"The next island"

Koh Pan Ngang is a two hour boat ride south of Koh Tao. The island is bigger, and by tourists it is mostly known for it's monthly "Full Moon Party". This is a tradition that started in the late 70's, no one knows exactly, but it was allegedly a gigantic birthday party that was so good that the people there decided to gather there the next month to do it over again, and since then it has been on every year.

As I came to the island, Paul was waiting for me at the dock. He had found a cheap bungalow at the beach, rented a motor bike, and was there to pick me up. We balanced my bags on the bike, got on and drove off to the bungalow. It was not that far from the ferry terminal, but far from the most packed tourist beaches, so the beautiful beach was almost empty. When I went for a swim there was only one person to see, counting both directions. There were palms stretching out over the sand, and very clear water. A perfect location, with bungalow prices at 300 Bath per night, that is about half of what you can find on the most busy beaches, and divided by the two of us, it is only 5 USD each. Paul drove, and I was sitting on the back. It took me some time to get used to be exposed on a motorbike in traffic where they drive on the wrong side of the road. For Paul who is from Australia, this was normal, but at one point he almost forgot, after traveling in so many countries where they drive on the right side of the road. We survived it though. We drove around on the island that whole day, and some of the hills were over 20 % steep, and in one of them we could not get off, but had to stop in the middle of it, and I walked to the top. Going down was just as much fun, as the locals drove their big pickup trucks at breath taking speeds to get up the curvy steep hills. We had a couple good meals that day, before going to the "Half Moon Party" at night. It was somewhat a rip-off of the Full Moon Party, and a lot more expensive. But instead of being at the beach, it was in the jungle. There was a gigantic stage, and the whole night there were fire dancers swinging burning sticks around up there. The music was the same the whole night, and a lot worse than we were used to. We met a lot of cool people from all over the world, and the food stands they had were amazing. We could have eaten our wallets so empty that night that we would not had enough money for the ride back home. But since the entrance fee was very big, we tried to save the money inside. We had some good food, and got free rides home form random people on motorbikes. Paul left at around 2 AM, feeling tired, but I met some Norwegians and stayed with them till 6 AM. It was cool, but very strange to speak Norwegian for more than a few minutes on Skype every now and then. As I was starting to walk home, a Serbian guy who had lived a few years in Australia came riding on his motorbike. We had met him earlier that day, while having our first dinner at a Thai restaurant. We gave him some tips about finding cheap accommodation and told him he should hire a bike. He gave me a ride about one third of the way, and dropped me off at a 7-eleven where he was turning the opposite way than me. Then a British guy came up, going the same way as me, so I got a ride with him. At the intersection where I got off to walk the last 3 minutes to the bungalow, another Brit came up, and gave me a ride all the way to the resort I stayed at. Perfect timing, and free. As for 7-elevens, they are all over thailand. And except for large grocery stores, they are the cheapest option for buying everything. Water, beer, cotton buds, and so on.

The next day we rushed out of the bungalow, and to the next resort. When picking me up the day before, Paul lost the key for the bungalow, and we had to get a new one as we came back. We were short on cash, again, and were afraid they would charge us for the key. I could not find my Visa card, and since I had not used it since Bangkok, I did not know when I misplaced it or lost it. That was the reason for going to the next resort, they had internet. I blocked my card and ordered a new one. (Mom and Dad, could you please send it to California as soon as possible? Thanks!)

Then we rushed to the ferry to continue the island hopping, and go to Koh Samui.