First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait. At the moment I'm quite busy with a new project and I don't have to much time to blog. My return to Bangkok three weeks ago closed the Southeast Asian loop that drove me through the north of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. I really enjoyed this stage of my journey but I'm not done yet.
60 hours after my arrival to the City of Angels I was on the road again. This time my travelmates -Carmen (26, Spanish), Jelle (23, Belgian)- and me were heading south to Kho Phangan. Phangan is a beautiful island in the the gulf of Siam home to the famous Full Moon Party. I must admit that the three of us had serious doubts about the whole party-island business. On the one hand we were excited about the legendary party but the sight of an endless caravan of beer-in-hand teens escorting our way to the island was quite discouraging. Too old for that?
We reckoned that the island should be big enough for everyone and consequently we searched for a quiet spot to become our base camp. Haad Yuan seemed perfect for the job: small, tranquil and at a stone's throw distance from Haad Rin (the party quarters). The favourable weather conditions of the first week elicited some of the most enjoyable days I've had in Thailand. Sun, sea and sand; need more? oh yes, the party. It did fulfill all my expectations which -as I said before- weren't high. Tons of people, countless bars offering buckets! buckets! buckets! and huge sound systems pouring a rather poor selection of house tunes. The most disgusting sight of the night award went to a couple of lovers making out meters away from a bunch of fellows taking a piss in the sea. All things considered I rate the party as fun but to be honest I prefer smaller ones.
The second half of my visit to the island turned out quite different. For one my good friends were forced to leave as they run out of time in the country. Moreover the weather got worse, overcast when not rainy. However there were some exciting moments too. I met Sandro (German, 26) who told me about the beauty of the northeastern shore that he had visited a few years earlier with his girlfriend. I convinced him to trek our way up despite the recommendations of the locals who discouraged the id
ea since hardly anyone hikes around this part of the island. Next morning we set off with our heavy rucksacks and a few liters of water. The first hour went fine, a dirty trail guided our steps. We arrived to a deserted beach, the kind of place you see in the movies. Then things got a little bit more difficult. The until then hardly visible trail extinguished and we had to navigate through the jungle based on the location of the ocean and a few landmarks that we found in our way. We worked our way breaking branches and climbing steep slopes (some 300+ m) using our bare hands. Finally we found a couple of farmers who pointed at a dirty path which should take us to a village. We reached the village just before dusk. That night we shared our bungalow with a tiny snake and the next morning we hiked and hitchhiked for 4 hours to reach Haad Sadet (our final destination) where we said goodbye.I spent the rest of the week completing my tour around the island. Days of hitchhikes, snorkeling and delightful reading. After 4 days I realised that the bad weather was not going to change so I decided to leave the island. Once again a bitter end for a sweet time. No worries, my diversion will surely take me to more islands!
Pido disculpas por la larga espera, pero me encuentro inmerso en un nuevo proyecto que casi no me deja tiempo para escribir en el blog. Mi vuelta a Bangkok cerro el circuito alrededor del norte del sureste asiatico. Un tour genial pero insuficiente para calmar mis ansias de aventura. Apenas 60 horas despues de llegar a la Ciudad de los Angeles, mis companeros de viaje, Carmen y Jelle, y yo nos encontrabamos de camino al sur, a la isla de Phangan. Phangan es una preciosa isla en el golfo de Siam, famosa en el mundo entero gracias a su legendaria Fiesta de la Luna Llena. La caravana de adolescentes cerveza en mano que escoltaba nuestro autobus desperto nuestras dudas respecto a nuestro destino, demasiado viejos para esto? Una vez en la isla intentamos escapar la marabunta escondiendonos en Haad Yuan, una pequena y tranquila playa a tiro de piedra de Haad Rin (la playa donde se celebra la fiesta). El buen tiempo y la buena compania propiciaron algunos de los mejores dias que he pasado en Tailandia. Sol, mar y playa, quien necesita mas? Luego la fiesta. Estuvo bien, aunque demasiado masificada para mi gusto.
Tras la fiesta mis amigos tuvieron que abandonar la isla, pues se les acababa su tiempo en el pais. Este hecho junto al mal tiempo hizo que la segunda parte de mi visita fuese bastante diferente. Conoci a Sandro, un aleman que me hablo de la belleza de la costa noreste de la isla. Le convenci para explorar la costa a pie. A la manana siguiente y a pesar de las advertencias de los paisanos (que dudaban que fuese posible atravesar la costa a pie) salimos con nuestras pesadas mochilas, algunos litros de agua y disposicion a dormir en alguna playa si fuera necesario. Las primeras horas fueron bien pero tras un alto en el camino para disfrutar de una playa paradisiaca, la timida senda que guiaban nuestros pasos desaparecio bajo nuestros pies. De ahi en adelante nos guiabamos por la posicion del oceano y las rocas y arboles caracteristicos que encontrabamos a nuestro camino. Tras unas horas nos topamos con una pareja de granjeros que nos senalaron el camino a una pista forestal. Esta pista nos llevo hasta un pueblecillo donde pasamos la noche en un bulgalow acompanados por una pequena serpiente. A la manana siguiente salimos pronto y andando y haciendo dedo llegamos hasta nuestro destino. Alli nos congratulamos y despedimos. El resto de la semana la pase leyendo, buceando y esperando a que el tiempo mejorara. Tras 4 dias sin cambios decidi abandonar la isla. Un final un poco amargo para una historia dulce, pero no me preocupa demasiado pues estoy seguro de que pronto habra mas islas que visitar!
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