Full Moon Party, Take 2

Sarah and I didn't actually get to go to the Full Moon Party in Thailand because we weren't there at the right time. Instead, we went to the Black Moon Party, also on the island of Koh Phangan. It was great, but from what we heard, nothing like the original. I got my chance though about two weeks later; it was a Full Moon Party...Korean style.

Koreans have unique ways to celebrate just about every holiday, so it is always exciting when another one comes around because it is a totally new experience for us foreigners. We heard that there were going to be bonfires in various places on the night of full moon, so my friends and I decided to go to Haeundae Beach, where supposedly the biggest celebration was taking place. I had been told a little bit about it during school that day, as teachers talked over coffee break about what they were doing to celebrate and explained the traditions to me. They told me that in Korea, the first full moon after the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) is a huge deal, and hence the cause of great celebration and prayer. It is the night when Koreans make their prayers and wishes for the year ahead. To do this, they write their wishes on paper and put the into the bonfire, or they write them on paper lanterns which are set off into the sky like balloons. So, I went to the event knowing a little bit about the holiday, but no idea what the celebration would actually be like.

As we got off of the subway at Haeundae station, we were immediately surprised by the hoards of people, coming and going from every direction. For some reason, we had pictured this as a quiet event, and it was anything but. As I climbed the stairs from the underground, I could see a massive plume of smoke rising up into the sky, and I realized that this wasn't going to be your average bonfire at all. As we approached the beach and the massive fire came into view and my friend Alexis took one look and said, "Wow, I think that's the biggest fire I've ever seen." I was pretty sure it was the same for me. We walked along the beach toward the fire and watched as people dug holes in the sand and placed candles, like their own little prayer alter. Others were gathered in groups with of family, setting off paper lanterns decorated with scribbles of their wishes for the coming year.

As we approached the bonfire, the sound of a beating drum and Korean folk music became louder. When we got closer, we saw that there were hundreds of people dressed in traditional Korean hanbock (kind of like kimonos), holding hands and dancing around the fire, with the bright full moon rising overhead. My friend Kelsey decided to get in on the action, and was probably the only foreigner dancing and singing to the folk music. We all got a lot of attention at the event. A group of older men and women (bottles of soju in hand), came up and asked to take a picture with us. Before we knew it, it was like the paparazzi swarming, there must have been 20 different people trying to either take a picture or get in a picture with us. They seemed just as fascinated with us as we were with them.

After about an hour or so, the blare of the bonfire began to calm, and so the dancing and singing quieted too. People slowly finished their prayers and made their way home. We were happy to have experienced yet another unique part of Korean culture. We hung around, watching the evening wrap up, but soon our attention turned to our stomachs which were growling with hunger for dinner. Though we probably should have continued the celebration with a traditional Korean meal, we decided to honor our own culture and went for some nachos and burritos at the new taco joint near the beach...nothing like the greasy, deliciousness of home sweet home!

Thailand- Chapter 4, Back to Bangkok

It felt like deja vu when the time came to make our trek back to Bangkok, with all of the modes of transportation we had to take. Another ferry, multiple taxis and a plane (luckily we avoided all buses), and on Saturday morning we finally landed back in the place where we had started a little over a week ago.

We had a full day ahead of us and intended to use every minute of it exploring Bangkok and enjoying our time together. The first stop was to put our stuff down and we really had no plan whatsoever, but lack of planning hadn't been a problem so far, so we were not worried at all. We headed towards Khoa San Road, the infamous backpacker street where Leo (Dicaprio, that is) spent his nights getting lost in the movie The Beach. Anyway, the street was bustling when we arrived with vendors and restaurants and we couldn't wait to unload, get some food, and make our way around the city. Almost immediately, we located a Backpackers Inn and although they wouldn't just store our bags, we were delighted to find out that they had one room left and it only cost $10! They let me check out the room first, and although it was tiny and a little dingy, it was fine. We just wanted to put our things down, and I was happy to have a place to lay my head for a few hours as my flight wasn't until 7 am the next morning (Sarah was leaving first around 10 pm that night). Anyway, we happily paid for the room and found a restaurant nearby for delicious pad thai, thai iced tea (a new favorite) and some people watching, of course.

pad thai covered in peanuts, mmmMm

Around 1 pm, we left Khao San Road, planning to head towards the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), which we had only seen from a distance the first time around. On the way, we wandered into a much smaller temple, and found ourselves the only tourists among a crowd of Thai people, there to pray, be blessed by the monks, and make their offerings. It was amazing to see the people kneeling on the ground praying with a monk seated above them, chanting and sprinkling holy water as he gave his blessing. We tried our best not to disturb, and I think we did a good job of it, no one seemed to mind us being there. We left the temple and headed out through the streets of Bangkok. We came upon a huge festival where everyone (easily a few thousand people) were wearing red shirts, but we had no idea what it was for, so we kept moving. After a few stops to haggle some goods from local vendors, we made our way to the river and took a ferry across to Wat Arun.

buddhist monk blessing the people

As we got closer to the temple, we began to see that the structure which looked gray and drab from a distance, was not gray and drab at all. As we approached it, we began to see that it was completely covered in a complex pattern of porcelin. From far away, it just looks old, but up close it is truly unreal (Ben commented that it looked like one of those Magic Eye books we used to stare at when we were kids, and I think thats a pretty good description). Anyway, we paid about three dollars to get in, and were able to walk (and climb!) all around it. The base of the temple is a pentagon shape and then there is a steep tower jutting up in the middle. We climbed the steps or I should say ladder, which is a much more appropriate way to describe it, up the tower and were rewarded with a great view of the river and the city. It was fascinating in a different way than the Royal Palace which we saw on the first day. While the Royal Palace was gold and magnificent and a work of art, Wat Arun with its worn appearance felt more like a glimpse into the past. It was really cool to be there and to see the buddhist monks carrying out century-old traditions. Thankfully not everyone in the world is becoming a homogenized reflection of the western world.

Wat Arun- Temple of Dawn

Sar climbing Wat Arun

couldn't pass this up

Pleased with taking in one more famous temple, we decided to find some local action at a flower market on the river. We walked through the blocks and blocks of flower vendors, pretty amazed that these people can all make a living selling flowers. After taking in the bright colors and smells, we decided it was time to make our way back to Khao San for some shopping and maybe a little bit of relaxing. We still hadn't taken a famous Tuk Tuk vehicle (see picture below) because we had heard that they try to scam tourists, but we thought it was a steal at about $2 for a 20 minute ride! It was also great because we got a tour of the historic area of the city from a new perspective. Sitting in traffic next to the Parliament building and whizzing by the Royal Palace grounds was a great last way to see the city. When we got to Khao San, we did some last minute shopping and found some great deals. Just a word of advice, don't try to haggle too much in Thailand because the vendors are sticklers and you will piss them off! After a long day on a plane and exploring the city, we needed a little relaxation before the night, so we headed back to the dingy (but cozy) inn to take a rest.

50 baht (or about $1.75) for each bouquet


riding the tuk tuk!

Sarah's flight was at midnight, so she had to be in a taxi by about 9:30 and she had just one wish for her last night in Bangkok: to check out the posh roof-top restaurant Red Sky at the Centara Grand Hotel (if it sounds expensive, that's because it is). Despite my meager Korean teachers salary and my backpacker attitude in which I'd rather sample street food than eat in a western style restaurant, I agreed to dress up and dine like the New Yorker that I still had buried in me somewhere. It turned out to be a beautiful restaurant with stunning views and absolutely to die for drinks and food, so it wasn't all that bad...plus, the sis helped me out a little, of course!

Red Sky restaurant

Our sister adventure in Thailand was finally over. As we went back to the inn to pack up Sarah's stuff, I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyes. I had that awful mouth twitching, when you're trying to hold back emotion. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my sister and go back to cold, family-less Korea. We didn't say much as we walked through Khao San Road (which was now hopping with music and party-goers) and when we got to the end we were quickly able to hail a cab. Suddenly, her luggage was in the trunk and the taxi driver sat waiting. With tears rolling down our cheeks, we hugged and said our goodbyes (even now it makes me teary to think about it). Sarah left and then I was alone again. I wiped away the tears, and decided to make the most of the last few hours with some shopping and listening to live music, and then finally headed back to my room to relax. Around 3 am I had the hotel call me a cab, and I was the first in line at the airport which was worth it because I scored the exit seat for the flight back.

It was a long trip back to Korea, and I thought a lot about the trip and how great it was. To be able to share that week with my sister, in a place neither of us had ever experienced before was really special. It was an amazing time, and we really better do it again (Matt, you can come too next time)!!

Thailand- Chapter 3, How many vehicles does it take to get to Phi Phi Island?

Answer: 10.

When we woke up on Day 5 of the trip, we had no idea what was in store for us that day. What we expected was to take a ferry and connect to a bus, which would take us across Southern Thailand to Krabi town. We then planned to stay in Railay Bay for the night and we would catch another ferry to Phi Phi in the morning. Unfortunately, it turned out that it wasn't that easy. On the plus side, we made it in one piece.

Ferry in the Gulf of Thailand

What actually ended up happening was we took a truck to a ferry to a bus to another bus to a taxi to a bus to a longtail boat to another longtail boat to a ferry to one, final longtail boat (that's 10). It was an exhausting 28 hours, but we managed to see many beautiful landscapes along the way. Driving through farm towns and fishing villages gave us an entirely new perspective on Thailand, and it was really fascinating to have a glimpse of the real Thailand and its people. I only wished I could have stopped every few miles to get out and snap photos of interesting people, buildings, fruit stands, shrines, etc.

our crazy pink bus

view of Thai farmland

After a long day on the bus, Sarah and I finally arrived in Krabitown and were disappointed to hear that we still had quite a journey to go to get to Railay Bay. But from what we had heard from travellers along the way was that it was worth it, so we pushed on. We caught a taxi, which took us to a bus stop, and then that bus took us to a beach where we loaded into a longtail boat in the dark. As we sailed from Ao Nang Beach around to Railay Bay, we could see the dark shadows of massive limestone cliffs jutting up from the shore. We both wished we could have made it there in the day time to see it, but we knew it would be a great suprise in the morning. We finally arrived around 8 pm and dragged our things through the sand (no roads) and check into our hotel. We ate crab and squid curry and washed it down with tall, delicious Pina Coladas. That night, we went out to bars and tried to relax after a long day of traveling.

Delicious crab curry

Railay Bay

In the morning, we were up and ready to go by 8:30, as we had to catch the one and only ferry of the day at 9 o'clock. Of course, being that we were on "Thai time" we didn't actually end up leaving the bay until 10 o'clock, but while we waited we were able to take in the magnificent views that we had missed the night before. Finally, we took off and arrived at Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee) an hour and a half later. As we came into the port, I was amazed at the beautiful scenery in front of me. I really didn't think it could get much better than we had already seen, but I knew that we had definitely saved the best for last. Koh Phi Phi is an island made up of rocky cliffs, exploading with lush greenery, sitting in a sea of the most turqouise blue water.

our beach on Koh Phi Phi

When we finally arrived at our hotel (10 vehicles later), we knew for sure we had found paradise. Our hotel Phi Phi The Beach Resort, was a simple resort with a cluster of bungalows set on a hillside, nestled on a quiet, stunning beach, with a view of Koh Phi Phi Leh, a near by island. We didn't waste any time, getting into our bikinis and heading down for lunch on the beach. Our plan was to just chill out for the day and head to the famous Maya Bay the next morning, but when I went to talk to the boat tours guy, he suggested that we go in the late afternoon. He explained that it would be the least crowded time to go and that in the morning the bay was sometimes too shallow to enter. So we decided to go for it, and we each paid $18 for a 3 hour private snorkeling tour around Koh Phi Phi Leh, to Maya Bay (where The Beach was filmed) and finally to watch the sunset. It was a spectacular time. Sarah and I enjoyed snorkeling in a little cove and saw the best coral we had seen all trip. When we arrived at Maya Bay we were so happy to see that it was not crowded at all because it was the end of the day and the day tours had already departed. It was stunning, so I can see why so many people go to see it. We walked a long the beach, played with some sea cucumbers, and took in the beauty of it all. Around 5:30, it was getting darker, so we hopped back in the longtail boat, and Fin, our driver, took us out of the bay to see the sunset.

Maya Bay

After a long and exciting day, Sarah and I decided we had to get up the energy to go out in Phi Phi town. It was our only night there and we wanted to make the most of it. We had seafood dinner on the beach, and then went to find a reggae bar we had heard about. To our plesent suprise the reggae bar ended up having a Thai Boxing show, which we hadn't seen yet. We watched the Thai boxers and after an exciting match, they each came around and shook all of the audience members hands. It was really neat, but I think we were supposed to tip them or something...oops! Anyway, after that we found a club and danced the night away. We met some cool people too and it was a great one and only night on Phi Phi Island.

The next day, we woke up early to enjoy the breakfast buffet on the beach and gave ourselves plenty of time to relax and soak up the sun before our 2:30 ferry boat to Phuket. The island journey had come to an end, but luckily we still had time for a little more adventure back in Bangkok...

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Thailand- Chapter 2, Black Moon on Koh Phangan

Sarah and I finally arrived at Koh Samui as the sun was setting. We had been delayed two hours in the Bangkok Airport, so we quickly grabbed our bags and ran to the information desk to find the quickest way to the harbor. We still needed to take a ferry to Koh Phangan, where we were staying, and where the infamous Black Moon Party was going on that night. We went to the taxi counter and told the women where we wanted to go. To our suprise, she laughed at us! "Hah, you won't be going there tonight," she told us condesendingly. She explained that the last ferry was leaving in 5 minutes and it would cost $200 to hire a private boat. We insisted on going to the harbour anyway (we had to try), so our taxi driver skeptically dropped us off at the end of a dirt road, leading down to the ferry port. We carried our bags down and saw a group of guys our age standing around. We began talking to one guy, who was German but had very good English, and he told us that he and his friends were also trying to get to Phangan and had already hired a speed boat. I immediately asked if Sarah and I could hop on and he was happy to let us join. We paid $30 and found ourselves on Koh Phangan island in less than a half hour!

We hopped off the speed boat, said goodbye to our new friends, and caught up cab that drove us up the hill to our hotel, the Blue Hill Resort. When we arrived it seemed like we were the only guests, but we checked in and were assured by the concierge that the party was going on that night. We had a wonderful Thai dinner on the outdoor patio and then settled into our rustic room (no furniture except a bed) and got ready for the party. The Black Moon Party was everything we expected; rage on the beach, lots of crazy people, drinks, dancing, fire tossers, etc. We danced the night away and met people from all around the world: Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, UK, Israel, etc. It was a great night but we called it quits around 3:00 a.m. so that we wouldn't completely waste the next day, and our first full day of our island experience.

Fire throwers at Black Moon Party

Sar & I at the party

We woke up to a hot, sunny Thai day and discovered the amazing view from our balcony room, over looked the Gulf of Thailand. After a delicious western breakfast of omlettes, bacon, toast, coffee, fresh juice and fruit (which I had been craving forever), we headed down to the beach and pool to relax for the rest of the morning. In the early afternoon, we decided it was time to make a decision about the days activities. I wanted to see the island and check out the Elephant trekking, but we realized that it was extremely difficult to get around the island. The only transportation was expensive taxis or renting a motorbike or truck. Motorbikes were out of the question for obvious reasons, and we decided that we did have the time or funds to rent a truck. So we settled on the Elephant trekking because they would provide transportation from the hotel to the site in the jungle, so we figured we would get to see a lot on the drive there.

About an hour later, a thai man in a pick-up truck came to get us. We hopped in the truck and set out across the island through the jungle. The old pick-up seemed to be "trucking" along, climbing up and down the steep hills, but suddenly, half-way up a massive incline, it just stopped. We didn't think it was a problem until he tried to start the truck a few times and it didn't work. He got on the phone and Sarah and I just looked at each other and laughed, both thinking, "here we go again." Through sign language and "Thainglish", he told us to wait and another ride was coming. We sat for ten minutes and soon enough a woman came riding up on a motorbike. We didn't think much of it until she stopped at the truck. Suddenly, I realized it wasn't a woman at all, it was a lady boy!! There are many lady boy's in Thailand, basically men who dress up as women, but are still men, anatomically speaking. Anyway, "she" was very nice and spoke great English and told us to hop on, the site was only a few minutes up the hill. We hopped on and sure enough it was just at the top of the hill, we could have walked! Anyway, when we got there we were the only tourists, so they brought one of the Elephants over right away. Immediately, Sarah and I both got that uh-oh feeling. Not because we didn't feel safe (it was perfectly safe) but because we both realized that this was in no way an animal-friendly business. The elephants looked sad, hungry and unhealthy. I won't go into too much detail, but Sarah and I made them cut our half-hour ride short and we both vowed to spread the word about elephant trekking in Thailand. If you're going to go, make sure its an animal reserve where they use humane practices! We wished we had done our research. After the ride, we bought some bananas to feed the poors things, and then headed back to town for dinner, a night out and a good sleep before our day trip the next day, snorkeling at Koh Tao.

Save the elephants!

Lady boy!

In the morning we caught a big ferry to Koh Tao, and after dropping off 75% of the passengers in town, the boat continued on as a snorkeling day trip. Our first stop was to Nangyuan Island, two tiny islands connected by a strip of beach and surrounded by crystal blue waters. Just as we were strapping into our life jackets and getting onto the long boats to take us to shore, we met two Singaporian guys. They were really nice and cool, and we ended up spending the whole day with them. We snorkeled and hiked around the first island and then the boat took us to Mango Bay on Koh Tao, which is also known as Diver's Paradise. And it was just that. The coral and the fish were colorful and stunning, I had never seen anything like it. I just wished I would be a diver and go deeper down where I could really see the stuff right up close. By the end of the day we were all exhausted, and we slept almost the whole boat ride back. We said goodbye to our new friends and went back to the hotel. That night we went to a nice spa and got Thai massages for a whopping $10!! It was amazing. And after the massages the women rubbed ointment on each on of my hundred mosquito bites on my legs (yes, one hundred!), it was great service. We went out and met some nice American's on the beach and then headed back for our last night at the hotel. So far, we had seen and done a lot in Thailand, but in the morning we would head to the westcoast, where we still had a lot more traveling and adventure left to go...

Nangyuan

Snorkeling

I counted over 100 mosquito bites...wear your bug spray, folks!

Thailand- Chapter 1, Bangkok

After weeks of cold winter weather and teaching English camp, the anticipation finally came to an end; Sarah and I were meeting in Thailand for our first, and definitely not last, sister trip. We would be traveling through Bangkok, to the island of Koh Phangan, and then to the west coast of Southern Thailand to Krabi, Phi Phi Islands and Phuket. It only took a combined 57 hours of traveling to get there first! Finally, late on Friday night, we both made our way from BKK airport to our hotel and after a quick and happy reunion, we shut our eyes, hoping to be fully energized for the our first full day in Thailand.

We woke up at the Dream Hotel in the middle of Bangkok and whipped out the map of the city we got from the front desk. Usually, we are both intense planners when it comes to traveling, but for some reason we had both decided to be very relaxed about this trip. With no guide book and very few plans of what we would do, we opened the map and pointed to whatever looked cool. We decided to try to get to Wat Phra and the Grand Palace first. After loading up on some MickyD's coffee (it was all we could find!), we walked to the nearest subway station and realized that it would not be as easy to navigate the city as we thought. With station names like "Mo Chit" "On Nut" and "Phra Konong" we had to be a little bit more careful that we were going to the right places. We asked a station worker which way to the Grand Palace and she said (or so we thought) "Saphan Taksin" which took us to the end of the red line to the river. It was the wrong place. But, it turned out to be the perfect start to our day because we hopped on a river ferry and floated our way up to the area where the Grand Palace really was. On the way, we saw beautiful temples, hotels and markets, and got a taste for river life in Thailand.

Our first taste of Thai food came after the boat ride, when we sat along the river at a restaurant and order Seafood Green Curry and Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad. Both were delicious and almost unbearably spicy. But our stomachs were satisfied and decided to explore the neighborhood and make our way to the palace. The city was spectacular. With the perfect hot weather, the bustling people and a character that was so uniquely Thai, I couldn't get enough of the scene. I loved seeing the old, colorful tuk tuk cars and the orange clad buddhist monks walking around in a city of exquisite, Thai architecture. We finally found a massive, high white wall that reminded me of a mix between Greek and Indian design. We could see a golden tower emerging from behind and I knew that we were at the Grand Palace. The tower that we saw was actually a part of the temple called Wat Phra, which is on the palace grounds and is the most famous and sacred temple in all of Thailand. We made our way inside and were shuffled into line where we were given sarongs to wrap around our legs, as it is not acceptable to show skin on the temple grounds. We snapped some pictures of the tower and then purchase tickets to get onto the temple grounds. We never could have imagined how unbelievable the temple could be once inside. Everything was covered in gold and jewels, and the tower, temples and statues glistened magnificently in the bright, hot sun. We were both stunned. I had thought the Golden Temple in Japan was amazing, but this place had even more brilliance and omnicense than I could have imagined. We lingered for a good hour, snapping hundreds of photos and stepping into the temples for moments of silence, until we finally decided to move on. Pleased with our first Thai experience, we spent the rest of the afternoon checking out other temples, such as the Sleeping Buddha, and wandering the city. That night we ate amazing curry soft shell crab and then made our way to famous Khoa San Road (backpacker central) to meet a couple of my friends who were passing through at the same time. We had drinks on the crazy street and then listened to live music and went home smiling at the success of our first day.

On our second day, we woke up and got right to it as we only had until 1:30pm and then it was off to the airport for our flight to Koh Phangan. Sarah was a trouper for getting right on schedule with me, despite the jetlag she was feeling. We started with brunch and opted for Chinese dumplings as it was the Chinese New Year that day. After, we headed way up to the north of the city to the Chatachuk market. We only had 40 minutes to experience a place that I could have stayed at for hours! We did some quick shopping, checking out the beautiful silk tapestries, antiques, clothing and tried some Thai ice cream, but the time flew by and we had to head back for our flight. Had we known we would have been delayed for an unknown reason at the airport for an extra 2 hours, we could have stayed a bit longer. But of course, thats all a part of the adventure...and we were in for a lot more where that came from.

Chapter 2 coming soon, until then, pictures are up at
http://picasaweb.google.com/lcurrie711