Thursday, March 19, 2009
Photos
I've just added two more albums to Webshots: My hill tribe trek in Chiang Rai and the Full Moon Party in Ko Phangan. These albums are so on the opposite ends of the spectrum its hard to believe they took place in the same country. But then again, that's why I chose Thailand. I'm about to leave Ko Tao en route for Ko Samui. Alright, I have to get away from this computer, these two Swedes sitting next to me have the most annoying accents and laughs I've ever heard.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Call Me SCUBA Steve
Put it in the books, baby... I am an officially licensed open water SCUBA diver. Fuckin' A, right? The course took three and a half days and consisted of some videos, classroom sessions, tests, and lots of diving. We went as far down as 60 feet, so I am certified to go down to 18 meters. It's a pretty surreal experience to be breathing under water. I dove once when I was thirteen, but it was only in about ten feet. When you are as deep as 50 and 60 feet, you lose all sense of reality. You don't know where up or down is, you just float around having a good time, do flips and cruise for things that look cool. But SCUBA can be very dangerous, too. You have to constantly equalize your ear drums by pinching your nose and blowing out, sort of like when you are on the airplane to pop your ears. The pressure on your ears and lungs from being so deep can basically force your inner parts to implode, so you have to descend and ascend very slowly. But once down there, have a ball! The group we had was great. The leaders are around our age, a little older, and all the people in the group are in their twenties, so the vibe is very easy going and fun. Aside from our SCUBA instructor humping every girl in the group, I'd say the course was problem free.
But all the while, I couldn't help but think that the number one method for transmitting oral herpes can't possibly be through sex... it has to be through SCUBA... everyone sharing mouth pieces and what not, and it only gets rinsed out in water. There were some dirty ass people on this boat, man, let me tell ya. Maybe I'll write a joke about it.
The crew that formed back in Ko Phangan is slowly breaking up, as people are venturing onto the next phases of their trip. Long gone are the sweet sounding accents of the Swedish girls, the 'eh's' from the Canadians, and today we said good bye to Haley and George. It's sad, because we all clicked really well... but that's travelling. What began as twelve is now down to the final three: Kevin from Ireland, Tim from London, and myself, pictured below.
But all the while, I couldn't help but think that the number one method for transmitting oral herpes can't possibly be through sex... it has to be through SCUBA... everyone sharing mouth pieces and what not, and it only gets rinsed out in water. There were some dirty ass people on this boat, man, let me tell ya. Maybe I'll write a joke about it.
The crew that formed back in Ko Phangan is slowly breaking up, as people are venturing onto the next phases of their trip. Long gone are the sweet sounding accents of the Swedish girls, the 'eh's' from the Canadians, and today we said good bye to Haley and George. It's sad, because we all clicked really well... but that's travelling. What began as twelve is now down to the final three: Kevin from Ireland, Tim from London, and myself, pictured below.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Inside of You
I've been in Thailand for six weeks now, and I have met no more than five Americans since I've been here. There are absolutely no people from the States and I have no idea why. It's mostly British, Australian, and a million Swedes. This statistic ties into this story.
In Ko Phangan, every restaurant played movies and shows from America. One place ran re-runs of the tv show "Friends" all night and day, nothing else. One place played action movies like "Terminator" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still." So it's fun, you hang out with a nice group for a leisurely dinner and watch a movie. Well, this one place we sat down at was playing "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." If you have seen it, you know how funny it is, and if you haven't seen it, well, see it. So the American comedies over here are a funny thing. The Europeans and Thai's, although they love to watch them, don't exactly get them quite like we do.
The movie was at the scene where everyone is at the buffet in Hawaii, and Jonah Hill's character asks Aldous Snow to sing a song for everyone. Aldous gets on stage and sings a song about "being inside" Sarah Marshall. So here I am cracking up at one of the funniest parts of the movie, and everyone else is staring at me then staring back at the screen trying to figure out what is so damn funny. I'm sticking out like a sore thumb and I can't even help it. It was like this all week though. Superbad was playing another night and people sat down the whole movie without laughing once. Come on, when Aldous started doing that little dance were you able to hold in your laugh?
In Ko Phangan, every restaurant played movies and shows from America. One place ran re-runs of the tv show "Friends" all night and day, nothing else. One place played action movies like "Terminator" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still." So it's fun, you hang out with a nice group for a leisurely dinner and watch a movie. Well, this one place we sat down at was playing "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." If you have seen it, you know how funny it is, and if you haven't seen it, well, see it. So the American comedies over here are a funny thing. The Europeans and Thai's, although they love to watch them, don't exactly get them quite like we do.
The movie was at the scene where everyone is at the buffet in Hawaii, and Jonah Hill's character asks Aldous Snow to sing a song for everyone. Aldous gets on stage and sings a song about "being inside" Sarah Marshall. So here I am cracking up at one of the funniest parts of the movie, and everyone else is staring at me then staring back at the screen trying to figure out what is so damn funny. I'm sticking out like a sore thumb and I can't even help it. It was like this all week though. Superbad was playing another night and people sat down the whole movie without laughing once. Come on, when Aldous started doing that little dance were you able to hold in your laugh?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Ko Tao-rible
F me in the A. After a day of recovering, Tim from London, Kevin from Ireland, the Swedish girls, the English couple George and Haley, and I took a ferry to Ko Tao, a tiny island 2 hours north of Ko Phangan, who's rep stems from being one of the cheapest SCUBA certification spots in the world. Little did we know, however, every other Full Moon Partier was on their way as well. We hit Ko Tao at 2 p.m. and it was an immediate scramble to find a place to stay, but there was absolutely nothing. We walked and walked, and walked some more. The girls sat and ate while George and I went place to place for another hour in search of a place to lay our head for the night. The only option was a smack-dab on the beach villa for 1,800 Baht, which is not terrible considering how many people we had. But by the time we came back to check in, he had already given the place away. So back to square one. It was getting late and options were wearing thin. We proposed the idea of sleeping on the beach, and while most of us were keen on it, the Swedish queens, of course, were not. So they paid more than we were willing to shell out for a small room. Soon after, Kevin, George, Haley and I started scouting locations to set up camp. We found a nice little patch of sand away from the drunk passerbyers, laid out all our blankets and towels, threw the mosquito net over our faces, and tried to bear with it. It would have been a damn cool adventure had the mosquitos not been all over the place, and at around one we had to change spots. We found some hammocks, but that lasted a mere hour before the bugs followed us. We walked further down the beach where a party was taking place. There were bean bags all over the sand, people dancing all around them, and we figured that if we could deal with the blaring techno, atleast we'd be comfortable. So, here's the situation... we're hot, sweaty, tired, and we're right in the middle of a rave, ladyboy transvestites dancing all around us while we're just trying to settle into a bean bag and pass out. That lasted us through 6:30 a.m., and at that point it was another scramble to find a place to stay.
Unfortunately, no hotels know who's checking out and when, so you just have to be at he right place at the right time and hope people are leaving as you are entering. After going to a couple places, it was evident that it would be pure luck to land five of us in one room let alone two. After a quick chat with a ladyboy hotel manager, something started to brew. Maybe it was the cute twinkle in my eye or maybe it was the Ladyboy's odd view on sexuality, but he/she was quite keen on me. There was only one small room for two available, and I knew that if I had any shot of getting all five of us a room, I would need to up my Ladyboy flirting skills and convince her to give us this four person bungalow that was already reserved for two people. At this time, it might be our only shot of getting everyone accommodated. After some playful giggling, some smiles, and even a little fake gayness on my end, Tilda the Ladyboy said, "I take care you. I give you big bungalow for you friends and I put other people in small bungalow. I like you." So, in a town and location where everyone is paying upwards of 400 Baht each for a place, the five us are paying 160 Baht each to stay in a bungalow with two double beds, George and Haley in one and me, Tim, and Kevin in the other... oh, the trials and tribulations of being a budget traveller. We should be starting our SCUBA course tomorrow or the next day.
In the meantime, enjoy another classic moment from Full Moon Party debauchery.
Unfortunately, no hotels know who's checking out and when, so you just have to be at he right place at the right time and hope people are leaving as you are entering. After going to a couple places, it was evident that it would be pure luck to land five of us in one room let alone two. After a quick chat with a ladyboy hotel manager, something started to brew. Maybe it was the cute twinkle in my eye or maybe it was the Ladyboy's odd view on sexuality, but he/she was quite keen on me. There was only one small room for two available, and I knew that if I had any shot of getting all five of us a room, I would need to up my Ladyboy flirting skills and convince her to give us this four person bungalow that was already reserved for two people. At this time, it might be our only shot of getting everyone accommodated. After some playful giggling, some smiles, and even a little fake gayness on my end, Tilda the Ladyboy said, "I take care you. I give you big bungalow for you friends and I put other people in small bungalow. I like you." So, in a town and location where everyone is paying upwards of 400 Baht each for a place, the five us are paying 160 Baht each to stay in a bungalow with two double beds, George and Haley in one and me, Tim, and Kevin in the other... oh, the trials and tribulations of being a budget traveller. We should be starting our SCUBA course tomorrow or the next day.
In the meantime, enjoy another classic moment from Full Moon Party debauchery.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Full Moon Party Results
All I can say is... what a freakin' week. The Full Moon Party was last night, and it was a spectacle to say the least. Let's start with the basics first, though. It starts getting really crowded here about three days before, and the parties leading up to it get progressively more crowded, crazier, louder, later and unfortunately more dangerous, but that's expected. I was hanging with these two really cool French couples my first couple days here about a week ago, but they left. Soon after I got together with a really chill dude from England named Tim. From there, we buddied up with ten other people from our bunglaow and for the last four nights have been gelling really well and having a great time together. The rest of the group comprised of two girls from Vancouver, a Heath Ledger look alike from Ireland who think NYC is the greatest place in the world, a couple from England, two Swedish girls who play soccer better than any guy I know, and an Irish chick (we already know how I feel about girls with Irish accents).
The Full Moon Party is the culmination of an entire week of partying leading up to it, set under the full moon. People dress up in costumes, get body paint designs, wear funny outrageous colors, and wear sweet arm bands. The DJ's start spinning at 9p.m. and don't stop until 11 a.m. on a beach about 2/3's of a mile long. At around 2 a.m. when the party is in full swing, roughly 10,000 people fill the beach end to end. Boats of people come from other islands just to take part. DJ booth follows DJ booth, beach bar follows beach bar, and the music is so loud you can walk through one set of speakers to the next and not hear anything else but the music playing right in front of you. As for drinks, you get a bucket. Yes, a bucket. You go up to the bar and ask for whatever you want with whatever mix, and they pour it into a big bucket. If your negotiating skills/people skills are up to par, you should be able to get a medium sized bottle of any alcohol with a couple of mixers for $4.
Every travel blog I read prior to this trip writes that roughly 3 people die at every Full Moon Party. I got to tell you, I am surprized it's not more. There's 10,000 people on a beach dancing to techno all night, drugged out and/or drunk like never before, and with an ocean in front of them. Something HAS to go wrong. I saw as one guy punched another guy, then two friends of the guy who got punched smashed a bottle over the other guy's head, and once he was down they kicked him and punched him until he stopped moving. The beaten man got up and stumbled ten feet, and the three guys went after him again. Come 5 a.m. half the people left on the beach are either sprawled out in the sand dead passed out, fucking, or crying on a telephone. Unfortunately, the beach gets absolutely trashed, bottles are all over the place, sandals and clothing are everywhere, and if you didn't bring shoes with you then say hello to stitches. And let's not forget, this is the time when people try alot of different things for the first time.
But amidst all of the bad there is so much fun to be had. If you're with a great group and the vibe is nice, what could be better than dancing on a beach all night under a full moon with a big ass bucket of whatever you want in your hand!? So for me, I took it in stride, as I feel alot of poeple do as well. You don't LOVE the Full Moon Party... you moreso love the concept of the Full Moon Party. So in my opinion, I'd say it's absolutely something that should be experienced. It's a spectacle, it's one of the most reknown parties on the planet, and it's great to be part of it. But one is certainly enough for me. If you are a raver, you love to drop E, and you don't mind people puking around you all night, well, call this place home.
The Full Moon Party is the culmination of an entire week of partying leading up to it, set under the full moon. People dress up in costumes, get body paint designs, wear funny outrageous colors, and wear sweet arm bands. The DJ's start spinning at 9p.m. and don't stop until 11 a.m. on a beach about 2/3's of a mile long. At around 2 a.m. when the party is in full swing, roughly 10,000 people fill the beach end to end. Boats of people come from other islands just to take part. DJ booth follows DJ booth, beach bar follows beach bar, and the music is so loud you can walk through one set of speakers to the next and not hear anything else but the music playing right in front of you. As for drinks, you get a bucket. Yes, a bucket. You go up to the bar and ask for whatever you want with whatever mix, and they pour it into a big bucket. If your negotiating skills/people skills are up to par, you should be able to get a medium sized bottle of any alcohol with a couple of mixers for $4.
Every travel blog I read prior to this trip writes that roughly 3 people die at every Full Moon Party. I got to tell you, I am surprized it's not more. There's 10,000 people on a beach dancing to techno all night, drugged out and/or drunk like never before, and with an ocean in front of them. Something HAS to go wrong. I saw as one guy punched another guy, then two friends of the guy who got punched smashed a bottle over the other guy's head, and once he was down they kicked him and punched him until he stopped moving. The beaten man got up and stumbled ten feet, and the three guys went after him again. Come 5 a.m. half the people left on the beach are either sprawled out in the sand dead passed out, fucking, or crying on a telephone. Unfortunately, the beach gets absolutely trashed, bottles are all over the place, sandals and clothing are everywhere, and if you didn't bring shoes with you then say hello to stitches. And let's not forget, this is the time when people try alot of different things for the first time.
But amidst all of the bad there is so much fun to be had. If you're with a great group and the vibe is nice, what could be better than dancing on a beach all night under a full moon with a big ass bucket of whatever you want in your hand!? So for me, I took it in stride, as I feel alot of poeple do as well. You don't LOVE the Full Moon Party... you moreso love the concept of the Full Moon Party. So in my opinion, I'd say it's absolutely something that should be experienced. It's a spectacle, it's one of the most reknown parties on the planet, and it's great to be part of it. But one is certainly enough for me. If you are a raver, you love to drop E, and you don't mind people puking around you all night, well, call this place home.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Fuego
Ko Phangan is famous for it's parties and loose life style, and as a result alot of "accidents" occur. A fire jump rope + a bunch of drunk idiots that think they can jump in, around, and over fire = well, just look.
But hey, don't hate on the spaz just yet... he takes a deep breath, muscles up, and tries again.
But hey, don't hate on the spaz just yet... he takes a deep breath, muscles up, and tries again.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Pictures
It's been a long time coming and I'm sorry for taking so long, but I've finally started to put up photos of the cities I've been to thus far. The internet connections take forever over here, so bare with me as I continue to post up the rest of what I have. There's a solid number of albums already up, so enjoy them while I get the rest going.
All else is well in Ko Phangan, the Full Moon Party is on the 10th, but it seems like there is a party every night just because the moon is in the sky. I met a group of Frenchies on the ferry over, and I've been hanging with them for the last few days. The link to my photo page is below as well as in my links section. Bundle up peeps, I hear it's cold over there!
Pictures
All else is well in Ko Phangan, the Full Moon Party is on the 10th, but it seems like there is a party every night just because the moon is in the sky. I met a group of Frenchies on the ferry over, and I've been hanging with them for the last few days. The link to my photo page is below as well as in my links section. Bundle up peeps, I hear it's cold over there!
Pictures
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