Part 2...

We were returning to Koh Phangan a second time as Jade & Simon were coming out to Thailand & we'd agreed to meet them for the April Full Moon Party! So East & I decided to get there a few days earlier to sort out accommodation & continue to work on our tans now that the rain had stopped. We checked into Black & White Bungalows & got a great a price of 400BHT per night & when they totalled up the 8 nights they undercharged us by 600BHT… bargain! Our bungalows were in a great location, close enough to town but not on top of the action & right next door to Friendly Resort - which had a lovely pool that we took full advantage of everyday.

During the last week or so Easton had been applying for jobs & got confirmation of an interview date for the one that was top of his list, however the interview was for the 21st & our flight back wasn't until the 25th. Unfortunately he couldn't reschedule the interview & of course he didn't want to miss the opportunity so it meant an earlier flight back. Originally I was going to fly back with him however we couldn't change our flights with STA Travel (I wouldn't recommend them) even though Jet Airways had plenty of availability, so he had no other option than to book a new flight. As Jade & Simon were going to be here we decided that it would be silly for us both to pay £500 when I could spend my last few days with them…cheers for looking after me guys! But before East went home he still needed to get his birthday present…a tattoo & we needed a massive night out with the Quinn & her new fella!!

We had been looking at tattoo designs for the last couple of months so Easton had a rough idea what he wanted - a tribal design with bamboo that represented our journey with the initials N.C in remembrance of Nathan. So we decided on our tattooist & within the hour he'd drawn a design & was ready to go. Bless East, even though it "F*ckin hurt" he didn't show it & he numbed the pain by downing a few Chang's! Couple of things got "lost in translation" but we were really happy with the outcome & surprised by how quickly it healed. So with East half cut we decided to have a few more drinks to celebrate his new tat but commiserate him going home early. We ended up meeting a couple of lovely Russian girls & having a bit of a dance down at Cactus Bar till the earlier hours.

The following day was the start of the Songkran festival (Thai New Year) & they celebrate it with massive water fights all around the country. It was crazy; everyone gets involved from tiny tots to old women…tuk tuk's driving through the streets with big buckets full of water on the back or people fighting with super soakers. We were up bright & breezy & on our way to breaky at Mr K's(our local haunt) at 8am when two 12yrs old drove past us on a moped threw a bucket of water over us. The first of many, but it was all good fun!

When Jade & Simon arrived we were so excited…it had been almost 6months since we'd seen Jade & this was the first time we'd have met Simon. Plus it was Easton last night so we were going to make the most of it! Before they got here we'd picked up their key & made them both a little 'goodie bucket' full of Full Moon Party treats & tired balloons around the room, complete with a couple of Chang's. It was so great to catch up & we had a massive night, the buckets were flowing….felt like we'd already done the Full Moon Party!

The morning East left there were tears, and we're going to miss each other like mad but at least he knows I'm in good hands with Jade & Simon! Jade & I spent the rest of the day chilling by the pool nursing our hangovers, bless Simon think he felt a bit worse for wear & stayed in bed for most of the day…that'll be the second bucket mate!!

The night of the Full Moon Party we were well up for it, & all made a special effort with our outfits & body paints. We had couple of beers at Mellow Mountain & watched the most incredible sunset with the sky turning fluorescent pink one minute then the brightest full moon appearing to the east almost immediately. We decided to go 7/11 to make our own buckets whilst we were getting ourselves & 'Easton Same Same but Different' ready (see the pic's)! The beach seemed busier than last month & we had a great night dancing away - Poor Simon having to be in charge of a drunken Quinn & Murren! That was the last of the big nights because next destination is the chilled island of Koh Tao!!!