Part 2/2: ...And Another Five Rainy Day Activities...

So, the day following the cooking school brought the same glorious, glorious...rain. So, what to do when you can't relax on a beach? Relax with a massage, of course! Well, relax might be a strong term for a Thai massage...

  

While Bob and Patrick went for the 'Sports Massage', Colleen and I went for a Thai massage with a little hot extra...The spa definitely had a different atmosphere to street-side Kho San Road in Bangkok...After a welcome fruity iced tea, and a quick foot bathe, we were taken to a room to change into some rather, umm, tight undies...I also had to change into a loose white shirt and some trousers that would be loose on a sumo wrestler. I couldn't work out the latter at first, wondering how on earth you made them tighter, until my Thai masseuse told me I had them on backwards...whoops!
   Leaving Patrick face-down on a table, I was taken to another area and told to lie on my front. Now, I thought I'd fallen asleep during my Thai massage in Bangkok, but now I question my memory...there is no way you can sleep through that! It's less soothing than stretching, bending every part of your body in ways you'd never imagine. She kept saying 'relax!', but it was a little tricky when she was putting me in all of these yoga positions...Don't get me wrong, she knew what she was doing, even if she showed my mosquito-bitten swollen finger no mercy...my body felt all rubbery afterwards! But it wasn't over yet...it was time to dab some scorching-hot herbal sponge-balls all over my body! Although it did feel nice, I did have to grit my teeth a few times when she hit extra sensitive spits like the soles of my feet...only one time did I lose my toughness and yelp like a child. 'You alright?' she asked in a laughing voice. 'Sunburn...' I answered in a tight voice, and she resumed the frantic dabbing on my skin. Great way to spend a rainy afternoon, though...
   That afternoon we probably had the biggest and best meal of the trip so far at our resort restaurant...I think it will always go down as 'The Night We Discovered The Green Mango Salad'. Though similar to the papaya salad with prawns I ordered (once again), this wasn't just any old green mango salad...it contained soft-shell crab that literally dissolved on your tongue...just stunning. Feeling particularly hungry after our yoga workout/massage, we each ordered an appetizer (the mango salad was Colleen's choice), and a main. In hindsight, this may have been a LITTLE...OK, a lot...too much. It was a bad sign when we were full after our appetizers...I hardly ate any of my main dish, red duck curry, and felt awful for it. Colleen chose another winner with her deep-fried seabass, as did Bob with his stir-fried prawns with spicy deep-fried basil. Once again, we were waddling back to our villa, sleepy and satisfied...
   The next day brought a MAMMOTH four-hour long Euker tournament...the dynamite team of Colleen and Patrick are winning at the moment, but Bob and I are going to come back strong (as soon as I can halt my accidental cheating!). Snacks of sesame-covered coconut cashew nuts and chicken laab kept us going, as did a Chang or ten! One of the characteristics of Thai food that really makes it a cut above the rest is the exquisite attention to detail...even the garnish carrots are carved beautifully. You can actually learn 'fruit carving' at the resort as well! Because the food had been so amazing the night before, we returned to the resort restaurant...but ordered just a tiny bit less. We just HAD to order the mango salad again- it would be rude not to! Then a bit of Tom Yam soup, stir-fried prawns, and the blueberry "ice-cream" for dessert that was actually more of a mousse. The ice-cream was not the only deceptive food...poor Bob got caught out with a uber-spicy chilli that was posing as an innocent tomato...for about 10 minutes, all we heard from his side of the table was gasping and gulping of water!
   Just as the weather was picking up the following day, with everybody flocking to the sun-loungers as though they hadn't seen sun for months, it was time for us to head to Ko Samui on a speedboat- my first ever! They gave each of us a carton of water for the journey, which was great to combat my slight sea-sickness...just a shame that every time I tried to put the bloody straw in the bloody carton, we hit a huge wave and came crashing down, making me miss completely. Watching our progress on the computer screen around the island helped me out, and before I knew it, we were docking in Ko Samui and being gently handed over (no moment of confused limbo) to our next host, a Thai girl called Tal: immaculate, highlighted-hair, gorgeous, perfectly formed. In our air-conditioned car, with flowers at the front (nice touch), we were taken to an air-conditioned 7-Eleven to get some everyday essentials: 6 large Changs, and some Lays. Well, it has been at least a week since Patrick and I have had some Original Crinkled Cut crisps...
   One dubious-looking lane later, and we had arrived at the villa, welcomed with yet another cool towel, and a champagne flute of fruity iced tea. I could definitely get used to this! And then, the big unveiling- as we were shown around the villa, I think everybody had the same reaction. OH. MY. GOD. We were shown our living room and dining room- think Ikea showroom with a Thai twist- and a few bedrooms, both with en-suites that had TWO SHOWERS and TWO SINKS. All of these surrounded a lovely pool, and I thought: 'Nice size- I wonder who we're sharing it with'. But no- it was just ours. The whole five-bedroom place, of which we'd only use two bedrooms, was all ours. Incredible! And to top it off, it has a beach-front location...as I write, I can hear the waves gently lapping against the shore. Colleen certainly outdid herself in this choice! The biggest shock was the intensity of their service; every time we try to get something for ourselves out of the fridge, there's a lady waiting to take it outside for us! It's very appreciated, if a little crazy and unexpected!
   A few nights ago, we braved the dark, dark beach to try the restaurant next to the resort, where we were all lucky enough to try the chillis that had burned Bob's mouth off the other day! A fair few Magners' rid us of the spice nicely, as did the French cider later on. Yesterday, we were lucky enough to have our own chef for the day: Boon, a Ko Samui native. Both of our chefs, Kratae and Boon, were women, which is great to see: Thai women seem to be the most empowered that I've experienced in Asia so far.
   I won't go into too much detail about the food- think that's been what I've mostly talked about so far! But the presentation was incredible, and the green curry/coconut soup/tom yam served in a coconut/OK, ALL of it was to-die-for. We've also tried a few unusual fruits: jackfruit (chewy mango-looking fruit that has a bubblegum taste), dragonfruit (white melon-esque fruit with black dots and a fuchsia pink, spiky outer layer) and a 'mango seed' (with an apple-esque tangy-ness).
 

Yesterday was our only lovely day so far (hence why my blog entry yesterday was so short!). Whilst Bob and Patrick went golfing on a beautiful, ocean-view course for a few hours, Colleen and I sat close to the beachfront, watching the Thai fishermen. One of my many joys in Asia is watching the different fishing techniques, all so simple yet incredibly effective. It reminds me how resourceful people can be with limited tools. Some guys had regular fishing rods to catch fish from the shallow end; others were actually fully in the sea, holding what looked like a long washing line, two men at one end, one man at the other. As my eye-line fell from them to a butterfly that fluttered by, something else occurred to me: just how colourful Asia is, and how these butterflies seem to fit so well into Asian culture: like little fluttering pieces of Asia's rainbow world. We went from seeing these fishermen in the morning, to a more bizarre sight at sunset: water-buffaloes bathing in the ocean. Colleen asked Tal what these water-buffaloes are used for: apparently it's fighting! Wonder if its like the cock fights we saw in China...

   Right, think its about time I wrapped things up before I send you all to sleep...and my arm's starting to hurt. Today's looks like another cloudy weathered, chilled day: tomorrow we head to Bangkok, where the next day we bid a sad farewell to Colleen and Bob. It's been so nice to see them; I've had so much fun this week, despite the annoying weather! If you read this entry, thank you so, so much guys- it's all been a blast! Then it's the North for us- train ride to Chiang Mai early next week. See you then...

Part 1/2: Five Ways To Have Fun On A Rainy Day...

...So, as I mentioned before, the weather has not been as kind to us as Colleen and Bob have this week...but has that stopped us from having fun? Hell no!! Cooking, card-playing, massages, drinking, eating, drinking some more...
    A refreshing coconut and cool towel awaited us at Colleen and Bob's Ko Pha-ngan resort, and after enjoying these lovely but unexpected gestures, we just looked at each other with a flummoxed look that said 'Right. Now what?'. Soon enough, we were escorted to a golf cart that whisked us away to our villa and a smiling Colleen and Bob- as well as a fair few welcome Singhas! That evening we enjoyed the Thai buffet at our restaurant, to get a better idea of what we'd be learning to cook the following day...There was also some Thai dancing going on, although the set-up of the restaurant meant that persistent returns to the buffet meant a few moments on the stage with the dancers...greed punished with brief humiliation, I suppose!

   The next day, Colleen and Bob were able to sample that beautiful Thai tropical weather...the heat, the stickiness...the light rain. No matter, it provided the perfect opportunity to teach me an addictive card game that would become a big part of the days that followed...Euker. I couldn't possibly explain the rules, but let's just say its quick and fairly simple, though I have a tendency to cheat without realizing (I swear!). Anyway, our buffet breakfast followed a quick introductory game, before we decided to check out the other beach. As soon as Patrick and I step onto it, looking for Bob and Colleen, that light rain turned into a torrential downpour- and how did we deal with it? By stripping down to our swimsuits and embracing it- its the only way! The irony was, C & B were back in the resort the whole time!
   Considering the weather, that day was probably the perfect day for our Thai cooking school. We had four Thai dishes on our itinerary: first, Kratae (our 27-year old Ko Pha-ngan native chef) & helpers would show us to to make a dish, then two of us would have to make it for the whole group. Pat and I were up first to make our favourite- chicken 'laab'- where I discovered that I'm not the best- or safest- chopper in the world (for the Martz' reading this: almost as bad as I was at making pizza dough in Italy!) Anyway, we successfully made it, and sat down to enjoy it- with a bottle of vino rosso, of course! We were pretty full after this, but there were four more dishes to make! Next up, another of Pat and I's favourites: 'Tom Yam' soup with prawns. Colleen and Bob's turn this time, making one with cow milk, one with coconut milk; the latter was the undisputed favourite. Yet again we sat down, our tingling tastebuds fighting against our bulging stomachs...and another bottle of red was ordered. Third course: Thai green curry. We were introduced to new members of the aubergine (eggplant) family: small aubergines (about golf-ball size), and baby aubergines (just bigger than a pea).The latter tasted great raw with thick chilli paste- another snack idea!  It was a mother-and-son team for this one, and the two got a little competitive with how perfect they each were on first taste...both tasted fantastic, though our stomachs were beginning to admit defeat at this point. Still, we sucked it up to make course numero cuatro: stir-fried prawns with cashew nuts. Heaps of chopping for this one- my favourite- but learned I'm a fraction less hazardous with garlic. Speaking of garlic, Bob learned the hard way that his element was far too hot: within seconds of flinging his garlic into the oiled up pan, it was already burnt, and Kratae made him start all over again! His dish actually ended up being a lot tastier and saucier (ooh-err) than mine, so practice definitely makes perfect! By this stage I think Kratae saw that we could barely stand, let alone cook anymore, so she kindly made our dessert for us: the delicious banana cooked in sweetened coconut milk. We had a little chat to her while she we enjoyed her amazing dessert...she had originally worked at the resort's front desk, but had a passion for cooking, so the Head Chef said he'd try her out in the kitchen...now, one and a half years later, she's second-in-command! And she still rings up her grandmother for cooking advice! A lovely chef, and a really fun lesson...though I don't think I've ever been so full in my life by 5pm! Predictably, we had just about enough energy to waddle to the villa for a nap, which then just turned into a huge sleep!

   Next up: massages, a mammoth Euker tournament (which is still going on!), a bumpy speed-boat ride, and our jaw-dropping Ko Samui villa!...
  

Photos of Full Moon Madness Now Up!

By now you've probably figured out my favourite rainy-day activity...uploading pics!! So there are some more pics of the crazy Full Moon Party in the 'Dancing Until Dawn' blog entry.

Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote...have been having too much fun with Colleen and Bob: learning (and losing) the addictive card game Euker, learning to cook delicious Thai dishes, eating many, many Thai dishes, drinking many, many Singhas, Changs and glasses of vino rosso...I would update you right now with all the details, but it's actually sunny right now and believe me, that's been rare this week! Off to the pool I go...stay tuned, folks!

Part 2/2: Dancing until Dawn...

Now, we’re really not sure where the evening went…one moment we were arriving at around 11.30p.m, the next minute it was 7am and I was dancing on a table. Only a handful of memories remain…lots of dancing, a fair few buckets, and a bacon sandwich from Mr. K’s.

   It gets to the point during every drunken evening where you say to yourself ‘I want something meaty and greasy, and I want it NOW’…so around 4am, we headed towards the aptly-nicknamed Chicken Corner to get some munchies. Poor Mr. K was looking a little stressed, with dozens of sweaty, sozzled backpackers vying for his attention. One girl had to tell her friend to calm down after she got worked up over the spiciness of her chicken burger. ‘It’s not even red!’ she exclaimed angrily as Mr K. produced the offending burger. ‘Don’t be rude’ said her friend, to no avail apparently. We went for the classic bacon sandwich and cheesy chips…except the latter came sans cheese. Pat was not happy about this, but when I tried to tell Mr. K, he was still looking a little harassed from ‘Spicy Burger Gate’, so I let it be.



   Chicken Corner was not the only hairy-spot…people were getting tetchy in the toilets too. The categories ‘Ladies’ and ‘Gents’ ceased to be relevant, as it turned into a ‘first in the toilet, first to pee’ system. When one guy tried to question a girl standing in front of him, she swept her arm down the line of waiting girls and screamed ‘BUT WHAT ABOUT THEM?’. Calm down, love- we all need to pee- we’ve all drunk one too many buckets…

   I thought there were a lot of buckets in ‘Bucket Alley’, but the beach was something else. Bizarrely, all the Thai bucket vendors had adopted Western Christian names painted above their stalls, as well as the inevitable poetry: ‘Jack: F***ing Good Buckets’, ‘John: F**k my Bucket’. The strangest of them all was probably ‘Bethlehem’s Good Buckets! Jesus’ Favourite’. I don’t recall reading that in the Bible…especially the quote ‘Have my F***king Bucket’. If you stepped within 10m of each stall, they would start grabbing wildly, desperate for you to take one of their good buckets, sometimes even offering something free!

   So, you can see why the night went pretty quickly! Partied-out at 6am from all the bar-hopping, with the Red Bull finally wearing off, we sat on the sea edge to watch the revelry still happening around us. As we sat, the sun began to rear his head, and I became entranced by the silhouette of a fisherman in front of the pinky-lilac dawn. In the light of morning, the true extent of party damage became clear- glass bottles lay strewn along the sea-edge, whilst a poor lonely sole traipsed with a bin-bag to pick up the broken glass. The 100B entry charge cannot be disputed after seeing that. By now it was 6.45am, but the party was far from over- in front of the biggest bars, there were still just as many loonies dancing wildly. On our way to the taxi, I couldn’t resist joining them, and like I mentioned before, my night ended dancing on a table as a fuchsia pink sun rose above my head.

   The taxi ride home in a ‘song-taa-ou’ (‘truck tuk-tuk’, I like to call it) was an unexpected highlight of the whole night, thanks to the good banter provided by fellow taxi-riders. A few key moments pretty much summed up the night. The friend of one guy in our taxi, Tom, was presumed lost, then suddenly turned up. ‘Where have you been?’ Tom asked. ‘I had a massage, then I can’t remember…’ replied his friend. Another guy outside the taxi spoke for 10,000 partiers as he shouted ‘I JUST WANT MY BED’, clearly frustrated, making a frantic pillow gesture with his hands to a bewildered taxi driver. I knew how he felt; the taxi proceedings were painfully slow. So slow, that a French guy in our taxi read our lady driver’s name from the taxi register, and kept shouting it out in an effort to speed things up. ‘Wanida!’ he shouted, ‘let’s go, Wanida!’ It was funny at the time- very annoying for her, I’m sure. Eventually we were on our way, Wanida putting her foot on it, with an Irish guy drinking a Chang and hanging off the back of the overcrowded taxi. Even when we swapped ‘song-taa-ou’s’ half way into the journey to create more space, he still insisted on hanging off the back- keeping the party alive! Despite the bumps and up-and-down, most of the group managed to sleep until we arrived back at Than Sadet, where we stumbled out of the ‘song-taa-ou’, stumbled across the beach, stumbled up the cliff-stairs, and collapsed onto our bed.

Partied-out.

   So, did the Full Moon Party live up to the hype? It was much more approachable and varied than I thought it would be…yes, there were 50,000+ people, but the vibe of every bar and bucket stall was somehow different, making it feel like a thousand parties under the stars. I’d actually love to go again- and this time, I’d find some paint to coat myself in…

   Colleen and Bob arrive tomorrow- until then, a bit of exploration, a bit of relaxing, a lot of eating…perfect. Ko Phan-gnan for a few days, Ko Samui for a few days, back to Bangkok for a day, and then THE NORTH! Our time in Thailand’s going very quickly…

Plaa's pet pig...who somehow managed to climb down the cliff onto the beach.
Maybe pigs can fly after all?...