Getting to the Thai Gulf Islands
After two flights, spanning almost 24 hours and a night in Bangkok followed by a one hour sleep, we headed back to the Bangkok airport, which I had left not ten hours ago, for our 7:30 am Bangkok Airways flight to Koh Samui. Our final destination was Koh Phangan, a smaller island north of Koh Samui accessible only by boat, well known for it’s full moon parties, where we were planning on spending New Year’s Eve.
I immediately fell asleep but was awoken twenty minutes later by the stewardess, letting me know that they’re serving breakfast. That does not happen on North American flights, where sleeping people are like unflushed public toilets: you leave them alone and try the next one. Not to mention breakfast was shit.
Koh Samui Airport Terminal
After the short, one hour flight, during which I could not fall back asleep, we landed in Koh Samui, which was probably the nicest airport I’ve ever been to. It was mostly open air with vegetation all over it. At the airport, we were able to buy a ticket for a taxi to the port as well as the boat to Koh Phangan, for 350B.
The view from the boat looking ahead to the islands was amazing. Could not believe this was December.
After a short taxi ride from the port in Koh Phangan to the Delight Resort, our hostel in Haad Rin, it was clear why it was recommended to us that we stay there. It was clean, had a decent pool, and was a block away from the beach where the parties were being held at. The only downside is they can only give out one key per room. Instead, we were each given a key to a locker at the front desk. We were told to keep our door key in there and anytime need it, go get it, unlock the door, and put it back, so the next person has access to it. Not the best system, and we just decided to stick together and keep the key with us. After a much needed nap, it was already dark and we headed down to the beach.
There were many kiosks throughout all the streets and on the beach itself, each selling buckets of booze. The buckets were the typical buckets you used as a child to build sand castles and were filled with your choice of hardbar, a mixer, and a bottle of complimentary Thai Red Bull, which I hear gets you going pretty hard. I decided to get them without it for a while until I was purchasing my third bucket and started talking to a girl from South Africa who said “don’t be silly, get the red bull”. I’ve never heard the word silly used like that before and I couldn’t resist that accent so my rubber arm was twisted and that Red Bull became a bucket staple. I can’t say I ever felt tired again all night, but when I decided that it was a logical time to go to bed so that my day tomorrow is not a moping mess, I was easily able to fall asleep. Someone smart formulated a very good party potion and made it easy to enjoy the next day and explore the rest of Phangan!
