Thailand- Koh Phangan

6am came way too early. I still hadn't recovered from the jet lag and when the time rolled around to get the bus that would take us to Koh Phangan, I almost said screw it. But I couldn't miss the thought of staying on an island in Thailand, the Full Moon Party or anything else exciting that might come my way. With all of the traveling we're doing, reading has become my favorite "past-time." It's strange to think that I have barely read in the last year, and within the last 2 weeks, I've read 4 books. It makes the travel time go quite fast and sleeping of course. So when we finally made it to Koh Phangan, I felt like it had only taken 2 hours compared to the 9 that it actually did. It was a surprise when we found out the place we had booked the previous day was well off the beaten path. It was about an hour drive from the main town area and most "taxi's" wouldn't go there. We discovered why when we kept bumping our heads on the cover that was attached to the bed of the truck. The roads were uneven, unpaved and run-off water had made trenches in the loose red clay. We were in the middle of nowhere and wondered if we were really being taken into the jungle to be dropped off to fend for ourselves more than being taken to our bungalow. By the time we made it, it was dusk, and the beauty of the moon lit sky shown onto the calm water of the cove. Light music played in the background and peace overwhelmed me. The room was more than expected, spacious and welcoming. Coral stones covered the bathroom floor, the back deck meeting the edge of the river a few feet away and fluffy, clean towels laid on the huge bed that I eagerly jumped on as soon as my bag hit the floor.
A hammock hung in between two trees not far from our door facing the cove. I took my book and laid there as the sky grew darker. I could have stayed there for ages hanging in between two trees, swaying with the light breeze, looking up at the star filled sky, not a care in the world. We were there for 4 days, but it was not long enough. After the adventurous days using the 4-wheelers we rented to take us from place to place, exploring the (not-so-much waterfalls as small streams), racing through monsoon rain, going mudding, hitting up the town, and being your average traveler, the relaxing nights were just the right touch. Fortunately I was still having trouble with the time difference by the time the Full Moon Party rolled around, so staying up late wasn't much of an issue. To sum it up- the party was intense, 1000's of people, tons of buckets flying around, music everywhere, waterslides (which of course I did!), fire shows, and did I mention the people!? I had a blast, but we didn't pull the all-nighter like half the crowd, most of the people from our bungalow headed back on the 3am boat. We spent the rest of our days relaxing and enjoying the Thai food and culture, exploring the island and getting ready for our next adventure to Chaing Mai (which was a last minute decision change from Phuket, and what an amazing decision it was!).