Oh, the ups and downs of the travel life....

Today is Thursday, October 16, 2008, and I am happy to say that I am officially off of the island of Koh Phangan and have moved up to the smaller, more "chilled out" Koh Tao. It will be a nice, relaxing change from the craziness that was Koh Phangan...but here's a quick summary of the recent week....

Arriving on the island on Friday (10/10/08) was nearly like coming back to college after a long summer break away from your friends...dozens, it seemed, of travelers I had met in the previous 2 1/2 months all seemed to congregate on one island for one reason: the Full Moon. And with each passing day leading up to the big day (10/14/08), it was surreal to see the mounting familiar faces keep adding up...

The island was larger than any I've been on--apparently it is nearly 200 square kilometers in area. However, the majority of the "action" happens in and around Haad Rin, a small peninsula on the island's southeastern corner. That's where the backpackers gather, that's where the reunions happen, and that's where the Full Moon party is held each month.

Other than meeting up with old friends, I managed a day of exploration with an Englishman I had met in Halong Bay, Vietnam, some 30+ days ago. The two of us set off on motorbikes and crusied the hilly roads that lined the coast. I was on the edge of my seat as I gripped the brakes down every hill....this definitely was no flat island.....

We made our way to our destination in the middle of the island, a path that would ascend to the island's highest point some 650 meters above the rest of the island. After about 15 minutes of gentle path climbing, we came to a sign which "seemed" to point us up a running creek lined with massive boulders. So, like a bunch of little boys in a dirt pile, we rolled up our sleeves and were ready to get our hands dirty exploring. Soon enough, we were an hour and a half into a one-way adventure, navigating our way up a creek, climbing rocks, sliding on mossy surfaces, and even seeing numerous scorpions. Now realizing we were nowhere near the "path" anymore that was to be our guiding light, we swallowed our pride and began to make our way back down the path we had just come, rather than find ourselves lost in the thickness of the jungle. It was mid-afternoon when the two of us returned to our starting point, the origin of our 3-hour journey that left us nowhere close to the top as planned.

But there was hope. We soon discovered the sign we had missed the first time through, managed to get back on path, and eventually made the steep one-hour ascent to the top of the mountain. The view from the top made it all the worthwhile, but we didn't stay too long to enjoy it as sunset was soon approaching, thanks to our earlier detour that consumed most of our day. Oh, to be a watching creature and to see us blow right past that sign the first time around... It had to be like an old Looney Tunes cartoon when the road runner turns the arrow around and sends the coyote down to a rough descent. Nonetheless, we made an adventure out of the day and got to know the jungle quite well!

And then there was this little gathering on the beach that evening, when some 10,000+ foreigners come to have a few drinks and celebrate life...errr...or something like that. Or maybe its when mobs of local Thai theives perfect their skills on young, careless travelers? Well, this trip is about exploring new places and meeting new people, but it's also about working your way through the tough times when everything doesn't go as planned.

I wasn't the only one who fell victim to theft this particular evening. Actually, I don't know too many people I spoke with that weren't in someway victim to some sort of theft. The bummer of it all was that just 12 hours before the big gathering, I had bought a new, small digital camera to serve as my memory-keeper for the rest of the trip in those times when I didn't want to risk taking out my bigger, more expensive camera. Nonetheless, my new purchase was still a very nice little camera! Well, a few hours into the evening, I was camera-less and cash-less...all in all, the evening probably cost me around $300 between the two. Not the preferred way to end my stay on the island, but that's the way it ended. But if there is one quality that I have and that I will forever hold on to, it's to make the most of a crappy situation. It's never fun to use the cliche "It could've been worse...", but in a time like this, it's the one and only way to shake it off and move on. And I have.

So here I am in Koh Tao, moving onto my next adventure quickly and forgetting about my last. I've signed up for a 4-day SCUBA diving course and, come this time Sunday, I will be officially certified to go diving in depths up to about 60 feet. Koh Tao is one of the most popular places in the world to get certification, second only to a spot off the coast of Australia. I'm looking forward to seeing what the world has to offer deep in the ocean....

Yes, there's definitely some ups and downs of travel. But I've realized that once you shake off the short term effects of those down-in-the-dumps moments, you can get back to enjoying those things that this place really has to offer.

Only a few pics down below.... The few pictures I did have from the island and the big party went away when my camera was snagged. So until next time, enjoy what I have below and I'll work to put together some memories in the days to come. Wish me luck in the water tomorrow!

Maya Bay in Ko Phi Phi, last days in Ko Phi Phi














My little bungalow on Railey Beach, last stay before heading to the east coast and Ko Phangan














Approaching storm in Koh Phangan. This was from the beach, about 40 ft from my bungalow....


















View from the top of our hike on Koh Phangan!