Koh Phanang

Day after the full moon party

The remainder of our days in Koh Phanang just got crazier.  We would wake up when the sun was going down and stay up until it was already shining bright above us. The day after the full moon party we partied even harder. I think it’s because there is a lot of hype about the full moon party, too high expectations can never be fully satisfied.

Partying until the sun came up

One of the days we actually decided to get up and take a look at the island. We rented 3 motorcycles and for two days we explored the surroundings  There was a beach for everyone: secluded, crowded, fancy, natural and laid back. We watched as the sky turned every color possible and enjoyed the warm ocean.

We also did a beautiful hike to a viewpoint in the middle of the island and we’re pleasantly surprised by the view.

Maddy and I also did a water obstacle course like the ones you watch on tv in the “Asian channels”; where people run around trying not to fall but get hurt pretty badly. Lets just say that in real life its quite painful haha but fun nonetheless. She was quite the champ!

Leaving Koh Phanang wasn't easy, but it had to be done. Said our goodbyes and I headed to my last destination: Koh Tao. 

THE FULL MOON PARTY

We got to the “villa” at around 7pm but everything was booked. Thankfully they said that if Mady and Tasha were okay with it, the three of us could share a room. Little did we know the “room” was a beautiful loft. We quickly settled in, grabbed a bite to eat and then head straight to the full moon party.

Dating back to 1987 Koh Phangan was quite a remote island. Very few backpackers came around. Each full moon friends would gather on the sunset side of the island, light a fire and play guitar. Nowadays, the party is held on the sunrise side and it is home to tens of thousands of travellers who get together to celebrate their freedom.

We took a tuk tuk to the other side of the island; when we got there, a sea of people was covering the whole beach. Fueled by throbbing beats, around 40,000 half naked glowing neon bodies, moved as one. Body paint, and neon tees mixed so perfectly, consumed by the audacious feeling that we had life on our side.

Everything was on fire. Fire limbo, a slide with fire obstacles, rings of fire, lit-up jump rope, and locals doing all sorts of tricks. Music was playing all across and the beach and little huts were lined up all along selling the infamous buckets. Our pick? Vodka redbull. 

There were all sorts of crazy things, shroom shakes included. There were designated spots to sleep in along the beach and people passed out under the ramps. Lots of bodies everywhere, sweat, energy, and paint. There were insane outfits and insane people but everyone seemed as though they were friends. You could be easily consumed by the atmosphere alone.

We ended up running into Kim and Janine, what are the chances? Amongst tens of thousands ...

We danced the night away until it turned to morning. At some point we got split up but watching the sun rise as the music got turned up louder and louder was worth it.

To be completely honest, I slept through the whole next day.... couldn’t move a finger but when I did get up, Mady and Tasha were ready to go out again. 

A QUEST TO THE FULL MOON PARTY

I had spent the past two days on buses and I was about to spend one more on the train. I usually don’t rush things but the full moon party doesn't wait for anyone. When I got on the train, it started moving early... like half an hour early. Seeing as I was one of the only people on it I started to panic slightly. It turned out that they were “testing” it...which is what I gathered from hand gestures from the locals on the train. I almost had a heart attack thinking I was in a train destined for who knows where.

When I woke up, I realized that we had been delayed by a couple of hours… off the train to a bus and then a waiting area. We spent about 2 hours waiting, took another bus and then found out that we had missed the boat that was supposed to take us to Koh Phangan. We were stuck and had to wait until 1pm! Now let’s keep in mind that the full moon party was that same day… and that apparently (as I found out then) it was high season in southern Thailand and the whole island was most likely going to be fully  booked.  I, off course, had nothing reserved and as I talked to everyone around me it seemed like that was going to be a bad move. But hope was not lost, I met 2 really nice Canadian girls from Vancouver Tasha and Maddy who were just starting their trip and they told me that I could come stay with them (that’s if we ever made it there … )

To pass the time, we went swimming but within the fist 10 minutes Maddy got stung by a jelly fish... nothing was going too well…

We met two other girls Kim and Janine from the Netherlands and we had a drink and joked around trying to pass the time.

The boat was late off course and we made it to the island at around 6 pm… thankfully Tasha and Maddy adopted me and the 3 of us shared a loft for my remaining time at  Koh Phangan where we passed 4 wonderful crazy days. 

GETTING BACK TO THAILAND

After gibbons I returned to Huay Xay and had to stay there stay for the night as the only bus destined for Luang Prabang had departed about 20 minutes before we arrived to town. Instead, I joined a celebratory dinner with the gibbons crew. The next day, I took a “VIP” night bus to Luang Prabang. WOST NIGHTBUS EVER. And I mean it this time... I was sitting at the very back, sandwiched between two local men, the chair did not recline one bit, the lights got turned on every few hours and to top it off, the AC went off in the middle of the night and I legitimately through I was going to suffocate. The road was unpaved and windy... a baby crying all night. 15 hours or hell...

When I got off the bus, I ended up joining a group of English people, 5 girls and 3 guys. I had been to Luang Prabang before so I sort of knew my way around. It was a challenge to find a hostel for all 9 of us but we managed to find an affordable place by the riverside.

We all met up for dinner and had a few bottles of wine while watching the sunset behind the river. Anthony, Brandy, Martin and I decided to go for drinks in the quest to find the infamous bowling alley. Luang Prabang has an 11:30pm curfew; at that time no one is allowed on the streets, but everyone who goes to Luang Prabang hears the rumors.... at 11:25pm sharp, the tuk tuks lined up outside of the bars and took us to a local club. There were about 15 of us. It was quite the experience... trying to sing along to the lyrics, and taking pictures with the locals; not sure who found the other more of a novelty. The club closed at 12:00pm (the actual curfew). When we stepped outside we met a local lady, it was her birthday and so we sang as she did cartwheels and jumped around... she must have been around 28. The tuk tuks then drove us to the bowling alley where we continued to drink beer lao. What a bizarre way to end the night. On the way back, the tuk tuk was so full that Anthony and I had to hop on top.... what a night.

local club

the ONLY place open past midnight 

I was meant to leave early the next morning and it was already 4 am so the three of us tried to stay up all night but we fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 11 the next day... needless to say, the bus was gone. I decide to take the rest of the morning off, went to a spa, got a massage and a manicure, and switched my bus ticket to a later one.

We rented bikes for the afternoon and went about exploring the beautiful streets of Luang Prabang filled with little shops, restaurants, temples and nature alike. At lunch, we found a really cool restaurant across the river (Dyen Sabi). They came to get us on a little canoe, which brought us across and through a hidden tree path to get there. It was hidden between the bamboo trees, with tables on the floor and lots of cushions. It was fantastic!

On our way back to the hostel we saw a dog in a cage by one of the little restaurants on the river. It was a horrific site. It looked sad and scared. It was skinny and sitting very still. We asked the man what it was the for and he said “eating” as he pointed at one of the tables  who was enjoying this delicacy. I never felt so nauseous and uncomfortable.

Spent the day exploring Vientaine 

That night I took a 12 hour the bus to Vientaine and spent the day walking around exploring the capital.  In the afternoon, another 12 hour bus to Bangkok. We arrived there by morning. On the bus, I had met a girl who was also heading to the islands. The two of us broke into a random hostel to take a shower. It had been about 2 days of traveling already so it needed to be done as we would be spending a 3^rd night on transportation. We went to central bkk for the day, spent the day window shopping and went to see a Batman. Then off to the train station again.

The Gibbon Experience (Northern Laos)

I wasn't lying when I said it was knee deep...

So there we were ... waiting at a restaurant in the middle nowhere. No internet. No running water. Two rooms with wooden beds. We woke up early to see what we could do to get onto the Gibbon Experience; there was a 2 day trip and a 3 day trip but when we called the office, they seemed to be full. Ben was going to take the 2 day one, leaving the following day because he sort of had made a reservation; but Andy and I weren’t sure when we would be able to do it...

At 10 am that same morning, they came to get Katherine and ended up saying that Andy and I could come along; and so we packed and got ready in less than 10 minutes. Off we were, trying to catch up with the group. They had already started so we had to be quick, but it was terribly slippery and muddy. After 10 minutes of walking I slipped into a river... hahaha ... great fun. The path was COVERED in mud, at some points we’re talking knee-deep mud, at others, the mud would just pile up onto our shoes and they would get heavy, really really heavy. The rain always pouring down, and the path becoming steeper and steeper.

We walked until we got to an abandoned jeep and waited there for the whole group. The girls started coming but no signs of any guys. After about half an hour the first guy came; he was carrying a huge sack of food! Turns out that the jeep that was carrying all the food and supplies got stuck in the mud and the guys had to carry everything. It took an entire hour for everyone to gather.

After that, we all got into a bigger truck. There wasn’t enough space inside so three of us got to go on the roof. It was the most fun yet terrifying experience branches coming at us, potholes, and speeding up steep muddy hills...it was a struggle to get through, and the tuck would slide back and bounce back and forth. After it couldn’t go any further, it was time to walk (more like slide) again. It was a rough 7 hour walk. And at the end, it was a steep climb to the fist base where we got our harnesses. They split us up into two groups, our group was Catherine, Andy, Hendrik and five Dutch people.We were going to have to walk a bit further and it was already starting to get dim out.

Zip lining instructions: lean back, make sure you clip the security on, that nothing is twisted and don’t zip line in the darkness. The first couple of zips were epic! Looking down to the canopy below and all along the horizon; the rush, the speed, the smell of the forest and flying through the eerie fog.  The zip-lines just helped me forget how cold, wet and uncomfortable I felt, but in between we had to walk ... and it was getting darker and darker by the second. The night hit and we still had about 3 more to go. People were starting to get impatient, frustrated, scared. The rain was pouring down harder and harder and there it was, the fist zip-line in complete and utter darkness.  It’s hard to describe the feeling of jumping into the unknown but it’s one of those that you never forget.

We made it to the tree house at around 8 pm. It was a tough day. My shoes were more mud that shoe, my rain jacket was wetter inside than out, I was covered in mud from head to toe, and there were pieces of branches in my hair. I had a cold shower with the most spectacular view (even in the darkness), the guides brought us dinner and off we went to bed.

The next morning we were up at 7am, greeted by daylight and birds singing. That’s when I fist realized that we had spent the night 35m above ground. After breakfast my joy was temporarily overtaken by the fact that I had to put on my wet clothes from the day before... everything was still soaked and muddy, but soon enough your body warms it up. I got out the thick chunk of mud off my shoes and off we went for a full day of zip-lining followed by an evening of wine and games. 

Our home for 3 days

I may have forgotten to mention there were some leaches along the way...

Mystery lady that help me find my way out

On our last day I was woken up by the sound of gibbons playing. Finally, the sun came out and we had a beautiful day of zip-lining. When the time came, it was sad to leave the harnessed behind. The path was still troublesome but we battled through it. I ended up walking with a Dutch girl. We were near the front but somehow we got separated from everyone. She wasn’t feeling well and we weren’t really sure of when to exit the main path. We ended up asking some local ladies for help. They were really nice, they fed us some fresh cucumber and then said to follow them. I trusted them. They took us through a corn field that we surely had not passed before, then over a tree to cross a river but we eventually made it out onto a part of the path that we recognized. I was so grateful to see that little deserted restaurant again. It now seemed like a luxury hotel. 

For more information about the gibbon experience go to:  http://www.gibbonexperience.org/

BORDER CROSSING, VIETNAM TO LAO

The journey begun on my 81^st day of travel. I had been warned not to do it, but like any other warning I just waved it off. I woke up at 6:30am and noticed that the beds in the dorm had been moved around. The floor was covered in water... everything was soaked except for my bed. So I took it as a sign of good luck... but I may had spoken to soon. The overcrowded minivan came to get me at 7:30am... the windy road took us from one mountain top to the next with a mysterious air lingering all around us.

And there it was, the first sign... we had to wait for half an hour because a car was stuck in the mud, and although entertaining to see how many men it took to get it out, we got covered in mud as well. 

The minivan crew consisted of: an older American couple, a middle-aged Spanish couple, Beca a pastry chef from England, Andy from New Zealand who turned out to be an incredible guitar player and some Vietnamese people including a puking  girl. The poor thing did not stop throwing up for the whole 10 hours. We got dropped off in the afternoon and had to get a room for the night, as the minivan would continue its journey the next morning at 5am. We roamed around town trying to find a place to eat but the best we got were some deep fried burgers... yum :S

It was 5 am and it was pouring rain. To top it off, we had to put our backpacks on top of the bus.... we had some new members join including a very large mean looking French guy (I couldn't understand how he was smoking cigarettes at that early hour) and Alex and Nicola an Irish couple.

The border crossing went just fine but the fun and games began at 10:30am when the bus driver stopped at a small town and told us to go “eat rice” at the only restaurant in the place.  We obediently had some rice with bamboo shoots, spring rolls and veggies. After about an hour, we were hoping to get back on the bus and get going. I went in the bus and fell asleep only to wake up after 45 minutes and realized that we hadn’t moved one inch.  We weren’t really sure of what was going on but when we asked the driver he said that we had to sleep there because the bridge was closed. The assistant driver was the only one who spoke English and he kept walking away in the middle of asking him questions and then laughed. We were starting to get frustrated but there was nothing we could do ....

We sat around playing cards, drinking  Beer Lao and watching the rain. We also met Ben, a Canadian who had gotten stuck in the Vietnamese bus behind ours. The boys all went to check what was wrong with the bridge but they came back with a video of cars crossing the so called “closed” bridge.  We were starting to get the feeling that we were being cheated. Then, to add to it all, the assistant driver told us that the bus was going to take us back to Vietnam the next morning... problem being that most of us couldn’t go back to Vietnam because they have no visas on arrival plus we had wasted 2 days traveling already.  

The "Closed" Bridge

When we had lost all hope the Spanish couple came running and told us that they had found a pickup truck that would take us to Muang Khua and was waiting on the other side of the bridge. As we were getting our backpacks the French guy took out a knife and slashed the tires of the bus. When I got sight of what was happening I grabbed my backpack and ran for my life.

Our ride... 

We got on the pickup truck, all 7 of us huddling at the back. It was still raining and we were sitting on the floor covered by a plastic tarp like runaway refugees. We laughed off our escape and managed to get the guitar out to lighten the mood but the road was dark and foggy. There were landslides along the way and at one point we crossed through a river.

At 8pm we made it to the edge of our destination but there was one more challenge.... since it was so late, the ferry was not in service and we had to get across a huge river because all the hostels and what not were on the other side. Eventually we found a guy who called his mom, and she brought her canoe and helped us cross in small groups. The current was pretty strong at it was pitch black but we managed to get everyone to the other side.

I was exhausted, the things in my backpack were wet, and we hadn’t had any food since the 10:30 am lunch so we went out for a celebratory group dinner after which I passed out, I couldn’t have been happier about seeing a bed....

The next morning (3^rd day of travel) we went to the bus station early to make sure we could catch a bus out (didn’t want to get stuck again) we needed to make sure there was room for the 8 of us. We grabbed some pho for breakfast while the French guy downed a few beers. When the bus came we were forced to put our backpacks on top AGAIN...but the ride was smooth.

At noonish, we made it to Udomaxi and split ways.  Ben and Andy were going to do the Gibbon Experience and so I ended up joining them. Our next destination:  Luang Nam Tha. Once there, we found some guy who took us to Ban Don Chai a tiny village in the middle of nowhere... to see if we could book the Gibbon Experience from there. We found the right place, it was a little restaurant on the road, but by the time we got there, the office was closed so we had to wait until the next morning. There was yet another Canadian there already, her name was Katherine and she was leaving for the Gibbon Experience the next morning but ill just have to make that a whole new story.

SAPA

Sapa was all and more than I expected.  After a 12 hour painful bus ride I was greeted at 6am by a Ping. She was a beautiful woman, mother of 4, who offered to walk me to the hostel I was looking for. She had such a radiant smile and she was wearing the colorful and elaborate typical clothes from her tribe, the Black H’mongs. As we walked through town, even at that early hour, all the other minority people were getting ready for the day, greeting us with their friendly smiles that I quickly grew accustomed to. Ping and I had a really good connection from the very beginning; she was just one of those people who from the moment you meet make you feel at home, welcomed. She spoke almost perfect English, with limited vocabulary of course, but very impressive nonetheless; she later told me she had learned it from the many people she had met. As we got to the hostel she told me that I was more than welcome to go stay over with her family for a night, I immediately accepted. We agreed to meet the next morning at 10am, as it takes a few hours to walk to her village.

View from the Pinocchio Hostel

The dorms were on the top floor; I climbed 6 flights of stairs with my backpack but was rewarded by an unbelievable view; surrounded by green mountains with extensive rice terraces brushed by the clouds, breathtaking. I went out to explore the town; narrow streets, unpaved roads, lots of restaurants and guesthouses.  I met a 14 year old girl (also from the black Hmong tribe), she was very curious and funny. We walked to the market hand in hand and she showed me a great place to eat;  it was packed with tourists, backpackers and locals alike. For a whole $1.50 I got a huge plate of pho with chicken. Being Sunday, the town square was in full swing. I have never seen so many colorful crafts, blankets, clothing, purses and decorations. There were so many different minorities present, each with their own typical dress and costumes. The one thing they had in common was how nice they were, always smiling and laughing, chatting up with everyone they met along their path. By the end of that day, I was friends with everyone I walked past. I was at the square from over an hour, just people watching... I’m sure I could have stayed there for the whole day.

On the right is my 14 year old Hmong friend

One of the hundred beautiful pictures from the Sunday market

By the time Ping came by the next morning, I found myself surrounded by a group of locals. I don’t know why, but they all seemed to like me and just wanted to chat. We started walking at around 11am, the view along the path was gorgeous, more so than I had imagined it would be. Our snacks consisted of fresh cucumber, just like an apple; Asian cucumbers taste a lot better though, they are sweeter, fleshy and HUGHE, I’d say almost melon sized. We got to her house at around 1pm, there were a few people over sitting outside on tinny wooden stools. There is a big sense of community in her village, the kids are always playing around and the adults are always chatting on the front “porches” and along the streets, everyone just seems to be happy all the time.

 Her house had wooden walls, a leaf roof and a concrete floor. When you walked in, there was a main room with a flat screen tv, a foldable plastic table and lots of pictures. To the right was a semi room (no door) with a wooden bed and then a kitchen, which consisted of a square in the ground where you could start a fire. To the left of the entrance there was another semi-room with a bed and then a place where water is always running (they get constant flow from the stream) used for every day purposes. This space was shared with the house next door.  Simple, yet the tv... so ironic. They had one light bulb (in the main room) but other than that there were no signs of electricity.

We spent the afternoon sowing; she made me a purse for my mom and a wristlet for my sister while I sewed flags onto my backpack.  At night, the whole family came over for dinner. They had a 1 yr old, a 3 year old, an 8 year old and a 12 year old. After dinner, Ping brought out some rice wine, which she had made herself. She poured me a shot of it and topped it with a purple fermented juice (also home-made) to make the flavor smoother as the rice wine was very very strong.  She kept pouring more and more shots of it, telling me stories and showing me pictures. I think my favorite one was of how she met her husband.

The next morning she was up at 5am, I could hear her making breakfast and getting ready for the day, but I didn't get up till 6... the bed was the hardest thing I have ever slept on (and im not exaggerating) it was just a large wooden block with a thick blanket on top...but who am I kidding? I slept just fine. After breakfast I was sitting around getting my stuff ready when her little boy came by, sat on the floor beside me and pooped himself. What a bonding experience hahahhaaha that’s when I finally understood why little children all around Asia run around with shirts but no pants on....

Ping 

We left the house at around 10 am and walked to the main viewpoint where the rice fields where even more impressive, the river funneled between the mountains and the yellow schools looked like sparks in the distance. A minibus of Chinese tourists arrived too, but the funniest part was that they weren't there to see the landscape but rather to look at some spiritual rock.... Ping knew which rock it was but had no idea of its significance... odd.  Ping’s husband came to pick us up at noon and the three of us rode back to town on his motorcycle with me sandwiched in between them, it was quite the sight.

 Back in town I wondered the streets one last time. The women that live there are all so beautiful; smooth tanned skin with a hint of freckles, silky black long hair, and eyes that always smile. I don’t  know what it is about this little town but it makes you want to stay there forever.