I know it’s nearly a week late… but thought I’d let everyone know that we survived the Full Moon Party! Kelsey and I spent three days in a bamboo hut on Koh Phangnan last weekend – a day to get there, a day to party, and a day to recover. When we got to the island, we soon realized that partying is the only thing that happens in Koh Phagnan. They have the Full Moon Party every month, and there’s a party every day of the week leading up to it – beach parties, boat parties, jungle parties. And then there’s the Half Moon Party… and the New Moon Party. So naturally, everyone on the island last weekend was a backpacker looking to get a little wild. We made friends with a few British girls who were staying in our neighboring bungalows, and on the night of the full moon we decked ourselves out in neon and face paint and headed to the main beach that was basically a strip of bars backed up to the sand, every one playing different music, and people dancing chaotically and drinking buckets. We danced our butts off until 6am, and made it back to our bungalow as the sun was coming up.

Kels and I at the Full Moon Party

After a day of recovery, we made a last minute decision to say goodbye to the Thai islands and head up north to Chiang Mai. Talk about a long journey… it went something like this:

TUESDAY 15/6/14:

11:15am

Kelsey and I walk up the road to wait for a taxi. Emily and Anne Marie (our British friends) are already here. It’s the first day in a week that the sun is out and shining, and we’re sweating our balls off.

11:35am

Emily and Anne Marie are getting nervous that the taxi isn’t here yet, but we’re calm. Classic Thailand. Nothing is ever on time.

11:50am

Our taxi arrives 20 minutes late, bumping country remixes of love ballads, and there’s a baby in the front seat.

12:10pm

We arrive at the pier. There are literally hundreds of backpackers lined up, fleeing the island after the full moon.

12:25pm

We realize everyone is confused and the “line” is not for anything. We sit down to wait for the boat.

12:45pm

Turns out we were actually supposed to be in the line. We’re chatting to the cutest British girl, Nina, about her travels.

12:55pm

It just started raining.

1:00pm

We’re finally on the boat, sitting next to Nina and her cute blonde man friend.

1:40pm

Nina’s man friend is a Dutch boy she met diving last week. It looks like they’ve known each other a lot longer, if you know what I mean.

3:55pm

Boat is slowing down, it’s time to get off.

4:20pm

I’m soaked. Of course, the ten-minute monsoon would hit during the exact ten minutes it took to get off the boat, get our bags, and find our bus to Suratthani. We don’t even know if we’re on the right bus. I could be crying right now, but instead I’m laughing because I know there’s gotta be someone up there laughing and saying, “hahah I made it rain!”

5:35pm

We just turned down a dirt road and stopped at what looks like a broken down shack. The bus driver yelled, “Everybody off!” and started throwing our bags. Apparently we’re at a major bus terminal.

5:55pm

Kelsey’s waiting in line to get us some food. It looks like the only things they’re serving are massive servings of Pad Thai, Pringles, and Chips Ahoy.

6:35pm

Just paid 5 baht to use the toilet and change into some dry clothes.

7:00pm

Good thing we changed because our overnight bus to Bangkok is here a half hour early.

7:10pm

We made some Canadian friends on the bus – Julia and Denise – so we grabbed four double seats near each other. Our first stop is in four hours, so we’ll have double seats to ourselves until then.

8:05pm

That was a short four hours… we just had our first stop and these two obnoxious ladies asked Kelsey and I to sit together since we’re friends. I think our matching pants must have given us away.

WEDNESDAY 16/7/14:

1:05am

I finally fell asleep and then the bus driver stopped and yelled and turned the lights on for a 45 minute food break. No thanks, I’ll go back to sleep.

2:10am

Break is over. The guy in front of me just stared at me while he reclined his seat all the way back. Now he’s laying in my lap.

6:45am

We’re off the bus and in a tuk tuk to the Bangkok train station. Kelsey haggled the driver down to half the price.

7:00am

Just bought our train tickets – the last two available – to Chiang Mai. Twelve hours on the train to follow up our twelve-hour overnight bus.

7:50am

Just had to poop in the hole in the ground that they call a toilet. When I got back, Kelsey looked bewildered. Apparently I just missed some impromptu national anthem and weird march/dance by all the security guards.

8:40am

Our train is finally here (late again). We convinced a Thai man to switch seats so that Kelsey and I could sit together.

9:30am

I found the toilet on the train and it wasn’t as scary as the one in the train station. Now I’m wondering if we’ll get food because I’m already starving. Good thing we have a couple leftover Pringles to hold us over until we get there tonight.

10:00am

Just got our first free snack – black bean filled roll. So gross.

11:30am

Second snack – rice and chicken and fish.

3:30pm

Third snack – some sort of sweet pastry that oddly tastes like shrimp.

8:00pm

I have no idea how I managed to entertain myself for all those hours but we’re finally to Chiang Mai. Hopping off the train and into a van to find a hostel.

9:30pm

Thirty two hours later… a taxi, boat, bus, overnight bus, tuk tuk, day train, van ride, and panicky hostel search later… we are finally at J.J.’s Guesthouse in Chiang Mai. I’ve never been happier to see a dirty hostel bed.