My last duo blog as Nicci went home last night so I am now flying solo :-(

We arrived in Koh Phangan on Sunday and conveniently Sunday was the day of the next half moon party. Phangan is famous for it's wild full moon parties which have been running since the 80's. Thousands of party goers flock to the beach and party all night long once a month. Given the popularity, there are now parties for every phase of the moon it seems, half moon twice a month, black moon etc and then also jungle and waterfall parties outside of this to maximise cashing in on the popularity.

It was a really hot day on Sunday so we just relaxed for the afternoon before getting ready and heading into Haad Rin for dinner. The half moon parties are held in the jungle, not on the beach and so are in the middle of no where with no bars nearby. They also don't really get going until after 11pm so we had a few drinks in the town first. We then got a taxi to the party. We were both a little anxious, not really knowing what to expect but it is basically a well set up, out door night club and quite a sight.

The following day, given that our hangovers weren't too bad, we decided to get the 11am ferry back to koh Samui and then began our pampering few days! We went back to the same hotel on Chaweng beach that we had stayed at before. After a cheeky pizza lunch, we started with a bit of shopping, picking up some souvenirs that we had spotted the first time around. Then I decided I wanted another massage so off to the beach for an hour of relaxing Thai massage, including having my legs walked on!

That evening we decided to make the most of being so close to the sea and have another meal on the beach. This time I decided to go for the BBQ option and had the most exquisite barbecued crab. Having had a late night the night before we didn't have many drinks before heading to bed.

Tuesday morning, and after packing our bags, including all the shopping, we headed for a wonder along the main road. We treated ourselves further with a fish feet spa for 20 mins (it is fine once you get past the ticklish first few minutes) and then a foot and leg massage. It was such a relaxing experience. That took us up to the time our taxi was coming to head to the airport. Samui airport impressed me when we arrived as it was very pretty and open air but the departures area is even more impressive. It basically could be a shopping centre or even a hotel resort with Lilly ponds, ice cream parlours and gift shops all surrounded by manicured gardens. Lovely and made it even harder to go!

We arrived in Bangkok and headed back to Khao San road for our last night before Nicci was going home. We showered and headed straight out again to finish the shopping mission! We had some dinner and then some more pampering, Nicci a pedicure and me a back, neck and shoulder massage. At £3 for 30 mins you can't say no! We eventually found all the items we wanted to buy and decided to head to bed else we would run out of space in Nicci's bag!

Wednesday morning we got up and got breakfast and then headed to Jim Thompson's house. He was an American who relocated here in the 40s having served over here with the US army. He single handedly ressurrected the Thai silk printing industry. His house is a museum and a good example of Thai architecture etc. See photo for this blog.

After looking around the museum we walked down the road to Siam Square, the major shopping area of Bangkok. There are huge shopping malls there so we had a look around there (buying some more practical items that the markets didn't cater for) and then had some lunch.

We headed back to our hotel and then had the task of trying to fit all the things in we had bought, into Nicci's bags! We actually did ok, only having to ditch one or two things so once done, we headed back out for the last time to Khao San road and more treats!! This time a manicure and foot massage. I reckon I have spent less on all these treatments than on one back massage at home. Brilliant!

We had some dinner and just soaked up the buzz of the street before heading back to get the shuttle to the airport. After saying goodbye I left Nicci at the airport and heading back to the hotel and to bed.

Today has been quite rainy in the city so I have used it as an admin day and not done a huge amount, but did treat myself to a pedicure! I head to a new hotel tomorrow and meet my first tour group, then heading to Cambodia on Saturday. I am excited but also nervous about what the next set of adventures will be like. If they are anything like the last five weeks they will be amazing.