Koh Pha-Ngan: Some photos...

Caption: The only thing I could think of to write in the sand...

Caption: I haven't shaved in days...

This is the first place that we stayed in. Very nice-looking from the outside, but the experience was kindof ruined when we realized that ants were everywhere, the water ran not-very-often, and our drunken english neighbors would rise 6 in the morning and yell at each other. The worst was when one guy kept screaming: "PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! GIVE ME YOUR F*CKING MONEY! *pause* PAUL! PAUL! I NEED SOME F*CKING MONEY! I'LL PAY YOU BACK I PROMISE... PAUL!"

He had a "bird" waiting for him... i.e. a prostitute... apparently he just wanted everyone around him to know about it. Blech!

Keep posted... I'll post more interesting pictures when there isn't so much overcast.

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EDIT: More photos, posted on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007...

Beginning of the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Beach


Fire juggling ninjas! Or, they could be ninjas... I sat and watched these guys for hours...


Something called: "Fucking Good Bucket"... for 300 Baht (~10 dollars CDN), you get a mickey of alcohol, a can of pop, and a can of energy drink mixed in a bucket. That's crazy cheap, to get you crazy drunk.

Koh Pha-Ngan: Road rules

Stu: The scooter I rented is a Yamaha Nouvo... a 50cc (i think) beast with a CVT transmission... in other words, its automatic. No shifting required. Even a 12 year old boy can operate this beast, provided he has an opposing thumb.

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If anybody has ever ridden around in a car/motorbike in a foreign country, its obvious that the road rules will be very much different from home. On an island whose population hovers somewhere around the 11,000 mark, you could imagine that the rules are more lax than most other places would be... some things to note are:

- Licenses are not required at all here to operate vehicles... or it doesn't really seem like it. I could have sworn that there were many instances where a 10 year old kid whizzed by me on the roads here...
- Drivers are on the left side of the road, which means that (our) conventional left-hand side wheel is actually on the right. Ooooh, trippy...
- Helmets are somewhat of an unnatural sighting around here. Now, working in a motorcycle shop, I'm well accustomed to the fact that safety comes first, but I can't even seem to find where I can lay my hands on a helmet at all!
- The most people I've seen on a scooter here so far is a family of 4. That's right... FOUR people for a motor vehicle designed for 2. Sans helmets, of course.
- Gasoline comes in two octane options: 91 and 95... That's higher than what most north american gas pumps offer.
- If you're moving too slow, then keep as close to the curb as you can, because you will undoubtedly be passed by another vehicle. Its usually those crazy cab-truck types.
- Taxis are not cars... they're pickup trucks with two opposing benches on the bed with a makeshift cage that you can hang onto. Scary.
- Speed limit? If you can see up the road for a long time, there is no speed limit... haha. Actually, the posted limit is 50kph in most areas, but people are anywhere from 30 to 80k in places like this. I just happen to know that this little Yamaha Nouvo can go over 90k... anything sustained at that speed without any protection other than some sunglasses becomes unbearable at this speed for more than 5 seconds.

Most vehicles on this island are Toyota Deisel Hiluxes (equivalent to the 4runner and Tacoma), Nissan D-Maxes (like the Frontier, also deisel), and other random vehicles that we probably won't lay our eyes on in Canada. Most of these Hiluxes are newer-model (2006-up), and are accessorized to the max... kindof an interesting thing to see... for me at least.

Thailand: first impressions

I'm alive and well in Thailand!

The gruelling 16 hour commute from Vancouver ended as we touched down in rainy Bangkok. I'd have to say - the super developed Bangkok airport was a suprising introduction to the country, to say the least. The last thing that I expected was an overdose of concrete structures and neon lights to welcome us. However, as we exitted the airport via an air conditioned bus, the city's rush to modernize the city became apparent.

It looks as though the city had hastily blanketed with modern super-structures - an attempt to mask the under-developed industrial parts of the city. Another interesting part of the city was Koh San road - a hot-spot for backpackers alike to find food and shelter. Here, we found more traces of western influence with the seemingly endless line-ups of 7-11's and the odd Irish pubs scattered around.

We didn't stay long, as we headed to the tourist hot-spot: Koh Pha-Ngan. This island is home to the infamous Full Moon Party, where thousands crowd on a beach for some extreme party-action. I rented a little Yamaha Nuovo scooter, as this is the most ideal way to check out the entire island, and I'd have to say: scooters kick ass! Anyhow, we're staying on a picture-esque beach house along the shoreline... its not so picture-esque on the inside, though. The beds scream, "wash me", and the washrooms quickly fill with ants at the scent of toothpaste. Not a big deal though... I was expecting a lot worse...

Smell ya later! I'm gonna go sit on a beach for a few hours... :) Keep posted.

T minus a few hours...

So here I am, sitting in Vancouver with less than a day before I get on the plane. The idea of the trip still hasn't phased me just yet, and I don't think it will hit me until I make it to that stopover in Tokyo.

Although I haven't really reached any asian destination yet, I was compelled to document a truly asian experience: while eating at this noodle house, I noticed an "engrish" error in their menu.


... nothing like some appertizers for dinner. Hahaha... keep in mind that Vancouver has one of the largest asian populations in Canada, so I really I shouldn't poke fun. Anyhow, I should really get going. Its going to be a long 16 hours on that plane. Keep posted for my next stop!

10 days left... what to pack?

With the seemingly endless list of resources available for packing - you'll never actually find the "magic" list that works for everyone. One thing that correlates all of these lists, however, is to pack light.

How light is light? A funny, yet disgusting suggestion made by Charley Boorman in "Long Way Round" was to use one pair of underwear four times. Once forwards, then inside-out, then backwards, and then backwards and inside out... this would give enough time for the "skid marks to dry". This translates to 16 consecutive days of not washing 4 pairs of undies! Blech! So maybe I won't be going to that extreme... I think I can handle carrying an extra pound of undies around.

Of course, there are those essentials that you can only buy here that you won't be able to find there. An old colleague of mine suggested I bring all the drugs that I need from Canada, because many similar looking pills disguised as painkillers may be placebos. It might be a lot of speculation, but I figure that I won't take my chances with that. Its a good thing to bring Imodium or Pepto Bismol, as there is a good chance I might encounter traveler's diarrhea. My doctor prescribed Ciprofloxacin to treat more severe cases of the runs, but hopefully I won't need to use it. Oh, I can't forget to mention the need for Malaria pills in countries where the disease is an endemic (such as Laos and Cambodia). Apparently the brand of Malaria pills I bought (Mefloquine) can cause hallucinations, among other side effects... lets hope I don't freak out in the middle of the trip.

There are some cool things that I've been finding at Mountain Equipment Co-op that would be ridiculously awesome to have, but I probably wouldn't end up using anyways... items such as:
- Mosquito Head Net
- Headlamp
- Water Filter
- GPS
- Scrambled, freeze-dried eggs

The list goes on...

I suppose the most important thing to bring is your brain. Really... traveling with even the slightest bit of insight will serve you the best, regardless of what equipment you're using.