Here we come Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Full moon party!

It was a Friday night when me, Marie, her roommate David and one french guy, whose name I can't remember, french girl Lea and the french guy's Thai girlfriend Pucca headed towards the famous backpacker's Khao San road. We were there early so we had a good time to wander around and for me to take in the atmosphere which was so awesome, relaxing, different and lively. Lots of backpackers, restaurants, massage places, other kind of massage places, tourist shops with cheap clothes etc etc etc. Anything you could ever imagine having or buying could be done there! Lots of small streets and food booths and since me and Marie were hungry we bought different things for us to taste.. I tasted some egg and coconut something and it was so delicious!!! If I would have that in Finland I wouldn't be eating candy! YAMMY! And of course I had some mango and sticky rise with coconut milk also ;) Pucca was like our personal tourist guide she got our tickets and these stickers for us to put on our chests. Four big buses full of people mostly young going to the famous Full Moon party! LET's GO! 

Our bus was the last one to leave towards a city called Chumphon from were we took a boat to an island called Koh Tao. Me and Marie talked on the bus for at least one hour before trying to get some sleep. We stopped at some place for a rest around 2 am and there was this night market going on with loads of buses at the parking lot. At there (and also everywhere else) I got stares from the local people being the only blond girl anywhere.. Our bus was the first bus the reach Chumphon at five o'clock in the morning. When other people went to sit around this closed and empty restaurant chairs our group (the six of us) headed straight to the beach to lay down on the sand. It was SO RELAXING looking at the starry sky and listening to the sea. We hang around there for around couple of hours and I went for a short jog on the beach. I was joined by four stray dogs. The view was perfect! Paradise.

Had to take a photo of the cigarette boxes! 

On the boat me and Marie went up to take the traditional titanic photos. We arrived to the port of Koh Tao and we could instantly see that we weren't the only ones there.. At the harbor there were at least 50 men with signs of resort, taxi offers, diving offers etc. We hadn't booked any place to stay so we decided to sit down on the harbor and wait for all the people to leave for their resorts and get time for us to think. We left our stuff at one place and one was looking after them all the time while couple of us left for a diving place to ask for prices, some of us went to a local 7 eleven supermarket and couple of us tried to compare the prices of hostels, hotels and bed/breakfast places. 

Eventually after 45 minutes or so we haggled the taxi and left for this famous Sairee beach where most of the hotels and diving places are located. The backpackers hostel was charging 300 BAHT per night and we thought that it was way too much and we didn't wanna pay it. We started walking towards the beach and when we first saw it, it was huge, magical and looked just like in photos! We girls went for a swim while the boys and Pucca tried to figure out a place for us to stay in. Eventually Pucca had talked a deal for us that we paid 360 each and stayed in a four bed room. The price included a breakfast buffet and a swimming pool. The rooms had an aircon. Pucca and her boyfriend were staying in their own room.

We hung around for a while by the pool and then it was time to head back to the main harbor for our half day diving trip. Me, Pucca and David didn't wanna dive so me and David only went for a snorkle. We stopped twice and on the first stop we went to snorkle for a long time! I really did enjoy it, I saw lots of colorful fishes and coral things! Suddenly it started to rain, and it wasn't just a small rain!!! I was so far away from the boat that I got a little nervous.. I'm a good swimmer tho so it was fine, total exercise.. At the boat I started talking to this young Norwegian girl and she told that one year ago she met some guy in  Koh Tao who worked there as a dive master and eventually she moved there too! Life in Norway just wasn't for her and she decided that why not to do something you enjoy and feel like being on a holiday every day! The others took a long time to dive so we just jumped from the roof of the boat with David and Pucca was our photographer! :D

Girls, girls, girls

Koh Nang Yuan

On the second stop me, David and Marie decided to swim to the famous Koh Nang Yuan island. It was rather far away but they told us that we can swim there if we wanna try. If you go to the island by boat they charge you to get into the island. There is this famous view point on the island if you google it you can see photos. We swam there and enjoyed the beach for a while when we decided we gotta go to the famous view point! So barefoot with our snorkles with us we started walking the wooden planks and the rocks on the hill.. The view was pretty breathtaking to say the least! 

Us

Heading back

On the boat trip back we were all really tired and the weather sucked so it was a bit cold on the roof of the boat and the sea was also rough.. Back at the harbor of Koh Tao we decided to rent scooters since it would be more cheaper than to pay taxi all the time.. So we rented three scooters for the price of 200 BAHT per one. We had a problem since we had to give at least two passports there or pay extra 800 BAHT for insurance if something happened. We didn't wanna give passport and we didn't even have them with us. Eventually the owner and David left for the hotel to get them. David was driving and me and Lea were on his scooter, the couple had one and Marie was driving the one. At first I was a bit worried since I had read about the accidents happening there cause the roads are so poor.. But David was a good driver. :)

Some hotel on the other side of the island

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Local wedding

After driving around all night we went back and took oil massages at our hotel paying for 300 BAHT for one hour. Then it was shower and food time. We went to eat at our hotels beach restaurant / bar. The atmosphere was amazing! I felt so relaxed and I really did enjoy my time there!!! Check the photos from the beach! After eating me and Marie left for a walk around and noticed that the whole beach was under water!! The water had risen at least 50 meters ! And we had actually been thinking of sleeping on the beach...

Fire artist on the beach

Beach underwater

CanCun bar next door where me and Marie hang around for a while! After couple of beers we were dead tired and headed to bed! Excited for the next day's full moon party! 

One night in Bangkok...

Finally the long night in the bus was over! We arrived somewhere rather far from the center of Bangkok at 8.30 am and took a taxi together with Emilie. Our paths had come to an end. We were heading to different directions. At first we head an interesting taxi journey ahead of us. The taxi driver had been driving for like 15 minutes or so and suddenly he turned the taxi meter of. And once we started fighting with him that we wont pay him if he doesn't put it back on, he turned the car around and took us back to the bus station while shouting to us like crazy. So, we took another taxi and the driver didn't know where to take us even tho we showed him the place on the map and all. Eventually we made it to the closest sky train station. I took a sky train to Marie's work to get the keys and then to her place to drop of my things and to take a shower. I didn't wanna waste anytime since the same night we were heading towards islands with Marie and her friends. 

Free haircuts at the train station

I walked to the Surasak sky train station and took it only for one stop.. On the way it started raining and I got a little frustrated cause I was that eager to do sightseeing when it was raining. Thank god it stop as soon as it started. Then I took a river boat and on the line waiting the boat I met a girl and a boy from Norway and UK. They were going to the same direction and I started to hang around with them after they asked me if I wanted to join them. Our direction was the great Grand Palace. On the gate I started to talk with this guard who told us that the Grand Palace was closed for one hour for a lunch break. So he took a tuktuk for us and told us that the driver is gonna explain everything to us. And we would only have to pay for 3 BAHT for around 90 minutes if we agreed on getting in! First the driver took us to see the standing Buddha. While we took photos he waited for us outside. Then we headed towards some custom made suit shop were we had to pretend that we actually wanted to buy something.. The shops were really expensive and fine. At the door we were offered champagne and catalogs. There were at least three men offering their help. So since we didn't have any common language with each other to try to figure out ourselves out from the shop without a fight we just each came up with a story why we didn't wanna buy anything. It was so akward! Haha, mine was that I work at a gym and my workmates would look at me like I'm crazy if I'd show up dressed like a lawyer.. So basically the tuktuk driver had an agreement with different places that if we took tourists there he would get some cards to get free gasoline. So, what we got was to see different sightseeing places basically for free but we had to survive these akward and actually quite scary scenes. 

Taken from the river boat

Bangkokkkkkk

The standing Buddha

Let's goooooo ;) 

The suit shop..

'Thank you but I won't be needing anything since I work at the gym and they would look me like a crazy if I come to work wearing this dress..'

Wat Benchamabopitr

Then it was a tuktuk ride to see this small temple and after to some huge jewelry place which was magical!! I actually would have wanted to buy something but I just didn't have enough money with me at the moment. Then we had the last suit shop in front of us and we even came up with a plan how to survive. Well, it didn't go as planned. The owner basically saw right through us.. He got so angry and mad to us, and in a way, I totally understand him since it's his job and he wants to earn money and we only wasted his time. Tho, the guy from UK was actually looking for a suit but couldn't buy one at the moment. So the situation ended up by him throwing us out from his shop... 

The driving would have wanted to take us to one more shop but we told him to take us back to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace was so so expensive (500 BAHT) but as people told, it is the place to see! Once again, the photos tell more.. 

Just chilling..

As you could see the Grand Palace was full of gold and shiny temples! So many that you didn't even know where to start looking and exploring. After so many photos it was time to try to walk to the Chinatown which ended up being easier said than done. We walked around 1,5 hours and once in a while tried to take a taxi but when the prices where close to 200 BAHT we said no. Eventually we found ourselves to this big shopping mall called MBK to eat. At six o'clock I was back at Marie's place and we met at the front yard by accident, perfect timing! We went to the roof top to hang around for a while. On the roof we climbed to some smaller roofs without any handles... It was scary being so high just your feet hanging over the edge.. I almost crawled back to the ladder going down to the actual roof. I was so terrified! 

And we complain our five o'clock rush hour..

Things noticed in Bangkok:

• There were no teenager anywhere! (if you didn't walk past a school or something..) There were only kids, women and men. Since it was so difficult to estimate the ages of Thai people, and the teenagers looked like adults so it was really hard to recognize any teenagers.

• Pollution! Usually when I've been traveling I haven't noticed any pollution anywhere even in Athens where it's said to be pretty bad. But in Bangkok I felt like I couldn't breath properly if I was on a mototaxi or even a normal one. 

After the roof climbing we packed our things and then it was time to start a pretty good adventure so to say! To be continued... ;)