7 May

The plan was to wake up early and head for the North of Koh Phangan where we planned to do a trek to the waterfall after which we would hire masks & snorkels to explore the reefs. But for some reason neither of us could sleep well the last night, waking up regularly. The result was we didn't leave so early and decided to sleep in till 08h00 postponing our plan to the following day and substituting it with a visit to the South East to visit the locations for the Full Moon Party and also enjoy the pristine beaches, our one has poor visibility and you practically have to wade in 50m before you get waist deep.

We hired the scooter, did all the paperwork and headed for the beaches. Some of the hills so steep that one drives full throttle in an attempt to summit them, we were lucky we did every time, some others were not so lucky and they had to push their bikes up the 30 degree slopes to the top of the hill.

We reached the beach, parked the bike and went for a stroll, what happened next would unfold into one of our strangest days yet. We first saw a guy passed out face down on the beach with two bottles of beer, one on either side of him. Strangely that didn't distract us much as we continued, 10m further a woman was drifting in the shallow waters, presumably enjoying the tropical waters oddly enough at 09h00 in the morning. We walked passed her as I paid closer attention, noticing that with the shallow waves breaking over her she did not offer resistance or lift her face above the water.

We had just passed her with two other girls lying on the beach when I decided to return just to make sure she was okay. I called out to her but she didn't respond, feeling her arm was limp, I checked for a pulse which she had and then dragged her up the beach away from the waterline. She was breathing but very shallow, I called for one of the locals, no one seemed interested or intent on helping. I could only think that she had alcohol poisoning or had passed out while swimming, I asked him to call the hospital, he took almost 5 minutes finding the number after which he handed the phone to me and I spoke to the doctor explaining the situation and asking that they send paramedics (the hospital isn't 5 minutes walk from where we were, we had passed it on the way). During all this time Leanne had run to get assistance from the many doctor's practices close to the scene. Most had been closed but she found one that was open, after walking in she called and the receptionist who was either under the influence herself or just still asleep came to her. Trying to explain the situation to someone who didn't understand English and continually wanted to know if she wanted to see the doctor was difficult and ended in Leanne leaving to check on us.

Then another man arrived, who had apparently been partying with her the evening and had gone for breakfast across the road while she was swimming. Richard assisted me and we carried her to one of the restaurants where we laid her down and tried to establish what to do. Unbelievably a young lady who either was a nurse or studying for a nurse came up to us and checked the girls vitals turning her on her side in the recovery position. Richard and I got talking after he bluntly asked me where in RSA I was from, he was also an expat from Constantia, already working in the UK for the past 10 years.

After the nurse gave the okay, stating that she merely needed to sleep it off we decided to take her to his flat where she could sleep. Taking into account none of her friends were near, we didn't know where she lived and we couldn't leave her in the restaurant, this was the next best thing. We proceeded to carry her to his flat, each with one of her arms over our shoulders, one hand behind her back and other grasping her leg, past onlookers from the restaurants and the swimming pool of the resort and up the steps to his apartment. Here we lowered her into the shower trying to wash off the sand, along the way she had already started to wake up but once in the shower she started laughing constantly, at least that was enough for us to feel confident that she would be fine. We needed to get her in bed and out of her wet clothes so Richard and I headed out while Leanne dried her and helped her dress and get into bed. Once outside we exchanged details and thank you's and headed in our own directions.

We headed down to the beach again only to find the apparent boyfriend still lying face down with his beverages close at hand, we headed for the nearest restaurant and took a table where we enjoyed a fruit platter and strawberry milkshake (Nesquick pink milk) just to get over the shock of what had happened. Leanne was evidently distraught by what had happened and wanted to give the Full Moon Party a skip. According to our Lonely Planet guide book and the restaurant staff many people die every year at the full moon parties due to drowning or overdosing. We dressed in our beach attire and headed for a spot on the ever populated beach where we seeped up the sun and enjoyed our books before taking a dip in the not so refreshing 29 degree waters.

From here we headed to the seven eleven and walked up a little further where we found a dive shop and looked for interest what the prices were of the dives in Koh Phangan. Luke greeted us and an hour's conversation later we had quite an alluring deal to think about - I can do my rescue course and Leanne can get dives for less than the normal price.

We collected our bags from the beach and headed back to the other side of the island stopping along the way for a very tasty lunch. Back home we headed for a swim, after walking in a few feet we change our minds and settled into the hammocks reading our books. A long day had passed and one that I am happy to say is behind me.