Have I got travel for you: Week 5+6 Southern Thailand

Hello again devoted readers! Some of you may have noticed it's been a while since my previous post. This is on account of two reasons. First, I wasn't sure whether to do a blog about Thailand when every man, woman and ladyboy has already been here. And two, I was just mega busy lying on various beaches...

Bangkok

I started my Asian adventure in Bangkok, as did everyone else it seems. I absolutely loved the city. Not just because you can graze on delicious street food all day long, but because the city is so diverse and interesting. It's also super easy to meet other travellers; I even bumped into two people I'd met once before back in England.

Having a roof top coconut in Central Bangkok

Fooling around in the shopping centers

Wats this then? (Barely funny joke, requiring the preliminary knowledge that Buddhist temples are called Wats)

The famous Khao San Road - backpacker party central

If you like Buddhas this is the place for you

Koh Phi Phi

Even though I enjoyed Bangkok, I must admit I was in somewhat of a rush to get to the beaches. Naturally being a huge fan of the film "The Beach", my obvious first choice was Koh Phi Phi. It is astonishingly pretty, but it does suffer from an over influx of tourists.

Life's a beach right?

I'd say about 30 minutes after arriving in this paradise I was getting pretty bored. The island has a number of grossly over priced things you can do, but instead I found myself a German friend and we decided to try swim from one pinnacle of the island to the other (about 1km I guess). It was great fun on the way out, but to our misfortune the tide went out as we tried to return. This left us "swimming" in about a foot of water above sharp rocks, coral and dozens of sea urchins. Two hours later we finally made it back, cuts all over our ligaments and backs badly burnt, but never in higher spirits.

In the evening we rewarded ourselves with beers as we watched the Thai guys play with fire. There is also a boxing rink where tourists are encouraged to beat the living day lights out of each other for a free drink. I must say I was heartily tempted, but didn't fancy it with all the ailments I'd accrued that day.

I want to be these guys!

An hour trek in the 38C heat to bring you this beauty

Koh Tao

Perhaps the thing I wanted to do most on my travels was learn to scuba dive and I was told Koh Tao was the best place for this. So I hooked myself up with a night ferry to do just that. It was really fun to rock on the waves and chat with other travellers.

My bed for the night

Getting my Padi Open Water Scuba Diving qualification was honestly one of my favourite travel experiences ever. It's another world to be weightless, surrounded by thousands of fish. The only thing you hear is the sound of your breathing and bubbles.

Super excited for my dive!

Koh Tao was one of my favourite places so far. It is just incredibly beautiful and relaxing (during the day at least). At night there are parties all along the beach, with yet more fire shows. I tried my luck at skipping on the fire rope and predictably was rewarded with a nice burn all down my arm. It was almost as painful as the Thai massage I'd had earlier!

Not too bad right?

Koh Phangan

And then we get to Koh Phangan, the legendary home of the Full Moon Party. For once the hype was justified. The atmosphere of thousands of people dancing on the beach was just incredible. I am now completely covered in fluorescent paint, having only had a few hours sleep last night.

There was a different party on the island each night. My favourite was the "Pool Party" where hundreds of people splashed away, while the sea and stars provided the back drop. The "Waterfall Jungle Party" was also not without its charm, albeit the waterfall was dry. I have been super lucky to share these experiences with three Canadians, who I'm travelling with at the moment.