Koh Tao

View from my bungalow on Koh Tao

Away from the tourist madness of Phuket and Krabi, I head to the pier and I hop on a boat litterally overflowing with party goers headed for the famous full moon party on Koh Phangan.So crowded was this boat, that it likely could have tipped over from the weight of us all sitting onone side of the boat with our legs hanging over the side and talking. The deck hands had to run up screaming that the crowd equalize the weight to both sides of the boat. We sat with a couple girls from holland and a canadian, and joked around for the two hour trip, as we sailed east under a spectacular souteast asian sunset. Within two hours of arriving, I secured my hut on the beach and I sat in my hammok for the next two days swimming and drinking until the party. I got my sunburn the first afternoon.

The night of the party, or rave I should say, was an increadible sight. Thousands apon thousands of drunken twacked out ravers, on a beach, under the brightest moon Ive ever seen, danced to the techno, while crazy light shows and fire dancers tripped out everyone on mushrooms. It was an Mtv spring brake party if it was anything though, and I forgot my glowstick. Damn. It was fun ... its just that these kind of parties are for that dudebro party type college guy-

..Im not dudebro party guy. I wish I was, but im not. Ive never been dudebro party guy. I walked along the beach with my beer and enjoyed the maddness.

After Koh Phangan, it was some time for some relaxation so I got on another ferry headed to Koh Tao- A small island to the north. When I arrived, we hiked all over the island searching for the perfect spot, and after three hours of searching we found it. A place called Tanote Bay. A place that ade my jaw drop. On this little beach, I got another bungalow for 5 bucks a night. This place was straight paradise - A tiny little bay with crystal clear blue waters and thousands of fish swimming around a huge majestic rock in the center.

The place I stayed was called Posidon bungalows and it was run by a nice little Thai family- there were about twenty bungalows on the beach surrounding a kitchen diner with a bar on the second floor that had hammoks and floor cushons to lay down on under the stars while overlooking the moon lit rock in the bay.

Every day went down like this. Wake up and head to the kitchen to order some beans, eggs and toast. Then after my iced coffee, go snorkle with some fish. At about 1pm, Id head to my hammok and take a little nap on my porch. After I wake, I would then head down and play some blues guitar with that guy from switzerland that played this amazing harmonica. Then I'd Draw in my sketchbook until it was time to climb up to the rooftop bar to lay down on some cushons and listen to Bob Marley as I drank long Islands and watched the moon rise out of the ocean while talking to some awesome friends we met also staying there. Next day repeat.

After the full week staying here, I realized I hadn't left a radius of about 1000 feet and I couldn't be more content. No tv, no internet, no nothing. I see myself coming back here every few years.

Tomorow I head to Laos.

South Thailand

Night Bus to Bangkok. Pick up Vietnamese visas. Overnight Passport back to the states for agency to get my Indian visa. Hop on flight to Phuket. Arrive in Phuket. Taxi to Karan Beach.

Jaw drops.

How many overweight, old, and white retirees can congregate in one spot. How many Cheesy souvenir huts can you cram into one place. How many spoiled suburban mall rats can fly to one single location on the planet. Im so glad this place is called Phuket, because thats exactly what I say as I rent another scooter and head out on the road. Maybe Krabi will be better. .....nope.

Somehow I flew to southern Thailand, but arrived in Miami. Lame. Im out of here.

A Scooter Isn't a Motorcycle -

Sitting in Pai for four days. I was supposed to be there for two. This place was a vortex. Everyday was spent sitting in hammoks with other travelers talking about how heard it was to leave. The nights were spent at a bonfire with our new friends Thai Davit, and Irish dave as well as other nameless travelers. When The bon fire burnt out, we'd head to the thai bars across the river. Drink. Joke. Fall over. Dropping people off at their huts as we ride my wobbly scooter into the night. How did I get home? Theres writing all over my arm? What?

Four Days, but finally I made it out. We hopped on the scotters and began our four hour journey through the mountains back through the twisted road to chang Mai. I climbed the hills with terraced farms within jungle plantlife all around me. A huge bull eats grass at the side of the road. With the sumer wind and the guitar on my back, I felt so awesome and In control. Zipping around huge trucks and taxis, and barely missing oncoming traffic. Then I began my descent.

The road down the mountain winded back and forth at a steep grade that made me slightly nervous. I held my cramping hand on the brake at every turn and hit the throttle as I pulled out of it. Cars were passing me as I slowly made my way down. I started to feel safer and in control again. I sped up a little bit.

Then about halfway down the mountain I took a turn down another set of switchbacks. A bus was passing by in the other direction and a truck was directly behind me. Carelessly, I took the turn a little too sharp as I hit a patch of dirt. I lost control. My bike went sideways as I hit the road. I slid across the pavement on my side, and dragged my arm across the asfault until I hit the guardrail. The guitar was ripped away from my back and I came to a stop.


All the vehicles stopped and watched as I got up and sat on my bike. With roadrash on my arm, and a bloddy knee, I brushed the dirt off, told everyone I was alright, and took back off towards the town. This was the day I learned that a scooter wasn't a Motorcycle and I shouldn't ride it like one.

From Bangkok to Chang Mai

Sitting in the taxi as we weave in and out of traffic. Against all odds, we arrive at the station with a whole three minutes to spare - Never early; I am Alex. I am a lagger. We hop on our night train from Bangkok to ChangMai. We meet two friendly old ladies, and after about two hours of speaking broken Thai to their Broken English, we go to bed in our train beds. Watching the moon lit jungle landscape as it passes by. 7 am we arrive in ChangMai.

I ask the hostel how much it is to rent scooters for the day. She replys 200bot. Quick calculation... Thats about 5 bucks a day! I agree. I hop on my aqua blue hog. Pink and yellow decals tell the locals Im not here to play. The basket on the front tells everyone else Im deadly. I put on my navy blue helmut, and buckle the chin strap. I rev it once. vrmm! I rev it twice. VRMM! A lady from across the street looks at me, gulps, and a shiver runs down her spine. I wink, spit and take off like a hells angle fresh off the pipe - the road is my woman.

I take off down the ally way and stop at the entrance to the first main road. hold my breath, and enter into the madness. People on scooters and TukTuks are everywhere zooming around me. I weave in and out of the chaos, avoiding cars with only inches. If I dont die in the first hour, I tell myself, Ill be fine.

I make for the mountain. After a while of wrong turns and dead ends, I find a road that looks like it leads to the Temple on the top. I climb the winding mountain jungle road with the summer wind in my hair and I start laughing to myself for no reason. Pure Fun. I saw about four mountain temples, 5 waterfalls, a beautiful park where local thais relax by a creek, and one of the most spectacular sunsets Ive ever seen. I extended the scooter rental two more days. Im as free as a bird on my hog, and the road is woman.

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Tomorow, were going to try to make a day long scooter trip into rural thailand, and find a mountain town called Pai. We've been told the road is steep and trecherous.... Wish me luck.

First Days In Thailand

New Years in Singapore and now Im in Bangkok! A sigh of relief. It feels so good to be here. A trip to europe feels too close to home. Sick of western culture, im now finally somewhere where I feel like Im experiencing somthing new and exciting. Somthing to write home about. Its crazy here. A good crazy.Ive been here for a couple days, and seen so much. Just visually, this place is so awesome and intriguing. Every corner is different.

Im walking down the street in the middle of the night, street salesmen offering "hot sexy girls", Offering TukTuk rides, Offering "the pingpong show".Two Transvestites walk by, I turn to the left, and I see a guy riding an elephant out of an alley and into traffic as cars zip past him. Walk into another bar, the Thai Elvis impersonator sings heartbreak hotel as old 45 year old, white male tourists bob their heads to the music with their 22 yearold thai girlfriends at their sides.

A boatride up the river. A giant Golden Buddah. A beautiful sunset. An annoying amercan girl that wont shut up. A two dollar dinner. An 85 degree day and A muay thai boxing match.... awesome. And I still have three more weeks in Thailand. Now to find that hut on the beach that I can play guitar in all day.

Switzerland

I have no words for the beauty of this country. If there was ever a place in Europe I could live, it would be here. Standing below the real Matterhorn. Surrounded by snowy mountains and cliffs. I stayed in Interlochen. Then Zermatt.

And then Gimelwald. The most beautiful place on earth. I Went there with Three Aussi girls. None of us new what to expect. From our hostel, we took the train, then the bus, then a cable car up to the top of the snowtopped cliff. With the Eiger across the valey, we walked through this rustic empty town like we owned it. With powder snow and iscles everywhere, goats yelling to be fed, and the sun shinning down on us, we threw snowballs and laughed like little kids, so happy to be in such an amazing place. One of the best days.



The swiss girl said our stay our stay in switzerland would not be complete without Swiss Fondu. I said I wasn't much of a cheese lover -She Insisted. We left the hostel. Slightly Drunk, the swiss and the german hopped on a luggage rack we found on the side of the road, and the rest of us pushed them down the snowy street yelling and screaming as the other tourists jumped out of the way. We found the last fondu restaurant open at midnight.