Surit Thani

I've done a bit of a whirlwind tour of Surit Thani, on a whim. I was supposed to go from Phuket to Cambodia but decided to try and meet up with my friend Lord, who went to Langley. He told me he was going to be in Koh Samui so I headed over there via bus. It was a 6 hour bus ride and, as miserable as that sounds, it was actually somewhat enjoyable. I got heaps of reading done and got in a solid two or three hour nap. Then I had to transfer to a ferry to take me over from Surit Thani, on the mainland, to Koh Samui.
I spent two nights in a really beautiful hostel/hotel called Hi Coral Cove Resort. The room was nice and, even though it was a dorm, there wasn't anyone else in there and it looked exactly like a hotel room, with its own balcony overlooking the water and everything. None of the staff spoke any English, but it wasn't a problem. But it was far from anything else and, being that I was uncomfortable renting a motorbike--which is essentially a glorified scooter crossed with a motorcycle--I was pretty isolated. But after Koh Phangan that was totally fine with me, because that place was reeeediculous: totally overcrowded and I found myself suffering some serious sensory overload like woah! So I spent my only full day out by the pool just recooperating and relaxing, reading a whole lot more. I was able to finish Scar Tissue, which is the autobiography of Anthony Keidis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then I moved onto Clapton, which is Eric's autobiography and a much better read so far.
The third day I hopped on a ferry to Koh Phangan to meet up with Lord and company because, after hanging around Koh Samui for two days, he emailed me and told me that they were actually on a different island altogether! I checked into a hostel here which was really nice, also. It was one of a few bungalows directly on the beach, with a deck and two big beds and--given the Full Moon Party which is coming up--it was really decently priced! So I hung around there all day, and took a walk along the beach and got to read a bit more. I watched a really nice sunset, too, and got to hang out with some English blokes who were staying around my hostel before I was able to get in touch with Lord and he met me at my hostel.
We went back to hang out with his friends who went to CU Boulder with him. They're really fun people, so I'm having a good time. We went to Hat Rin, where the Full Moon Party is going to be, and hung out on the beach for a bit but, since it was a Buddhist holiday, not much was going on. When we got back to their hostel at around 4 am, we made a fire on the beach and just sat around talking and watched the sun come up. Then we headed back to my place to grab my stuff, eat a really delicious breakfast, and check out of my bungalow. I went back to their hostel, Phangan Lodge, and we pushed two big beds together and slept 4 people in it. It was actually really comfortable because of the air conditioned room and the fact that I brought my own pillow!
When we woke up from our nap I went with some of the guys to grab lunch at an amazing place on the beach called Liberty. It was like a two hour long meal, but it was amazing and I had the greatest crepe EVER for dessert, with chocolate and fresh fruit. I got back in time to hop on the back of Lord's motorbike and head to a small beach in the north part of the island. I was so glad not to have missed this because the drive was about 20 minutes and was absolutely amazing. We drove past buffalo and tiny remote (well, as remote as you'll get in Koh Phangan!) villages. Last time they went to this beach, they saw elephants crossing the road! It's all overgrown and so cool--it feels like you're driving through the set of Jurrasic Park or something! The beach was really nice, though we only stayed for a bit and I began to watch the sun set over the water, with small islands all over the place and palm trees and a cool breeze. Truely paradise.
Anyway, now I'm going to be staying in town for the Full Moon Party, before heading to Cambodia on the 19th or 20th. Lord and his friends are letting me crash at their place so I'll actually get to save a bunch of money over the next few days, which I will be spending on airfare to Phenom Pehn and to Laos. I was going to take a bus, but with time being so short, I'm going to have to fly. I'm alright with it though, because I really would like to see everything--even if it's only to get a small taste of the regions!
Tomorrow the boys are all going to go fishing and snorkeling. I plan on sticking around to try and work out my travel plans, get a bit of sun, rest up for the Full Moon Party tomorrow night. There are the cuuutest puppies (about 2 weeks old?) and kittens (maybe 2 months old) at the place that I'm staying so, of course, I am completely mesmerized with playing with them! More to come later on.....