Park Bench for Four, Please

After a short bus ride across the tail of Thailand, we arrived at Surat Thani ready for our next island adventure.  Our options to get tickets for a ferry that afternoon to Koh Tao were somewhat limited, but we decided to test our Irish luck and head for the pier about an hour away.  We knew the time was tight, and with the help of the world's slowest taxi, we absolutely missed the final "Speed Ferry" departure of the day.

On the Ferry to Koh Pha Ngan

I was insistent that we arrive in Koh Tao by early morning the following day since we would be meeting up with our friend Brad, who is a fellow Yellow Jacket currently on the road.  Unfortunately that made our only remaining choice a night ferry.  This experience was another unique one that South East Asia had in store for us, and to save everyone my 1,000 words, please see my sister's face as we got settled on our ferry that evening...

Jennifer, overjoyed at our evening's accommodations

I would like to interject here that the "Overnight Ferry" and "Speed Ferry" take an identical route to arrive at each of the islands; during the day this constitutes an almost 2 hour trip, but transforms into a daunting 7 hour voyage after the sun sets.  We weren't sure if the tickets were cheaper due to someone actually rowing us towards our island destination, but we realized the reason for the budget pricing when we boarded the ferry.  We were corralled into sleeping quarters with about 70 other people and directed towards mats that reminded me of the last yoga class I attended.  Being the eldest, Caroline and I slept with Jennifer between us, effectively "protecting" our youngest (and most appalled) group member from the strangers who surrounded us.  Snuggled next to me was a full grown Thai man whose arm was over mine when I woke up in the middle of the night.  Lucky me!  Around 6 AM, we found ourselves waking up as we pulled into Koh Tao & were all too ready to get off the ferry.

We found a small cafe to recharge, both our bodies and devices, and begin our search for somewhere to stay on the island.  Within a few hours, Brad arrived and we celebrated with more "Koh Tao Guesthouse" Googling.

Seasoned Travelers after our Ferry

Brad was interested in getting his PADI Scuba certification during our time on the island so we went with him as he researched.  He chose Easy Divers, and luckily for us their staff graciously assisted us with finding accommodation for our time in Koh Tao.  We headed towards Happy Bungalows to drop our packs, and then immediately for the beach.

Like most islands in Thailand, the atmosphere on Koh Tao was very laid back.  We spent our days there basking in the sun, snorkeling in the Japanese Gardens, reading endlessly, and enjoying our new island home and the delicious food cooked fresh for us by Ping Pong, our guesthouse manager.

Our next move after Koh Tao was to Koh Pha Ngan, a backpacker's Mecca and the infamous party island home to the "Full Moon Parties."  Thanks to Brad, we headed on a ferry there on Wednesday afternoon unsure of what we would find.  Because our ferry was at 7:15 AM the following morning, we decided to find somewhere to store our backpacks, but opted against getting a place to crash after the party - Full Moon Parties continue well into the sun rising the following morning...

After a delicious dinner and relaxing at the restaurant for a while, we headed to a nearby park that we decided would be a suitable location for a nap before the party - it was only about 8:00 PM.

The options for lounging included two straight cement benches and a circular cement bench.  I wasn't tired so instead I entertained myself with watching Jennifer try and remain curled around the circular park bench without falling off...

After a few hours we were off in a taxi truck to the other side of the island to join the thousands of others who had made this pilgrimage to dance for hours under the full moon.  

Once we arrived, we immediately joined the festivities and decorated ourselves with neon body paint, purchased a bucket for J and some Chang for the rest of us, and headed for the beach entrance nearest us to find the best DJs and get the night started.

All I can say for the next 7 hours:  It.Was.Awesome.   

As for the rest of that day, post-6 AM: We.Were.Dead.  We almost missed one of our two flights to Cambodia, despite all being present (physically, at least) in the gatehouse over two hours before departure.  Luckily, a gate agent saw our still-painted, lifeless bodies and woke us up as they made the "final, final, final" boarding call.  

All in all, it was the epic experience we all thought it would be.  Honestly, it was one of the craziest parties I have ever seen, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone crazy enough to wait in Thailand until the moon is full and then willing to voyage to a remote island for some serious international raging.   

Chang! Cousins on Koh Pha Ngan