We were woken at 2am for our first squat toilet experience since Peru and one we will have to get used to for our remaining travel in Asia we suspect. At 7am we crossed the border into Thailand with images of scenes from Bangkok Hilton however ironically, the security at border crossing seemed the most relaxed yet. We admired the views (although less jungle than we had seen on our Malaysian journey) until we reached Hat Yai, the hub of South Thailand. After the guide book's stark warnings of brothels under the guise of hairdressers (brings a whole new meaning of 'something extra for the weekend sir?') we were disappointed to see none as the city was seemingly quiet and still. Until the hordes of touts descended on us that is and we did exactly what western visitors are warned not to do - followed the loudest tout to a tuk-tuk, found ourselves driven to the closest tour office they are affiliated too and paid 800baht each (10GBP) for a minibus and ferry to Koh Samui island - our choice instead of the now closed and devastated west coast resort of Phi Phi. Cross with ourselves and with no way to check whether we had overpaid (although Steve did negotiate them down from 900baht), we sulked on the sofa as we waited for the mini-bus to arrive. The lady who had taken our booking must have taken pity on our sorry and bedraggled expressions and offered to share her (huge)
breakfast with us. After 11 hours on a bus and having not eaten since 3pm the day before we cheered up immensely at the thought of some grub. Small things etc, etc. We have no idea what we ate only to know that Thai breakfasts are delicious! Gorgeous pea-green coloured sweets - a cross between the form of a jelly and consistency of blamonge - dipped in dried coconut followed by what tasted like deep fried doughnuts, without the sugar, then dipped in a delicious but equally pea-green coloured coconut sauce. Beth practiced saying 'thank-you' in Thai for 10 minutes before the minibus arrived and the lady still had no idea what she was saying. After writing the Thai word on paper, Beth received her first 'wai' - a bow with hands in the prayer gesture. Unsure what to do next, Beth bobbed up and down like a deranged jack-in-the-box until Steve dragged her onto the bus to avoid further humiliation! With driving faster than Schumacher, we have absolutely no idea how we arrived at the ferry in one piece but thankfully we did, our only pitstop being a mouthwatering plate of Thai rice with stir-fried chilies at a road-side stall. 60p! We would have had nine plates of it but time was against us and we were whizzed off in the mini-bus again.
Our plans to go to Koh Samui then Koh Phangan followed by Koh Tao were scuppered when we discovered that other travellers had also re-routed their journeys from the west to east coast. Koh Samui was full. So instead we headed straight for the island of Koh Phangan and, after a lovely ferry journey where we watched the sun set over isolated mountainous islands, we arrived at the harbour almost 24 hours after leaving Kuala Lumper. Our journey to the beautiful private beach resort of Haad Gruad on the west of the island was perilous to say the least and in a 4x4 truck with us hanging on for dear life in the open back, we traversed roads similar to the thin winding sand lanes of Fraser Island. Petrified but exhilarated, we had no way of knowing that this would be one of the safest forms of transport we would travel by in Koh Phangan. The resort was in darkness when we arrived, but we could still see that our 2.50gbp/night bamboo hut on the beach, whilst very basic, was beautifully idyllic with a hammock on the balcony, a ladder to the palm-lined roof for stargazing and a huge mosquito net that gave the appearance of a four-poster bed. Not even the pail flush toilets (water thrown down to clear your 'business'), no windows and cold water shower could spoil the image for us.
We slept very well to the sound of the sea lapping the shore outside our hut and awoke to a scene off the paradise scale. The resort was totally gorgeous and exactly like the picture we had painted in our imagination of Thailand. Hammocks strung between coconut palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, wooden tables strewn
casually with lounging pillows and nestled into the rocks giving a perfect vantage point over the shimmering turquoise sea. Saving the delights of the resort's private beach for another day, we decided to explore the island by the most cost effective and popular way - motorbike. Despite all guide book warnings, the two of us and our new travelling companion, David from Sweden, set out - not as easy as it sounds. The sandy roads were treacherous and it didn't take long until our first accident. Loosing grip on the surface, we slid off causing a graze on Beth's knee of a size and depth that hasn't been achieved since childhood. Shaken, we continued and fortunately joined concrete roads for the next 10kms. The views out to sea were beautiful and it took all our will power to concentrate - Steve on driving and Beth hanging on! Just before Haad Rin, the capital of Koh Phangan, the road became even worse and it was like riding the corkscrew but on a track of gravel. It was a sobering sight to see the amount of accidents along the way to the extent that the local Thai's should buy shares in Savlon.
Haad Rin was a seething mass of tourists, scooters and shops meeting in a chaotic fashion on the (beautiful) beach. Steve opted for internet whilst Beth indulged in a traditional Thai massage. Fully expecting an hour of relaxation, she was slightly
surprised to be pummelled, walked on and bent to within an inch of her life. She felt very supple afterwards and hoped her new found relaxed state would break her fall if she was to tumble from the scooter again, which of course we did. Going up hill, we pulled a wheelie that Evil Knievel would have been proud of and felt ourselves plunge forward towards the sheer cliff face. Somehow, the bike came to a halt and, yes, you guessed it, our front wheel ended up dangling over the cliff edge. Honestly, it's the stuff from films. After hauling the bike back onto the 'road' we discovered that the toe nail on Steve's little toe had been ripped off and headed shakily back to Haad Rin for urgent medical attention. Fortunately nursing clinics are common place, again a testament to the number of scooter accidents and for a mere 200 baht (3GBP) the nurse ripped off the remaining nail on Steve's little toe which was dangling on by a thread anyway and cleaned up the bloody stump. The top side of his toe had gone but pragmatic as ever, Steve quipped that little toes are pointless anyway. After such a narrow escape we were both shaking but had no choice but to drive the deathtrap back. Beth walked up the hills to avoid pulling accidental wheelies of such propensity as we had done before. It soon got dark and we had no idea how to get back to the secluded resort but after a two hour ride where we seemed to go round in circles and with our nerves shot to pieces, we settled in the restaurant breathing a sigh of relief. The upside as far as Beth is concerned that Steve no longer wants to learn to ride a motorcycle when we settle again! We drank copious amounts of Chang beer, ate huge portions of green Thai curry and chatted to some other travellers and the Thai waitresses who took Beth under their wing and painted her face with crushed cumin paste. Apparently it is supposed to prolong youth and the paste smelled so sweet and rich we considered bottling some and selling the recipe to L'Oreal!
Next morning Beth awoke looking like a jaundice victim and whilst her skin felt soft, she didn't have the heart to tell the lovely waitresses that it looked as if she had washed her face in Iodine. We had a lazy morning lounging on the beach in hammocks until we started chatting to James (English) and Natasha (S.African) then all decided to walk into Haad Yao, a larger resort to the south with more shops. We had a quiet evening with James, Natasha and David and next day walked to Koh Ma island, a round 9km round trip in the midday sun, to sweat off our curry excesses. The island is linked by a sand bar to Koh Phangan and although the visibility was awful we snorkeled for a while in what felt like a warm bath. After soaking up some sun in a setting that resembled the fabled beach in the film of the same name, we had an early night to prepare us the Full moon party the next night that Koh Phangan is internationally famous for.
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