Full Moon Washout

After a tedious bus journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok, we were quite relieved to be in the relative security of Bangkok and our little hotel (surprising as it felt very different from when we arrived here!)  It seemed like the nearly 2 months since we had been there felt like 2 weeks, yet we had done so much. We had time to re-coup and organize ourselves before heading down to the Thailand islands. This meant dentist (to check out another of my fucking teeth issues - no it's not the sweets!), hospital (so Greg could get some antibiotics to sort out his lingering poo issues) and booking flights (Indonesia where the dry season is at it's peak). We only had a 15 day visa for Thailand as we had entered via a land border, but this worked out well as we knew the weather was turning crap in Thailand, plus we wanted to get to Bali before the Austrailians on spring break. Our trip to the islands was going to be short and sweet but we had a date to make in the form of a Full Moon Party - yes we thought we might be too old too.  The bus/ ferry to Koh Tao was tedious again but uneventful and fairly smooth, and it was pretty cool watching the sun rise over the islands at Chumpon waiting for our ferry to arrive.  We didn't have time to explore the islands and wanted a chance to relax, especially as our first morning was spent traipsing around our chosen area to spend the next few days - Sariee beach. We walked up and down the beach trying to find something in our price range that wasn't a shithole bungalow that smelt of mould, fags and sweat. Frustratingly most of the places either turned us away if we weren't diving or increased the price for non divers. We were running out of options and feeling very deflated when I finally found a great little place right on the beach with a great bar and restaurant. It was open to the elements with a big white mosquito net over the 4 poster bed. The beach was ok, not very wide, and you could walk out 100 meters without the water being up to your knees but good enough with the sun out. We spent the next 3 days relaxing in the day and having a couple of beers in the evening at the few bars around town. It was definitely starting to feel more like a holiday than travelling.  We were eager to get to Koh Phangnan as places get really booked up before full moon, plus only take a minimum night stay. Which also meant we wouldn't be able to explore the island beyond Haad Rin. We weren't that disappointed as despite knowing this was probably the least pretty not to mention least authentic part of the island it was also really expensive to travel around it. But before we even got to the island we had to catch the 3 hour boat from Koh Tao. We thought we'd save a bit of cash by opting for the regular boat rather than newer catamaran... what a mistake. The weather had turned a bit shit by this point, as it would stay for the rest of our time in the islands. Warning signs were that the boat was an hour late coming in and the passengers getting off looked a bit green, but as an island girl myself I wasn't put off by this sight, I've taken hundreds of crossings and in that a fair few rough ones.  The boat was bursting at the seams as we were more than a third over capacity with those who couldn't find a seat sprawling across the deck like refugees. We scored a seat inside at the front but within 5 minutes of leaving the pier the boat took an almighty roll as a swell hit and the water came up past the windows. At that point I had started envisioning what we should do if it goes over. There were no life jackets, and there had been no safety talk. As I look around I realised the exit was far behind us past bodies and backpacks, if it went down it would quickly fill with water and in the panic it would be impossible to get out. I turned to Greg who obviously was thinking exactly the same and just said 'lets get out of here'.  As we walked past the mostly younger scared faces on the boat I heard someone say 'they've got the right idea'. We were lucky to get out when we did as we were quickly followed by half a dozen other people, but after that there was no more room on top deck. The flimsy railings were no safety net but at least we could easily jump ship if it was going down. All of this is no exaggeration. We had several other rolls and people were being sick left right and centre. At one point a swell nearly overturned us and I nearly lost a flip flop, we were half way between islands, and I was sensibly trying to imagine what the plan should be if it happens. I whispered to Greg instructions to grab the tyre that was tied onto the side of the boat where he was sat, so we could use it as floatation. I'm not sure if it actually worried me more that he nodded and said he had already planned to. By the time we got to Koh Phangnan after 3 hours the poor girl who had been being sick had got through everyone's donation carrier bags and was now being sick in a crisp packet.  You could tell Full Moon was coming up by the state of our fellow passengers. There was me with the machu picchu bright purple poncho, with my rucksack underneath making me look like a hunchback with matted hair, and everyone else had fully made up fresh faces, bikinis under see-through crocheted tops and that annoying bed hair that takes a lot of styling but looks effortless, that 18 year olds seem to be the only ones able to achieve.... And that was just the boys.  I felt frumpy and old to say the least. We boarded a swingshaw with a load of others, that seemed go be the only way to get around this island. It dropped us a 15 min drive/50 min walk from all the action in Haad Rin where our thoroughly researched pre-booked bungalows were located. Well let's just say all the raving reviews on trip advisor must have been from stoned old hippies retro fitting their reviews back to when they stayed in the 70's, I thought the pics must have been taken with instagram but it must have been a box browny. The place was a shithole, rundown, depressing and with a load of rubbish and sand bags on the beach directly in front. We walked straight back to the road after checking the room, as they had  no record of our reservation and it was empty anyway.  Back to square one, knowing the hundred others from our boat would have decended the main town by now and snapped up all the cheap rooms. We aimlessly wondered along the road, also unable to afford another swingshaw which I later found out had been monopolized and price fixed by the local council, making all rides cost the same, per person and non negotiable.  I was starting to get tired of this debacle, we never book on advance, which works out best in terms of only paying for what you want and being able to get the best price. But its so tiring and at times you traips around in the intense heat thinking you'll never find anything. Some hardened travelers don't care as long as they've got a place to lie down, but I find it makes a difference to how much I enjoy a place. If we stay in some scanky place with rats, cockroaches, squat toilets, that stink of raw sewage and stained musty smelling pillows and sheets, it doesn't make you want to hang around.  Nothing had been the Ritz, in most places we've stayed one or two of the above has been relevant (mostly it's raw sewage and mouldy rooms) but I can just about handle that!  Anyway back to Koh Phangnan, we chose a direction and decided to check every bungalows we past until we found something. I reluctantly went into the next place and it was perfect, cheap, clean, fan and cold water for £11 a night, which is good for over full moon. So not too much of a headache this time. We decided to dump our stuff and walk into town via the beach and find out what all the fuss was about.  On first inspection.... What a shithole. Everything about it annoyed us, annoying rich English kids who think they're gods gift, cafes limited to pizza, burgers, chips, and kebabs, and stalls everywhere selling buckets, it was run down and very shabby, and the air smelt of chip pans. We finally found a restaurant that sold Thai and ordered the usual and a beer. We discussed our options. Moving to a different part of the island and forgetting about full moon? Going to Koh Samui? We then decided to make the most of it, ignore the tackiness and get on it. Ducking out seemed like a defeatest option. So after picking out a bar on the beach, which was a gorgeous beach, we sank a few more beers. As it got dark we felt like an impromptu night out coming on, however I was unprepared to stay out with my matted hair and scanky clothes, so we made a deal with a swingthaw driver to take us back and pick us up 40 minutes later.  First things first we had to get a bucket, I was actually looking forward to drinking something other than beer. Ladies with bucket stalls lined the streets, we selected one and haggled for one containing 200cl bottle of Smirnoff and 2 cans of redbull. In the way great magicians do, by the time Greg had selected the agreed amount from his wallet and looked up, she had 'premixed' it all for us and was handing him the bucket. We both knew we'd been fiddled by this point but there was little we could say to the toothless Thai magician now that she had her money. So we downed our water with a timble of redbull and went to the shop to do a DIY version.  We got a peek into what full moon would be like that night, and also a taster of the hangover too. After starting pretty early we only made it to about 3am, but as it was just the 2 of us and we weren't really into the flaming skipping rope, the rudimentary foam corner or hedonistic dancing we did quite well. Spending most of the evening stood on benches watching everyone else and also picking out Thai ladyboys from the sexy dancers.  We spent the next few days recovering in our quiet little bungalow, the weather wasn't great unfortunately, mostly just overcast with a few showers but we were holding out for the full moon to be clear.  We arranged to meet our 18yr old friends we'd met in Vietnam in town on full moon night, but just as we jumped out of the taxi the rain pelted us. At least I was wearing a bikini under my dress but my hair was like I had just stepped out of the shower. The rain died off a bit and we all made DIY buckets and took them to the beach. The rains started again and there was nothing for it but to lump it, as there was no chance of staying dry at a beach party. At one point I attempted going for a wee at one of the beach bars, but the whole bathroom was under a foot of brown water, there was still girls wadding through it to the toilet but i decided the sea was a better option. It was quite funny seeing all the boys lined up at the waters edge and all the girls up to their waists in the sea.  Back with the others somehow within the last 15 minutes our friends went from happy to wasted, well I couldn't blame them I don't think I handled my drink we at 18 either! But they kept wondering off, at one point Charlie got himself into a scrap for no apparent reason, I was worried for him as his mates and Greg ran to break it up. But a few punches and the other bloke was out of it, and I was strangely proud of our friend.  Unfortunately it seemed I was the only sensible one, and also the only one who could recount the night's events, as Greg was next to disappear. I kick myself for not going with him, but he let me know he was going for a piss and never came back. Over the next 2 hours the boys and I searched everywhere but with 4,000 people it was a needle in a haystack. So unfortunately the night had an anti climax end as I borrowed money off the boys to get a taxi, hoping Greg would be back at the bungalow. He was thank god and blamed it on the cheap vodka. So it was a bit of a wash out as the rain kept it up all night, and we didn't get to see the sunrise because of losing Greg, but we had a good time, and I didn't feel old at all especially hanging out with our young friends.  We slept off the cheap vodka for a couple of days and then took the long ferry, ferry, bus journey back to Bangkok ready for our next adventure...Indonesia.