Only spent around 6hrs in Bangkok before heading off to Koh Samui (an island in Southern Thailand) for 3 days. Its hot...very hot here and I’ve been sweating like a pig everyday, however Scott (a good friend of mine who i will be travelling with for 2.5 weeks) and i have been making the most of the hotel pools and beaches. My first good meal away from home was an 800g Snapper eating it on the beach drinking plenty of Singa beer watching a thunderstorm in the distance, not a bad way to start a holiday!My birthday was spent off to a Safari park where we rode elephants and watched a very scary crocodile show. We also ended up getting ring side seats for some Thai Boxing that night.
The crocodile show was quite amazing as the crocs weren't happy as you could hear them snarling and giving the occasional snap towards the handlers, so when the handlers stuck their heads in the crocs mouth and hand down their throat, the small crowd and us that were watching were dead silent as we all were expecting the worst.
After a very entertaining day, i would have to say Thai Boxing that night was the highlight. Firstly watching 2 thirteen year olds belt each other up then after around 7 more duals was the Bangkok champion VS some other guy who were around 23 years old. This fight was intense where it was non stop punching, kicking and kneeing each other in the balls. The champion ended up losing but by only just. In one of the rounds we watched beforehand, we saw a boxer getting KO'd from a knee to the head. I am spewing i didn't capture that on camera.The next day we went on an all day tour of Ang Thong National Park, 2hr boat ride outside Koh Samui. Scott and i climbed a steep hill to see the view from the top which took nearly 2hrs to get up and back down in the extreme heat. This was the picturesque scenery that is all over every postcard here and was well worth it. After travelling to a few other islands and lagoons, swimming, snorkling and playing beach vollyball we were home by early evening having a few cocktails by the pool.
The next day we took a 40min boat ride to Koh Pha-Ngan where 8000 people gather for the monthly Full Moon Party (low season 8000ppl - High season up to 30,000ppl). The photos i have taken were around 7pm on the night, i didn't take the camera with me when we headed down later where it would have been stolen. There are around 15 or so clubs along the 700m beach each playing their own style of music, mainly techno and dance which suited me just fine. Different feeling dancing in thongs on sand, my legs were killing me the next day. Saw a guy pick up a chick with him wearing the 'Borat swimming costume', and witnessed a guy getting a UV fluoro paint tattoo of the Lord of the Rings character 'Gandalf' painted on his leg.Danced all night until the sun came up in the morning then i crashed back at our bungalow. The party pretty much starts at around 11pm, peaks around 3am and it goes through to about 6pm the next night.
Next stop, Vietnam for 12 days travelling from Hanoi down to Nha Trang then to Ho Chi Min City. More beaches, more trecking, and bia hoi!
