Koh Phanang

Since the last instalment we've caught a 1 hour ferry north to a smaller island called Koh Phanang (the island's claim to fame is it's full moon parties) - we've been here 6 nights.

Upon arrival at our accommodation we met up with an aussie sheila and a german guy and went 200 metres down the beach to a resort that had a pool - they let non guests swim for free, which is fantastic because the ocean is so warm here that it's not that refreshing. After that we went back to our resort which has a beach bar and lazed the night away.

There were quite a few people staying at our accommodation and they were all really outgoing which was cool because to be honest we were getting a bit sick of each others company.

The next day was spent chilling out in hammocks which run between coconut tree's - hard work. That evening there was a party on - the ever cunning Thai people who sensed that they were onto a winning idea with Full Moon parties have setup Half Moon parties and even a Black Moon party (no moon). As luck would have it we were here for the black moon. We rounded up two tuk tuk's of people and headed down to what was essentially a party on a beach but with loud, annoying thai dance music. They sell these things called Whiskey buckets which are small plastic buckets with a hip flask of whiskey and coke/fanta etc chucked in as a mixer, you need to pace yourself as they're quite strong.

We've been to Haad Rin a couple of times which is the party area of the island. Basically it's beach bars selling cheap drinks.

We've hired a scooter and yesterday we explored the island. It's very laid back and not as commercial as Koh Samui (the last island). Yoga and spiritual living are pretty big in the North of the Island - where as down the South end it's mainstream alcohol based partying. We're in the North end - it's very beautiful with pristine beaches and blue sky.

Because we're on a tight budget we found a bottle store and purchased crate bottles and ice which in the evenings go down really well on the beach. Tonight is our last night on the island - we are talking about heading to Changmai (northern Thailand) - and we're both looking forward to a bit more hustle and bustle as island life is very relaxed.

The All Blacks are playing the wallabies in an hour and the hunt is on to find a bar that will play the game - ideally we will find an australian to hassle about the outcome as well - preferably one that follows rugby but any will do. The camera has been out snapping photo's but haven't gotten around to putting them up yet - hopefully in a couple of days.

Highlights:
- Big Chang beers, at 6.4% and in this temperature it doesn't take much
- Free swimming pool - you can't beat a nice cold dip to wash away the temperature and sand and salt
- Free table tennis at a mexican restaurant - we've never spent money there - "you want food or drink?", no thanks, we just want to play table tennis.
- Other travellers, met lots of really nice people alot of which are heading to NZ. Our country has got such a good reputation and everyone is excited about checking it out.
- Fire skipping rope in Haad Rin. The locals soak a rope in petrol then stand on stools, set it on fire and swing it like a giant skipping rope.

Lessons Learnt:
- Everyone gets sucked into pre-booking trips, we're in the majority so yay for us
- No one likes Bangkok and it's pretty common for girls to cry when they get there
- Coconuts are hard to open but there prize is worth your labour. Especially if you've got a young Australian doing all the hard work!