Our last official post: coming to you from Korea.
We last left you in Ao Nang, where one of the highlights was getting an hour long Thai massage for 150 Baht ($4.50). There are tons of massage stalls set up along the beach, and we had gotten a recommendation to go see "Tik-Tik" in stall 11 and that she would give us the locals rate instead of the tourist rate (We affectionately started call her "Tic-Tac"). Out of shear luck we ran into her straight away and she offered us the locals rate, plus a free manicure for me. For Clay she trimmed his toenails. Haha! The Thai massage is a phenomenal full body massage, including some stretches and joint/knuckle popping. Then afterwards they give you a complimentary pineapple and a mat and towel and tell you to go lay on their section of beach. It's very posh. We finished off the day by eating seafood by the beach at sunset!
From there we took a bus and a ferry to the island of Ko Phangan. We arrived the day before the legendary Full Moon Party, so the ferry was brimming with throngs of tourists and party pilgrims. We decided to escape the crowds and head to the opposite side of the island, the north beaches, to a Chalok Lam. It's a little fishing town that doesn't have any resorts. We found our perfect bungalow: good price, clean, a few feet from the water's edge, and a porch with a hammock. It was right down the road from a restaurant that advertised a "Greek Buffet" that only happens once a week. After looking at, and talking to the cooks...we were convinced that they knew what they were doing. So we checked it out and both agreed that it was the best Greek food we had ever eaten in our lives, hands down.
Our next step was to rent a motorbike, which is by far the most cost effective and fun way to move around the island. We rode the 40 minutes to Hat Rin the following night for the Big Event: Full Moon Party, December 2011!! There was much hype going into the party, and we were not disappointed. Everyone had swirls of body paint and neon clothing on. There was jump-roping with the rope on fire (we tried it...doesn't hurt) and many locals expertly spinning fire poi and fire batons, all the while with deafening thumping music and tons of people milling about. It was definitely a fun experience, and we were definitely glad to be able to retreat back to our secluded beach bungalow for the rest of the week.
The rest of our time was spent exploring the island via motorbike, hiking a few jungle trails, building sand castles, reading in our hammock, and eating really good coconut curry with fish. The motorbike turned out to be a hilarious endeavor because 1) it was a girly bubble-gum pink Fino scooter, and 2) it wasn't powerful enough to make it up big hills with two people. So one of us would frequently have to jump off and walk up the hill while the other waited at the top with the bike. So much for looking hard-core.
The high-speed ferry back towards Bangkok was interesting in that the waves are big and the ferry goes against them, making for the choppiest boat ride of everyone's lives. The boat attendants just hand out puke bags the whole time and make jokes like, "The bag is free if you use it, but if you don't then you have to pay 100 Baht!" We heard from one attendant that a few days prior, the waves were so bad that 60% of the people on the boat were vomiting. Disgusting, right? I don't even know why I told you...I just thought it was crazy.
All in all, it was an idyllic end to our island getaway...although we are excited to get back and see friends and family!
We last left you in Ao Nang, where one of the highlights was getting an hour long Thai massage for 150 Baht ($4.50). There are tons of massage stalls set up along the beach, and we had gotten a recommendation to go see "Tik-Tik" in stall 11 and that she would give us the locals rate instead of the tourist rate (We affectionately started call her "Tic-Tac"). Out of shear luck we ran into her straight away and she offered us the locals rate, plus a free manicure for me. For Clay she trimmed his toenails. Haha! The Thai massage is a phenomenal full body massage, including some stretches and joint/knuckle popping. Then afterwards they give you a complimentary pineapple and a mat and towel and tell you to go lay on their section of beach. It's very posh. We finished off the day by eating seafood by the beach at sunset!
From there we took a bus and a ferry to the island of Ko Phangan. We arrived the day before the legendary Full Moon Party, so the ferry was brimming with throngs of tourists and party pilgrims. We decided to escape the crowds and head to the opposite side of the island, the north beaches, to a Chalok Lam. It's a little fishing town that doesn't have any resorts. We found our perfect bungalow: good price, clean, a few feet from the water's edge, and a porch with a hammock. It was right down the road from a restaurant that advertised a "Greek Buffet" that only happens once a week. After looking at, and talking to the cooks...we were convinced that they knew what they were doing. So we checked it out and both agreed that it was the best Greek food we had ever eaten in our lives, hands down.
Our next step was to rent a motorbike, which is by far the most cost effective and fun way to move around the island. We rode the 40 minutes to Hat Rin the following night for the Big Event: Full Moon Party, December 2011!! There was much hype going into the party, and we were not disappointed. Everyone had swirls of body paint and neon clothing on. There was jump-roping with the rope on fire (we tried it...doesn't hurt) and many locals expertly spinning fire poi and fire batons, all the while with deafening thumping music and tons of people milling about. It was definitely a fun experience, and we were definitely glad to be able to retreat back to our secluded beach bungalow for the rest of the week.
The rest of our time was spent exploring the island via motorbike, hiking a few jungle trails, building sand castles, reading in our hammock, and eating really good coconut curry with fish. The motorbike turned out to be a hilarious endeavor because 1) it was a girly bubble-gum pink Fino scooter, and 2) it wasn't powerful enough to make it up big hills with two people. So one of us would frequently have to jump off and walk up the hill while the other waited at the top with the bike. So much for looking hard-core.
The high-speed ferry back towards Bangkok was interesting in that the waves are big and the ferry goes against them, making for the choppiest boat ride of everyone's lives. The boat attendants just hand out puke bags the whole time and make jokes like, "The bag is free if you use it, but if you don't then you have to pay 100 Baht!" We heard from one attendant that a few days prior, the waves were so bad that 60% of the people on the boat were vomiting. Disgusting, right? I don't even know why I told you...I just thought it was crazy.
All in all, it was an idyllic end to our island getaway...although we are excited to get back and see friends and family!
Thanks for all your trip reports. They were very interesting and we enjoyed reading them very much. We were always concerned for your safety and are glad you have been kept safe all through the trip. You should have no trouble remembering you honeymoon! What a great experience!
ReplyDeleteWw would welcome a vist to Virginia and to hear more details fo your trip.
We love you very much,
Grandpa & Grandma