The Whit Show: Koh Tao + Koh Phangan Full Moon Partaay

Sleep deprived and super excited to be on a greyhound
for 8 hours.

It is for this very moment that I’m glad I didn’t bring my MacBook on this trip; I just downed two melted kit Kats and a dry chocolate cake and my fingers are so sticky they are literally sticking to my keypad. I am slightly limited on being able to wash my hands and/or use the restroom because we are currently sitting on a double decker charter bus making the 8 hour journey to Bangkok. 4 hours into the trip and this baby behind us has been screaming and crying the whole time. It is making for a very pleasant ride… This charter bus is a notch above the last greyhound we rode because we actually have AC and assigned seats. I am fortunate enough to have been assigned a seat next to Katie, besides the fact that her flip flops smell so bad it is making me nauseated. I think it’s time to toss those puppies in the trash. We left Koh Phangan early this morning for a delightful 3 hour ferry ride leading us straight into this 8 hour charter bus journey. Did I mention we only slept for about 45 minutes last night?

War paint, check.

We went to Koh Phangan yesterday afternoon, after a solid morning of diving in Koh Tao, for the Koh Phangan Full Moon Party. Thousands of travelers from all over the world come to dance the night away under the blazing full moon on this little island in the Gulf of Thailand. Electronic music plays up and down the beach as backpackers, hippies, fire twirlers, dancers, DJs, artist, bums, musicians, you name it, unite to dance barefoot on the white sandy beaches engulfed by the warm ocean breeze. As soon as we arrived in Koh Phangan we all went shopping to pick out our party outfits which consisted of bright neon colors, tie dye, body paint, and glow sticks. After our outfits were ready to go we had a quick "walk as you eat" dinner. Around 8 pm we headed down to the beach to check out the scene. A 100 baht entrance fee was a small price to pay for a party that goes on until dawn. The beach was so packed you could barely walk unless it was down by the water’s edge where all the men were peeing into the ocean because you have to pay to use the public bathrooms over here. As we inched our way through the crowds we decided we needed a meeting point in case we all got split up. Not even 5 minutes after deciding on a time and place, Mike disappeared. Coincidence or did he plan this in attempt to take a breather from traveling with two women? I’ll never know. Katie and I ventured up and down the beach and met a lot of interesting characters from all over. I met one German guy who said he was planning on coming to stay with my parents and me in Florida, good thing there are a million Whitney Scotts on Facebook and the chances of finding me are slim to none! One thing I haven’t previously mentioned is that the Thai men love Katie and it just so happens that she loves them right back. Katie fell in love with one of the shirtless Thai fire dancers who had a sleeked back pony tail and barely spoke a lick of English. Charming, right? By the end of the night I think we had met every one of his friends on the island and they were trying to get us to take a long tail to go to another island to continue the party. Katie was actually highly considering their offer and I had to talk her out of the situation because not only was I skeptical of their real motives, but we were leaving the island in 3 hours and missing our bus to gallivant around the islands was not an option I was willing to entertain.

Save the date, people.

Neon

During one of our rest breaks throughout the night, to escape the action for a quick chance to catch our breath and rest our dancing shoes, we sat down with two guys eating dinner on the street and they just so happen to be from America! It is very rare to run into fellows Americans over here so when we discovered they were from Louisiana we decided to stay and chat awhile. During the “what’s you name, where are you from, why are you here, what do you do” conversation I mentioned I was from Pensacola and one of the guys said he worked with someone who was also from Pensacola. Turns out I went to high school with the guy he works with, what a small world!

Americans

We continued to dance the night away and didn’t end up going home until about 5am. We took a quick shower and cat nap, all 3 of us stuff like sardines into one bed, only to wake up at 7am for a full day of traveling. We all had to share a bed last night because literally every hotel on the island was booked and this was the only option, second to sleeping on the beach with all the drunks which I did not care to do.

This picture doesn't even do it justice.

We spent the 3 days between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan scuba diving off a quaint little island called Koh Tao. Koh Tao is just north of Koh Phangan, about an hour boat ride and we all really enjoyed our time there. Katie and Mike both completed their open water courses so now we are all current and open water certified. I haven’t dove in years so it was amazing to pick up where I left off and complete 6 dives in the crystal clear water of Thailand. We dove through caves, coral and reefs and so saw many brightly colored fish I couldn’t keep them all straight. One thing I realized about myself throughout all these dives in that I have a passion for sea cucumbers! I wanted to touch and hold every single one and I was on a mission to find the biggest sea cucumber in the world. I think I came pretty close

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

My obsession

At Koh Tao we stayed in these bungalows right off the beach, about a 5 minute walk from the port. Katie and I shared a bungalow while Mike had his own little man cave. These bungalows were about as big as a cruise ship room with no AC, millions of misquotes inside, and dim lights so you practically couldn’t see anything. The only good thing about these rooms is that the beds were covered with dolphin bed sheets. If you know me at all, you know my dolphin obsession. I guess we have to take the good with the bad; beautiful island plus unreal diving along with bug infested sleeping accommodations. I’m sure we are going to stay in much worse hotels/hostels as are as this trip goes on so I might as well get used to it now. Although do you ever get use to going to sleep sweating with misquotes all over you?

Livin the dream

Front porch bungalow sittin

We are on our way to Bangkok for the night and plan to head out early in the morning to Cambodia; a visa run plus a visit to Ankor Wat. When you enter Thailand by air you are granted a 30 day visa and if you overstay your time, like everything else over here, you have to pay them off.

Greyhound lovin,

Whitney