I was happy to be leaving Indonesia before the plane even took off, so perhaps nothing could have gone wrong in the land of smiles, but a month on the beaches in Thailand made my already awesome life even better! I flew into Phuket, but avoided Patong beach with its excessive drunks, aggressive ladyboys and live sex shows (although let's be honest, if I hadn't been alone I would have loved a live sex show!) and went instead to Nai Horn beach and fully luxuriated in the sparkling blue water, white sandy beach, lack of anyone bugging me, and Chang beer which is strong and cheap. I did have a few moments at the beginning where I thought "I'm too old for this backpacking thing," like when I stayed in a co-ed dorm room in a hostel where I was the only girl and all the boys came in drunk at 4am and then slept the whole day (didn't they realize there was a wicked beach to go to!?) and when I walked into the common room to a bunch of 20 year olds sprawled out watching The Beach.
I started my island hopping adventures in Ko Phi Phi, a popular, beautiful, small party island. Because I wanted the cheapest room possible (Thailand is way more expensive than Indonesia...I had to slightly adjust my daily budget, especially because I wasn't going to cut out the Changs), I ended up staying at the far end of the island, away from the town at the top of a giant hill with about 400 steps that I had to trek up, and it still cost me $12 a night! I had my own little bamboo bungalow on a cliff overlooking the ocean so I really can't complain. Luckily for me, in Thailand flip flops and a bikini is an entirely appropriate outfit for almost any place or situation which made the transition between bungalow, beach, restaurant, and bar much easier on me cause I never really had to go home to change. Ko Phi Phi was a bit of a shock to me after traditional, quiet, no-drinking, no exposed-flesh Java. Everyone is wild for buckets (Thai whiskey, Red Bull & coke) and all these rowdy Brits and Aussies and Swedes will jump into a Muay Thai ring and fight each other if you offer them a free one! Classy. Obviously I got a front row seat! And a bucket! The beaches in Ko Phi Phi were amazing, as were the men, apparently you have to have a tan and a six pack to go there. I did some great dives, including my first wreck and getting up close and personal with a leopard shark that let us swim around with him.
My next stop was Ko Lanta, a relaxed island that I fell in love with. My days there consisted of waking up in my swanky beach-side bamboo bungalow, having fresh fruit shakes and papaya salads for breakfast, laying on the powdery white sand beach, swimming in the ocean, reading my book and working on my tan. The crowd in Ko Lanta was definitely more relaxed than in Ko Phi Phi, and how could they not be when the beaches are lined with super chill, hammock-filled reggae bars where the bartender's job description includes playing guitar, twirling fire and rolling joints (dreadlocks option, but encouraged). I spent a lot of time swinging in hammocks along the beach, eating fresh seafood, watching the sun set and making new friends. My intentions of taking a Thai cooking class, learning to ride a scooter and going diving with manta rays never really materialized because I just couldn't peel myself off the beach in Ko Lanta. I did, however, manage to go ocean kayaking alongside giant limestone cliffs and feed bananas to macaques jumping into my boat.
The only thing really on my Thailand agenda was rock climbing in Ton Sai, which was the most amazing place ever. I stayed in a mosquito infested, sweltering jungle bungalow where I was kept awake every night in fear of a rat, snake or monkey climbing into my hut between the walls and the roof which didn't actually touch, but it was cheap (obviously!). Ton Sai is in Krabi province, home to the giant limestone cliffs and caves and hills and it is swarming with pro rock climbers from around the world. If I thought the regular dudes in Ko Phi Phi had hot bodies, OMG, I obviously hadn't gotten to Ton Sai yet! It was seriously a considerable perk and major reason I stayed there for 9 days. I took a 3 day rock climbing course to learn the basics, I had an amazing teacher and even though I almost cried once because it was crazy to be scaling a sheer vertical wall by stuffing my toes and fingers into tiny cracks and crevices, I felt like a total ROCK STAR every time I hit the ring at the top of the route (and I always made it to the top!).
I reluctantly left Ton Sai when I found a partner in crime to come with me to the Half Moon party in Ko Phangan. I was in Thailand and a famous international party beckoned, so I could hardly resist, right? To be honest, I didn't see much of Ko Phangan besides my bungalow, the beach, and the party. I rolled into town and had my first case of Bali Belly (or whatever they call it in Thailand) after I had drank tap water at lunch thinking I was immune because I hadn't been sick yet. Luckily I recovered for the party, made some crazy new friends at the resort, partied my pants off (not literally, but I may have lost my shirt), and watched the sun come up over beautiful Ko Phangan while the ocean lapped at my feet. It was pretty awesome. I made a quick stopover in Ko Tao to get in one last dive and beach day before heading back to Indonesia to meet friends. It was also awesome, wish I could have stayed longer.
Indonesia the second time around (sort of) is totally different, I'm experiencing a whole new side of the country and have been go go going, haven't had time to sit down and process or think about all the adventures I've had and what I've learned. At this point I'm also out of energy (not to mention money!) to write eloquently or humorously but some of the more immediately obvious things I learned in Thailand are: to trust my instincts, to make friends wherever I go, how to rock climb (fuck yeah!), enjoying a cold shower and appreciating toilets that have toilet paper and/or an actual toilet and/or a seat and/or running water and/or soap, that my hair looks awesome after not washing it for a week and swimming in the ocean every day, that our world is truly small and inspiring. Maybe the biggest lesson has been that I think I finally understand that where I am is exactly where I'm supposed to be.
