Road Trip

Ko Samui

Our last full day in Lamai, Steve, Nancy and I decided to rent motorbikes (scooters) for the afternoon, so we could travel around the island. When we first got to the rental place, the woman didn't ask us many questions about our expedience, but as we waited for Steve to get his passport, she asked if we had ever drove a motorbike before. Nancy and I both said "no". She said she would not let us rent them, if we did not have any experience driving them because of the traffic and possible accidents. This was definitely putting a damper on our afternoon plans. Nancy then said she had driven one a couple of times in Koa Toa. Nancy was definitely believable, so the woman didn't question her again. Once Steve arrived, she gave us our two bikes. Steve tried to give Nancy a quick tutorial on how to operate the bike, but after a couple of tries she couldn't get the bike working. The woman, who had been watching us from inside, came out and started to question Nancy aggressively and final decided she had no idea what she was doing. Sadly, the three musketeers where broken up. Nancy said we should go without her and she would hang out at the pool. The afternoon wasn't the same without her, but she was probably a lot safer not going on the trip. She's still recovering from her rock climbing incident at Railie.

The bike ride around the island was very refreshing. We took some interior roads to see what life was like outside of the beach towns. It was very lush with varying styles of homes, ranging from small shacks to some larger grated homes. On our way home, we stopped to see the Big Buddha, which was cool. The afternoon was a lot of fun, but I wish we could have taken a quick motorbike class, so we could have all gone together. Another thing to learn in the states.

Koh Phangan

We arrived yesterday on the island of Koh Phangan. This is the ultimate party island, which is know for the Full Moon Party. The Full Moon Party is one of the top parties in the world. When there isn't a full moon, there are still parties to celebrate the half moon and dark moon. Last night there was a moonset celebration just down from our hotel. The parties never end here. I guess the original party started because of someone's birthday, which just happened to fall on a full moon. A simple birthday turned into a monthly celebration.

The party is located in Haad Rin, which is on the Southwest end of the island. Luckily, I selected a place on the Northwest side, away from the dirty and loud playground. Our current hotel is the most secluded than any place we've stayed on the trip. The place is great for our last days here.

Today we decided to take a jeep to Haad Rin to check out the shops and party beach. The jeep was manual with 4 wheel drive. Steve was the only possible driver, since he's the only one that knows how to drive manual. The drive was a scary one. As I've gotten older, I've started to get a fear of heights and the mountainous roads here are narrow and winding. It's like a roller coaster without a track. Prior to heading to Haad Rin, we decided to check out the tallest point on the island. This required us to ride on dirt roads with huge pot holes, some even washing away. Once we found the correct road that took us into the middle of nowhere, we realized that it was going to be a 2-3 hour walk to the top. We were totally not prepared for that! Instead we'll do it tomorrow morning.

After our jungle adventure, we went into town. The streets here got even more narrow and their was the addition of pedestrians and motorbikers. Some streets didn't even look drivable. Finally, we found a large open space and parked for the day. Shopping was successful and our trip home safe, but stressful (for me).

Thanks to my driver for a great trip!