be the background picture to your computer or cell phone. The only glich in our gambler's par-a-dice (lots of poker was played on our porch) was the presence of bed bugs, but it wasn't really worth *itchin about.