Ferry Back to Mainland Thailand
Out of Southern Thailand
Greetings all! We took a couple of weeks off writing blog entries just to build suspense. Since nothing wittier came in, if our around the world trip became a made for t.v. movie, it would be called “Peeing on Myself in 15 Different Countries.” Not very mature Pepper.
Currently Nadine and I call Surin, Thailand home, not in humid southern Thailand, but eastern Thailand. The annual elephant festival is taking place this weekend. We’ll save all those details for a future entry. Hope my memory serves like an elephants, but I hope that Slappy the Elephant doesn’t remember me stepping on his big toe. This entry is a tag team effort, half Nadine, and then I come in with a few words that leave you a bit deflated. “Pity the fool who doesn’t read John and Nadine’s blog.” Direct quote from Mr. T. Now you have to read the blog. Enjoy.
Making More Memories in Thailand with a Dry Camera
Koh Phi Phi Beach
When we last left y’all, we had just left Koh Phi Phi. But I forgot one remarkable experience from that leg of our trip. After leaving the beach from The Beach (Koh Phi Phi Le), we headed back towards Koh Phi Phi, the inhabited island. Menacing clouds quickly approached. I forecast that in six minutes rain would shower our little long-boat, and five minutes 59 seconds later, rain drops torpedoed the bow of our boat and slapped upside the side of our heads. Initially for 10 minutes, the land mass of Koh Phi Phi Le partially protected us, but that protection ceased when we hit open water. Suddenly, our boat rocked up and down like it listened to a disturbed Britney Spears song. Each large wave greeted us with rain that switched from vertical to horizontal slap you in the face rain. My only concern at the time was our camera and I guess, and in some sense, our safety, but more importantly, our camera. In the open water, I grabbed life jackets so Nadine could cover herself and our bag, limiting the amount of rain inching towards our camera. I took my life jacket and placed it at an angle to cover Nadine’s even more while I took the rain like a man . . . directly to the face. Visibility was ten feet. Yes, the flood gates had opened. When you thought we were on the home stretch to calm seas and a dry room on island, our boat turned around. What?!?! The driver must have imagined that was not enough fun to see female tourists screaming with every crest of a wave. I guess it could be fun. Apparently another boat stalled and ignoring the complaints from two Canadian nurses, our driver dragged them to safety. We lived to see another day, and yes, our camera was dry.
Posing with Phang Nga Forest Park
After sunburned Koh Phi Phi, we yearned for a destination with a few less tourists. We traveled to Phang-Nga, a town with only one guesthouse and motorbike accessible. Our primary reason was a hike through a little known Forest Park there. It was definitely deserted and off the beaten tourist track. Hot, humid, and buggy hiking welcomed us, and afterwards, waterfall created pools cooled us off near the entrance of the park. Nice break from a tourist itinerary.
Potty Humor
Happy Toilet Healthy Life! like my Mom always used to say
Whenever Nadine and I sit down to knock out a blog entry about what we experienced and caught our attention. Well, I now present some interesting facets of Thai and South East Asian culture we’ve observed. You probably watched this on CNN this week, but Thailand is hosting the World Toilet Expo and Forum. Experts from the world talk where is best to take a dump. That made me think of all the types of toilets we’ve encountered on our trip so far. And there has been many. This is the point where I will describe in intimate detail to y’all all the types we’ve seen and, thanks to the fact that I am a guy, I haven’t had to use many of them, while Nadine has sat on all of them.
The first type of toilet is what we call the modern Western flush toilet paper toilet. You sit down, take care of business, throw your toilet paper in the toilet when done, and flush. These are found anywhere in the first world as well as nice hotels and hostels in SEA (Southeast Asia).
The second type of toilet is what we call a Western toilet with t.p. in the trash toilet. A nice porcelain seat greets the user, but when it’s time to dispose of your t.p., you place it in the trash. You still flush.
The third type of toilet is what we call a Western toilet, bucket flush toilet. Porcelain greets you with this toilet, but when you turn to flush, there is not a flusher present. That is when you notice the big pink bucket with a faucet dripping over it. You pick it up, fill it up with two gallons of H20 (those of you not familiar with chemistry, that’s water), and pour into the toilet. Note of caution, you must place yourself at an angle so as not to splash water onto your feet or legs. Terrible sensation. Unless it’s and you’re hot.
The fourth type of toilet is what we call a Squat Toilet Flusher, STF for short. With this one, you place your feet on foot pads so as not to slip, then squat, aim, take care of business, and clean yourself. For anyone from the U.S., this proves to be difficult the first time around. After you are done, simply pull the lever behind you and done.
The fifth type of toilet is what we consider the Squat toilet, bucket flush. Same as the fourth type of toilet, but grab that pink bucket with a New Mexican State slogan written across the side, Lizards Make Great Pets, and pour. Be even more careful this time from the splash of the bucket.
We have the Ah Shit Toilet. The sixth is the Squat with no visible toilet seat or toilet paper. This can be anywhere and this is a true adventure. You walk into a closed room, turn around perplexed and ask if this is really the toilet, then stand, squat, tip toe in odd positions trying not to touch a single item in the vicinity since it has never seen been cleaned or cleaner since its original construction. I insist it’s really important to wash your hands, maybe even take a shower to be certain of your health.
The seventh and final type of toilet facility (we may have new ones in a month or so) is what we affectionately call a tree. This is the easiest, stroll up to the tree in the middle of nowhere and depending on your gender, stand or squat, and shake. Back on the bus and off you go.
Obviously, the level of cleanliness steadily decreases as you move from the first type to the sixth type of toilet. The last type should be organically clean enough for you. Just don’t grab poison ivy.
Descending Upon Hat Rai Leh
Another Beautiful View from Rai Leh
After secluded hiking and waterfalls in Phang Nga, we returned to Hat Rai Leh. Our raison d’etre in Rai Leh was for a climb and hike over the lip of limestone walls down into a secluded lagoon. The beginning proved to be challenging using frayed ropes to climb up and over red mud, roots, and sharp rocks. The top of this climb bestowed on us an absolute amazing view of Rai Leh beach and the hills circling the area. Now from here on to the lagoon. Footing became slippier, wetter, and more uneasy. Apparently there was a spot 15 foot free fall made possible by rope. When we arrived to this prewarned point, the following question crossed my mind, “Do I want to risk serious injury, concluding our trip, to see this lagoon?” We both checked our egos at the door and turned around, much to the relief of our mothers. The descent proved more difficult than the ascent.
A Sweaty View of Rai Leh
Sins and Rats!
She Makes Her Own Style
We returned to Rai Leh to celebrate the Full Moon with a full moon party. Each time it’s a full moon, the island of Koh Pha-Ngan, on the other side of Thailand, has the world (in)famous Full Moon Party. Due to our location on the western coast of the peninsula, we had a regular ol’ party. Good enough for me. We spent the evening between a few clubs and live music. Good fun. But also this evening, Thais celebrate Loi Krathong Floating Lantern Festival. Thais make a wreath made from banana leaves and place a candle in the middle of this wreath. At night of the November Full Moon, they send it out to sea, down a river, or up into the sky. It represents their sins from the past year and making amends for past transgressions. The wreaths floating to heaven are constructed out of light paper and with a candle in the middle. The heat from the candle causes it to rise into the sky.
By the time Thais sent their wreathes and past sins to heaven, Nadine and I returned home to watch the remaining wreaths. We thought nothing would be more memorable than Loi Krathong this night. We were wrong. While sleeping at 4 a.m., the odd noise of scurrying claws around our room and our heads awakened us. What the heck was that? Probably nothing, back to bed. What darted under Nadine’s bag? And now running on my shoes? What we observed was similar to the rat’s equivalent of 100 meter dash. Five, not mice size, but healthy, Olympic-sized, full of muscle steroid rats using our room as their training facility. For the next hour and a half, and mind you we were already fatigued from Low Krathong, we turned the lights on, burned a mosquito coil (as if that would bother a rat), lifted our bed to the middle of the room, balanced our backpacks on two chairs away from the walls, and put our heads on the other end of the bed, no rat poop landing on my head tonight! Rats, after all of this, we enjoyed another quality squinty-eyed three hours of sleep.
Oh Koh Tao’s Buckets of Fun
Full Ferry to Koh Tao
After our second visit to Railey, we wanted to make our way to the east coast of Thailand to an island called Koh Tao. A ferry from Surat Thani carried us away at 8 in the morning. It made a couple of stops along the way before arriving to Koh Tao around 2:30. Koh Samui was our first brief stop, then Koh Pha Ngan (home of the famous full moon parties). There we boarded another boat. Hungover revelers packed this boat to the brim. Someone occupied every single seat only leaving a few standing spots. Backpacks reached six feet high. The lack of life jackets on board made me a bit nervous and the fact that passengers littered every foot of the boat. Alas, we safely arrived to Koh Tao and departed the boat as quick as possible to a wonderful place to just be.
Koh Tao was an easy, relaxing place to let four days just saunter by. We spent quite a bit of time with two other couples, one American and one Finnish. The Finnish couple was there for scuba diving certification and Koh Tao serves as the Mecca for cheap scuba diving certification. Instead, we partook in activities that reminded us of home, such as yoga (for Nadine), a visit to a gym (John), and watching pirated Scrubs DVD’s. To break the monotony, we rode a long tail boat over to the smaller islands of Nang Yuan for snorkeling (the poor man’s scuba diving) and hiking. A sandbar only accessible during low tide connected the two main islands. Picturesque.
The Lotus Bar was different than home. First of all, this bar on the beach provided little mats to sit on and lights in the sand around you…great atmosphere. At this bar, we were introduced to “buckets” by our Finnish friends. Basically, it is a supersized mixed drink in a small, tin bucket that is meant to be shared among a small group of people. I can’t reveal the recipe, but it does result in a bit of dancing.
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[…] our visas are about to expire. Despite the remoteness of Koh Tao, we boarded an empty ferry, unlike the Full Moon ferries, and made our way to Chumphon (emphasize the chump in pronunciation, makes some people giggle). As […]