Faces and Phrases of the Trip

So I added the faces. I hope you add any phrases, that came up on our trip, as comments to this. Or just any memories that you have of this trip. Besides: Thanks to everyone, who provided his/hers pictures for my blog. :)

First thoughts when I think of my group:

Nadine – The cave woman... ;)
Laura – she bent her ankle the first day I met her
Sanna – always one of the last with me at almost every party night – the European connection
Nicholas – I guessed his name, when I met him first ... scary
Amara – was always in for dancing with me :)
Corn – as soon as someone says "shit", I am still adding "Corn" in my mind...
Tara – I will never forget u all wrapped into three ponchos when we arrived at the floating bungalows
Ben (group leader) – he seriously tried to take the lead away from me on our way to the cave...
Tiffany – we always wanted to do a Prickly Heat Powder Commercial. And I taught her some Afrikaans ... "Baie dankie (vir die bier)" (Thank you very much for the beer) or as Tiff said: "Buy me a donkey!"
Jen – we were a great team for taking some drunks home one night...
Kiesha – she was talking about how she needed to get Prickly Heat Powder a lot when I met her first ;) and she kept on loving it during the trip I guess.. ;)
Carla – she had some crazy dance moves at Highlands Restaurant in Railay
Kirsten – united in seasickness on the boat ride from Koh Lipe
Shannon – pink, double fisting Singha, Britney and my last sunrise with you
Nicole – cuddling up in our bungalow in Railay
Nathan – some awesome frisbee playing at Had Yuan
Bertus (group leader) – trying to take him home save from Pooh's bar
Leah – definitely the lapricorn story and when she asked me "Maddy, what would you be without French Fries?" and I was like "I would be just Mad"
Dave – a thrilling Jenga game at Koh Lipe
Jenine – united in pain at the massage at Big Mama's

Making my way home asleep

Leaving this awesome beach behind ... (Had Yuan)

I leave Had Yuan at about 10.30 am and when I arrive at Had Rin I shuffle up to the Travel Agency. This is the place the Taxi is picking me up. I am already falling to sleep waiting for it... well the rest of my day is pretty much explained by this: On the Taxi. Sleep. Off the taxi waiting for the boat. Trying not to fall asleep. On the boat. Sleep. On the bus. Sleep. On a truck. Off a truck... We have to wait at some place out in nowhere and have to say where on Phuket we want to go. As I am discussing where to stay best with one travelagent, he asked me for when my flight leaves and I'm like "Well...actually I have not printed my ticket yet..." He is like "What?!" So he takes me to the next internet place with his scooter... yeah...that's so me...but, hey, it always works out, right?!? Finally I have my ticket and I am getting on another mini-bus. They drop me off near the airport and I go down to the place I wanna stay...well...it's 9.30 pm, I'm f****** tired and all doors are closed ... I finally find a mobile number at one door and call it, and that's how I got lucky to not sleep outside... I was really thankful for my mobile phone that very moment...

Next day I take my flight back home. Phuket–Berlin in 11 hours and 40 minutes... I am lucky that it is still "warm" in Germany ... 10°C ...

My last day and night

Finally there is some sun again!!! :) We had 3 cloudy days and as this is my last one, I am so happy to soak up all the warmth and light. So I grill myself most of the time today.
Later that day we take a boat to Had Rin. I do some shopping and organize my trip to Phuket for tomorrow at the travel agency. We have a group dinner at some Mexican Food place with the funny name "Bamboozle". Yumyum...

My last group dinner

We move on, but realize that the next place has cider!! And as I love it and it is not that common here, we get one and want to move on. But Dave is coming up to us saying that it is the Kings Birthday, and we are not supposed to drink on the streets. So we chill in that cider bar for a while and go back to Had Yuan later. 

The moon at my last night – the kings birthday (picture by Simon Rumford

On the boat ride I put my hands out of the boat and let them slide over the surface of the water. The phosphorescence, which are kind of glowing bacterias in the sea, are sparkling along my fingers, when they hit the water ...it looks so beautiful ....wow...like I had little sparkles coming out of my hands...there is no way to explain these looks very well and even less to explain how it feels that very moment...you just have to experience this...

So, we chill at the beach and then at the peace and love bar, where Jenine and Leah are painting the walls (...?!..weird...). We are waiting for the sun to rise. And I am spending a lot time with Shannon in my arm, our feet in the sand, the warm water of the ocean floating around it, marveling at the sea and watching the sun slowly dipping the sky in some beautiful colors...I am trying to soak up all this, knowing that I will have to leave it behind soon...

As we see the restaurant of The Big Blue opening, we are leaving the bar. Stopping by one of the swings for some dandling.

Me swinging while sunrise

In the restaurant we are all so much looking forward to get food, and we finally get some menues...for drinks... All of us are pretty confused. Till Corn says "I'm sorry. I knew they open at 7 am, but the sign over there says 'kitchen open 8.30 am – 11 pm'" Shit Corn!!! Nooo way. That's another one and a half hours!! That's hoooorrible! So we sit there pretty depressed for another 20 minutes, not even able to order a drink...

So I finally went to pack my bag... well...yeah...I had not packed yet... :)

9 am, I am done with packing, we are back at the restaurant for breakfast. And then it is time...time to leave. We go down to the taxi boat and hugging the first ones to say goodbye, I just can't stop myself from starting to cry...
I am usually doing pretty good with goodbyes...but all these friends that I made are living in Canada! It's not that I will see them too soon again. And all this makes me realize that this trip is over now. And I do not want it to be over...it just should not be over yet...there should be another couple of sunsets and sunrises with these people that made their way into my heart.
At some point I have to jump into the boat. And they push us out into the waves. It is jumping up and down pretty hard, but I do just not care. All I do is looking at all these awesome people standing at the beach waving me goodbye. By the time we pass the surge, they just get smaller and smaller, left at the beach altogether and I am on the boat, crying in between some strangers, on my way to Had Rin ...

# MUSIC I've got a feeling by The Black Eyed Peas

This full-moon-party-night was a really good good night.

Full Moon Party

We have barbecue at Barcelona's first and then start painting ourselves or each other for the Full Moon Party with neon colors.

Painting Tiffany for Full Moon Party

Going over to Had Rin at about 11 pm. Waves are so scary that the boat ride is a lot fun! After getting a starter bucket at the travel agency and a hint for a "secret toilet", we go down to the beach and to one of the dancing spots where our groups will be partying the whole night.

I am pretty much walking back and forth from the mini-mart and back for drinks till I feel like sun is coming up and I have not really started to dance yet. So we all keep on dancing till the sun rises. It's amazing. And it's even better when it starts raining and everyone is just dancing in the rain at the beach. And all those flip flops floating in the ocean...unique sight...This party is just crazy and ends just by our leaders telling us we should leave before no one else is left at the beach anymore...so we take a boat back at about 9.30 am...wow, I did not think I would make it till 6 am... and now I feel like I could still go on... and NO I did not take any drugs but alcohol...

Dressed up crazy for Full Moon Party

Sunrise while Full Moon Party

It's light, but...

...the party goes on

Well by taking the boat to Had Yuan the "night" doesn't end... we jump into the ocean and as I am coming out, I feel like playing some basketball...so I run up to the others, get the ball, run towards the basket with my wet flip flops and....BAAAAM...slide some further towards it on my bum and ankle...wow, that hurts! But I laugh and just jump into the ocean to wash it off ... (I will not be able to sit for the next 2 days as my butt is seriously scratched all over...)

Jaine, Bertus and me go to Barcelona's and just chill there...till Simon, the Photographer comes up, after two hours of sleep and challenges Bertus for a drinking competition... the worst idea he could possibly have... everyone is telling him not to do this...well...a few hours, 4 Tequila, 4 Sambuca, 1 Jägermeister ... each ... later, Bertus is passed out, but Simon has still a whole big Chang to drink to win the contest... and he luckily is convinced to give up!! Weird thing: The other people from the group were getting up one by one, coming to the restaurant for breakfast, while we were still in our party outfits and these two guys were still drinking shots...

Simon trying to catch up with Bertus
(already passed out on the table) still thinking that
he has caught "the beast" 

Clayton and Beach-Traveler-Ben posing on passed out Bertus

I go back to the Big Blue Resort to have breakfast with the others that got up again ... this is when I realize that it is already 3.30 pm... well I go to bed at about 8 pm this day...finally...after 38 hours...I have a quite good sleep that night...

A morning at Had Yuan & the Beach Volleyball Tournament

Just imagine this: You get up, walk three steps out of your cute little bamboo hut 200 meters from the ocean and jump into your hammock. Really, really comfy hammock... all you hear is the chirr of some unknown crawlies, funny colorful birds and the rush of the ocean. All you smell is warm dampness and unfamiliar plants around you. If you have some roommate enjoying her Kurt Cobain biographie that very moment after she took care of her bug bites, you might even have the sweet smell of marijuana mixing itself with the distinctive aroma of tiger balm around you as well. This is the very moment you think about the last few weeks, the awesome people you got to know and the amazing time you already had and ask yourself, why you should ever leave this place....

One of the days in my great time in Thailand: Having fun at the Volleyball tournament

Volleyball tournament (picture by Simon Rumford)

The prizes

Massage à la Big Mama & Amaras Adam-and-Eve-leaf-birthday-party

Jenine, Leah and me hike over to Had Tien beach to get a massage at the Sanctuary. Had Tien is even more calm than Had Yuan and it is a stunning view when we come over that rock and look down on it. There is no massage woman at the Sanctuary, but they tell us to walk down the beach and there would be a hut, where the Big Mama and her daughter give massages. So we go down there and are happily welcomed, and we get a really hard Thai massage...arrrrg...,but it feels so good ... afterwards.

View of Had Tien beach when you come over the hill

It's Amara's birthday and she is having an Adam-and-Eve-and-leafs-theme for her night. So everyone picks some leaves and dresses up for the dinner at Bamboo restaurant.
This is were I order Hard Shell Tacos from the Menu and get some really yummy Buritos....wow...soooo delicious!! Everyone around me is quite disappointed that I make it to eat that big plate of food... :) Well, let's say a tequila afterwards is definitely required...
The party goes on at Eden Bar and by the end of the day, Amara seriously has had as many shots as years that she lives: 19!!! WTF?!?

Sanna. birthday girl Amara and Nadine in their Eve outfits

Jaine and me with leaves for Amara's birthday

Bertus, Tiffany and Kiesha dressed up as Adam and Eves

Racing day, the scary dwarf and the dream of French fries coming true ...

We are taking a boat to Haad Rin for the race quizzie. The tasks we have to fulfill are fun. Shannon is the one who gets the longest memory of this quiz I guess. As there is a task to get a tattoo. Real one or hannah... well...Shannon gets a real tattoo this day. You might think that she will regret it, but actually it is just perfect. It is the quickest tattoo the woman ever drew and it has flowers and pink in it, and it's just so Shannon.

Whatever, we are having fun to find someone who has a bed, that we could take a group picture in (we find some greek guy...) and to get in a shower some place or to take a picture with a policeman and in a Thai boxing ring. But we are a too confused group, so we do not manage to fulfill all tasks. No winning for us, I guess...but so much fun... :)

Watch out for this group in the Thai boxing ring...

Charlies Angels Style with a Thai Police Man

Task: Take a pic with a guy with hairy chest...
our group leader ben fits perfect for that ;)

After dinner Tiff and I join in with some others going up to Eden bar. It's a really nice place and we sit down on some blanket and chill. This is the place of the Happy Shakes. I am thinking about drinking one, but then there comes the waiter... some tiny little guy, who smiles kind of like a maniac at us and his eyes glowing from the black light and says with his high voice "You want some Happy Shake, hehehehe...." Aaaahhh, even if I wanted one before, i would just not want one anymore now, as this scary dwarf is asking me this...(don't get me wrong, he's nice, but sooo scary. Sometimes he even sneaks up behind you all of a sudden and you don't know where he just came from...)


Well night goes on and I am getting so hungry. But there is nothing open where you could get any food. And I want French fries soooo bad. Then I decide to beg for some bread at the kitchen. And it works. I get a bread and even a butter to go with it for 40 Baht (0,80 Euro, 1,25 CAD)!!! I am so happy. Put the butter on the bread, wanna add some salt, open the salt can...and stupid me spill half of the whole salt thing over my bread...i try to get most of it off and I'm so hungry that I eat it anyways...well let's just say, your stomach doesn't like that much salt in it...


We move on to Peace and Love bar. And someone is like: "They have sandwich." And I'm like "I do not want a sandwich. I want French fries." Someone:"Would be hilarious if they had French fries." So I ask that guy and he is like "Yeah, so one French fries?!" I just stare at him and tell him how much I love him. That was like my dream coming true, as I was seriously already talking about fries for more than 4 hours... it takes another 40 minutes till we get them, but they are the most yummy French fries I'd ever got. Like they just digged the potato out of the ground, sliced it and fried it in a little bowl...wow...so I had these French fries before we saw an awesome sunrise at Had Yuan beach....perfect night, perfect morning...I love Thailand!!

At the ocean again and seeing some guys beating themselves up

As soon as we get rid of our luggage we get food and then jump into the ocean, play frisbee and just chill. I move on to the other end of the beach, where the other two FREE & EASY groups are staying at Barcelona's. That's where we play another round of beersbee. And I finally hit that can of the other group down :) hehehe...still kind of proud :)

Beersbee at Had Yuan

Later that evening we went to have food at some Indian place. Some trouble coming up, because most of us, don't have enough  money with them for the whole upcoming night. Well, we finally get the chance to pay for the boxing the next day, so everything works out.

So we take a van to got to the Thai boxing place. There are a few fights to watch for 600 Baht (13 Euro, 19 CAD). Before anything starts, everyone is getting up, for the Thai anthem. This gives me the heebie-jeebies. First fight: They do their routine before the fight, which is really interesting to watch. When they start kicking each other, I'm scared at first for someone to get seriously injured, but after a while it is fun to watch. :)

Only bad thing: I am sooo tired from the whole travel day, that my eyes are getting heavy. I am finally having a little nap in between the best fights...

There is even one Canadian guy boxing. Looks so weird to see some western person trying to do this...and he's actually more boxing than Thai boxing.... But I shouldn't say anything about that Canadian guy, as there is a German one too... and he's worse. He wins his fight against an about 68-year-old-thai-guy because he falls on him...what else should I add to that...??

The boxers getting ready

Wow, I guess he got him pretty good

Refreshing break

Guess he lost...

Travelday

Getting up at 5 am this morning to get going to Koh Phangan. The whole mini-bus right is pretty relaxing and the ride with the ferry so chilled and a lot fun, with a lot of Spys, Chang and Singha being part of it. :)

Then there is another mini-bus ride to Haad Rin, where we are introduced to our universal meeting point: The travel agency. The walk to the beach is pretty hard for a lot of girls as we are passing a bunch of really nice shops...

We take a longtail boat to Had Yuan, where we're checking into The Big Blue.

Getting close to Elephants, feeding monkeys and being left behind at a monks cave...

Riding on an elephant is awesome and weird. You are so high up on this giant animal. And imagining that people really used to trek long distances on this majestic animals, is amazing. Toughing their skin, feels so unknown too. It's so rough that I do not think ours feels a thing when I rub her back. So we are lead to a waterfall, where the elephants get some rest and we get to jump from the cliffs into the cold water or just dip into it like that.

Nicole and I on our elephant

Riding along

Group picture at the waterfall

Feeding our elephant after riding it

Leaving the elephants behind, we are back at Smiley's for a while, till we go to see some rubber trees. It's really interesting how they cut the trees for the rubber and stuff. Weird to be kind of a rubber farmer. :)

Posing with corn in front of
the amazing view of Khao Sok National Park

Ya showing us how to cut the rubber trees

Next stop: Monkey feeding next to a temple. These monkeys are so cute. How they peel fruits ... so weird. I am having some mean thoughts though...wish I had some onions with me... we used to freak the monkeys at the zoo back home out with them. As they start to peel them and then their eyes start crying and they start wiping them with their onion fingers.... I know...not nice...but so much fun...

Laura feeding a monkey

Sanna battling for the banana with a monkey

Anyways, at some time, there is this monk coming up to me. Waving to me, that I should follow. So I do...well, I know u should not go with unknown men, but it's a monk!! I can't say no, can I?

He shows me his cave and talks to me ... in Thai... so I do not understand a word. He is giving a stone to me...??...don't know why...then he starts talking again and hands me some paper and a pen. He wants me to write down my name and address.

I start it...and suddenly I feel crawling stuff on my feet...I am standing in the middle of a millions of ants!!!! Aaaaahh...I try to get them off, but I do not wanna kill them too obvious, as the monk might get mad then. So I try it kind of slow and these little fuckers are biting my feet...aaaahhh. I finally jump out of them and the monk offers me a chair. (I wonder how he can sleep in here with all those ants around)

I write down my stuff and he hands me a picture of him with something written in the back...in Thai... so I say bye and get out of the cave to get back to the others...well...they are gone...that's hilarious...I got left behind in a monks cave...so I start walking up the street in the direction of our place. I hitchhike the rest of the way on a scooter with a guy, who tells me he works at a place near Smiley's.

I get off the scooter at Smiley's, our group leader sees me, and his face is just so worth this whole thing, when he is like "Where are you coming from?" Wow, they seriously still didn't realize.

(PS: The Smiley's family tells me, that the monk wrote his address on the picture and the stones, he gave to me, were presents)

The picture the monk gave to me of himself

# MUSIC If you're into it

Dedicated to Ben. I loved when he sang that song at the Floating Bungalows. It makes people happy right away I guess. And it's so weird, which makes it fit so well to Ben ...hehehe ;) ...and will always remember me of the way he played songs for us. Thanks :)

Awesome sunrise for a cliff jump day...

Sunrise at Cheow Lan Lake

Got up for the sunrise. Basically you do not see the sun rise, but the sun coming over the mountains, but even that is worth it, to get up early, as this whole calm and silent place in the lake seems even more quiet and is dunking the whole area in morning colors.

On our way back to Smiley's, we stop for some cliff jumping. I am too scared to just do it. But when Corn comes up and says he doesn't know if he should go again, I hear myself saying: "I'd jump, if u go again!" So he's like "Ok, let's go...!" I think it's kind of sick, when I'm starting to climb the cliff, but when I finally get over my fear and jump, it's still a scary, but so amazing feeling. I am so proud of myself and glad that I did it.

Crawling up the tree at the cliff, to get in position to jump ...

Me jumping off

#MUSIC Nichts bringt mich runter by ICH+ICH

Dedicated to Tiffany, who loved this song, when we listened to it on the boat ride on Cheow Lan Lake. It says "Nichts bringt mich runter" which means "Nothing can get me down" 
Chorus translation for Tiff: "Nothing can get me down. I fly further on, even without an aim/destination. And nothing can get me down. I have everything I need, more would be too much. And nothing can get me down. I fly always further, even if I do not know where to. And nothing can get me down. It is the biggest thing that I am still alive and in the middle of it all."

The stunning sound of silence (Back to the roots on the laketrip with jungle & cave hike)

When we arrive at the lake...it is just amazing.

If I think of a lake, I'd usually imagine that I could kind of see it's shape. But not this one. It's huuuuge. There is no end in sight and it feels more like a weird stock-still part of the sea...you hear nothing but the engine of the boat (hmm...ok, that is pretty loud...but even if it slows down)...you hear the water on the boat and ...silence....and the surrounding is just...there are no words for this awesome landscape.

The high rocks or mountains, whatever you wanna call it, combined with this giant lake... beautiful. And the water is so smooth, that after getting out of my stunning amazement, all I wanna do is jump on some water ski and ski until I can't hold myself to a rope anymore. But – actually it is great – there is nothing like that to disturb this beautiful nature. 

Boat ride through stunning scenery

So we keep on racing along the lake with the other boat of our group and suddenly drive into a little inlet and up to some floating bungalows. Lunch stop. Wait ... first: bathing stop :) We jump into this clear water. I expected it to be freezing cold ... it's not. It's perfect! So before we enjoy the most yummy fried rice ever, we have some Chang in the lake. Life can be tough...

We drive on. Up to some bushes in the lake and get off the boat at some muddy place. I get stuck and slip a couple of times with my flip flops, so I leave them (till we get back).

The hike through the jungle is back to nature and barefoot for me. Except for some thorns sticking in my feet it is the right decision and a back to the roots feeling. :)

So we make our way through the mud, have a little swim in some muddy weird warm water (people were kind of waiting for crocodiles to jump out of some corner, but luckily we had Ben with his slingshot with us, so he kept them all away...hehe...), make our way further on through bushes, over rocks, through little rivers and limbo dance under some trees...

Boat ride to the cave

Making our way through the jungle

Ben aka Crocodile Dundee lighting us the way (and "saving" us with his slingshot)

And I so loved the story of Bertus, when he walked through the jungle once and this little kid saw him and believed he was George of the Jungle... I can so imagine that, as he looks 99% like the Tarzan of the same named Musical in Germany (see picture to the right). Hey...maybe he should apply for that. He can sing, he fits in the looks and he will love the whole swinging over the audience and jumping around on ropes thing, I guess.... ;)

Arriving at the cave

Whatever...we arrive at the cave and turn our headlamps and flashlights on... as soon as it gets a little darker there are millions of bats hanging from the top of the cave. The spiders in there are pretty gross, but I do not see too many...just enough to say...wow...kinda big..., iiiuuhhh... :)

And then there is this horror movie scene, Bertus shows Tiff and me some bugs and we start looking around and suddenly we see that they are everywhere around us....creepy.

Bats hanging from the top of the cave

Creepy spiders in the cave

Making our way through the pitch-black cave

At some point we have to swim in some pretty cold water in the cave. Some of the girls get kind of scared. So I hold the hand of my roommate, so she won't feel left alone...even though it is pretty hard to walk through the tight parts of the cave like that and to hold balance. But I'd rather fall down than making her feel worse by letting her hand go. We finally make it out of the cave and I am glad to see light again.

The way back feels so much faster. And it is just nice to relax my feet in the boat when we jump back in it. We enjoy the rest of the drive to our bungalows even though we get quite soaked... When we drive upon them, it is just an awesome view seeing those tiny little huts floating on this amazing lake in front of the mountains.

Our floating bungalows on Lake Cheow Lan

The little huts, that we slept in

At this place, there is some bamboo stick in the water from the bungalows to a canoe, that we try to balance on. There is just one person from our group making it all the way over to the canoe without falling down and Ya (one of the guys from Smiley's), who is making it to the canoe and back without getting wet...wow...

Bertus trying to make it to the end of the bamboo stick...

Dinner is delicious!! I even try the fish, because it just looks sooo yummy.

Later some start playing sociables and some are chilling at the huts listening to Ben. This is the night Ben's guitar gets signed by some of us, so he will never travel on again, without thinking of this very moment :)

Nicole's glory night, when she played socialables

PS: I wish I brought my hammock here. That would have been awesome. Ben is the only one who thought of it. But even he is not having the pleasure of using it, as Nicole jumps in there at night.