Well i've been here for 10 days, and am already in my 5th lodging... So much for chilling for week in Phuket!
After one hell of a journey, i would advise against budget air travel to the extreme that i went to.. Sure, i got to Phuket for less than $550, but it cost me in other ways! I effectively doubled my transit time - 3 flights, 4 airports, 3 check-ins, 5 security checks, 3 bottles of water discarded, 2 explosive tests, and over 12 hours of waiting time at the various airports! That included my time in Darwin, which also cost me a cab to and from town, and a pair of lost sunnies 'cause i was so bloody tired!! But all good - i damn near finished my book, and the $400 i saved adds up to a lot of green curry..
I managed to meet up with Didi without any problems (she had arranged a driver to be waiting at the airport with my name on a sign!) To be honest, i didn't give it much of a chance, but Patong Beach wasn't really our scene - relatively expensive, very built up, lots of girlie bars and western style eateries, and to really top it off, more Aussies whinging about the food than you'd find in Bali...
So, after just 2 nights, we jumped on a mini bus for the 5 hour drive to Surat Thani, where we could catch a boat over to Koh Phangan.. As luck would have it, we arrived the day of the black moon, and hence, the day of the black moon party. But, me being me (and the fact that i was still so exhausted) i was in bed by midnight! After a couple of days at Ban Tai (where the black moon parties are) we hired a motorbike and went exploring.. After well and truly breaking my "no dirt roads" clause of my rental agreement, we found a fantastic beach on the north of the island. Bottle Beach is the famous bit, but just around the bluff is Thong Nai Pan - just as nice, a total of about 20 tourists at this time of year, and dirt cheap (250 baht/night for both of us - about $8). We scored a beautiful little bunglow on the beach, and spent the next 5 days living it up! The neighbouring resort's pool was a god send, and they didn't care that we weren't staying there - we made friends with the pool barman, Ram, (of course, there was a bar IN the pool) who was always happy to see us and loved a chat...
But now, we have journeyed again. We arrived to Koh Tao today, and i am so eager to go diving! The whole island is about diving and snorkelling, and when you see the water, it all makes sense - beautiful. I am now sitting on my balcony, overlooking our private beach (shared by about 6 other bungalows) with the sunset in front of me, and a Singha in my hand.. Life is pretty damn good. Just prior to leaving, i managed to find the e-mail address of my French friend Claude, who i travelled with in India in '01.. He married a Thai girl soon after we did India together, and has been hassling me to come visit.. It turns out, he and Natvipa run a travel agency/pharmcy/doctors (she is a doctor) on Koh Tao! Unfortunately, they are in France now, but i have hired one of their motorbikes, and seen all his travel pics in the shop!! They are back here in October, so i may just have to stop in again after India/Nepal..
