Koh Pha Ngan - Day 69-73
Trip Start
Jan 31, 2008
1
56
251
Trip End
Ongoing
Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand
Friday, May 2, 2008
Didn't realise how close my bungalow is to the beach. I arrived in the dark last night so was pleasantly surprised to find my bungalow 20 metres from a beautiful cove with white sand.
Tried to book a boat trip to Ang Thong national park, but everywhere is closed due to a public holiday. The place is generally deserted, not many tourists around at all, the high session is defiantly over.
Tonight was probably the most surreal and random night of my life. Let me explain.
I met two guys on the beach this afternoon who are staying in the same group of bungalows as me, a Gordie and an Irishman
Hat Yao Beach
. The Gordie is an ex graphic designer in his fifties and the Irish guy was a corporate lawyer who hasn't worked for a couple years and has been travelling. He's probably in his early forties. Later in the afternoon another character comes into frame. A crazy Russian. I saw the Russian this morning and the previous night when I arrived. Last night I thought he was very pissed speaking nonsense and acting like a madman but this morning he was exactly the same. He made strange noises and ticked like someone with tourettes. The other guys told me he was a very famous tenor opera singer who performs with the Russian philamonic orchestra in Minsk. Hard to believe when you see a guy in this state all times of the day. Apparently he came to Ko Pha Ngan 10 weeks ago a normal bloke and now he's lost the plot with alcohol and probably other things. He's told the orchestra back in Minsk that he broke his leg and is staying in Thailand to recuperate. Complete nonsense of course.Anyway, as the day and night progressed we'd kept asking him to sing, but he wouldn't. Then later on he starts singing the marriage of Figgaro. All I can say is WOW!!! I was sat next to him and you could feel his voice go straight through your body. I was now in no doubt that he was an opera singer and probably a very famous one. A couple of nights before I arrived he randomly stood up in bar and started singing, the music was turned off, everyone stopped what they were doing and just listened. I know nothing about opera, but his voice is defiantly something special and he's destroying himself on Ko Pha Ngan. Don't think I've ever really been touched by a voice before like I have been this evening. Amazing!
Day 70 - 02/05/08
Swimming, eating and drinking sums up today.
Can't get to Ang Thong national park unfortunately, no tourist boats are going due to the peak season ending. My only option is to charter a boat for the day which will cost a couple of hundred pounds. A bit gutted really because the primary reason for me to come to the gulf of Thailand was to visit this marine national park. So I'll have to leave this excursion until I return to Thailand in the future.
Day 71 - 03/05/08
Should leave but I have the same problem as the last place. It far to comfortable and easy to stay. It's like a little community, with some really diverse and interesting people. Will probably stay for another couple of days and then head to Bangkok, but things often change so who knows.
Day 72 - 04/05/08
A powerful cyclone hit Burma yesterday. Defiantly felt the edge of the storm here on Ko Pha Ngan. High winds and heavy skies for most of the day. Only little bit of light rain though.
Went to the Blackmoon party tonight which was around a 30 minutes drive away to the south of where I'm staying. Thought I'd go with some of the guys from the bungalows. Felt obliged to attend at least one big party before I leave Ko Pha Ngan. The party was ok but not really my kind of scene to be honest, especially the music, maybe I'm getting to old for this kind of thing.
On the way back to the bungalow, we shared a mini bus with some loud drunken British girls. One of the girls had just been bitten by snake in the under growth near the beach. She didn't know what species of snake decided to sink it's fangs into her leg, but we needed to get to the doctor quickly. When we arrived at the medical centre the bitten girl walked in drinking a bucket of Samsong and coke, typical British. The bucket is basically a sandcastle bucket which you would give to kids on the beach, except rather than making sandcastles, it's filled with lethal Thai whiskey, ice and Coke. A funny scene.
Day 73 - 05/05/08
Another lazy day due to a very late night (or should I say early morning) after the blackmoon party. Overcast again today, so it's a good excuse to do not a lot.
Lost my room key this morning in the sea, school boy error I know, left it in my pocket. Went searching for it with a snorkel but no chance of finding it. Luckily there was a spare available but at a cost of course.
