Leaving Bangkok

Bangkok has been great but slightly hectic, so what better way to celebrate Christmas ( a part from with family of course) than to head to Koh Phangan for a bit of sun, sand and party. 

I headed to get my bus and waited at the place ( more like a shack) where I got my ticket from...no one else was there. 

The place was closed and I had been waiting over thirty mins. A random boy of about 13 years old comes along and says ' Koh Phangan'. I nodded...carrying my 15 kilo backpack on my back..I was taken through alleyways...seedy...pungent...it was around 7pm. Where is he taking me to? 

Eventually, we pulled up to a car park, which had a small bar besides it and to my reassurance in a way...about 40 other people looked as though they were waiting as well. My 12 hour journey commenced...got on the coach...luckily had a seat all to myself. Unfortunately there was  a really loud drink guy making a lot of noise....but hey...it's Thailand! it was forecasted rain..... :-( for the entire week. 

Arriving at Surathani, we got a ferry over to Koh Phangan . It was soo wet, rain scattered on the ferry windows everywhere. Yikes...came all the way here for this??

 When...I eventually found my hostel....to my surprise being a No 1 hostel on Hostelworld...it was gruesome...cramped and smelt really bad. The bunks were claustrophobic too. The staff was quite unprofessional, as the sister of the owner kept allowing people who weren't staying at the hostel to come and use the toilet in our room. Feaces was once left floating around in the toilet. It definitely would have been worth it staying in one of the many bungalows they have on the island. The vibe in the common area/bar was lively though....this was the only plus point I guess. 

 After seeing my room and chilling in the common area,it dawned on me that it's Christmas day the next day...and I have nobody to spend it with. Until?...I heard a distinct London accent checking in. It was a girl from Elephant and Castle, South London! I also befriended a couple others who had also just checked in. Another guy who'd been living in a jungle in Malaysia for the past month on a gap year and another guy from Hong Kong who sported an Afro wig. Guess we kinda looked like a Benetton ad!

Thailand

One of the first visits I had to do was to Ayutthaya. When you arrive in Bangkok, there are little stalls o the streets everywhere selling cheap day excursions. The visit to the tger sanctuary seems to be the most popular, yet not so ethical, as the tigers are sedated and not treated well. I'm not a believer that animals should be caged up for photo purposes either! Ayuthaya was a short journey away from Bangkok, our first visit to the Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Wat means temple in the THAI language. It was very serene and calm. I was in awe, similiar to the calm ambience of TEOTIHUCUAN in Mexico. Everyone knows if you are going to visit Asia, visiting Thailand is a must. No matter your age. I have often conjured up images of a bohemian place filled with travelers wearing harem pants, bare footed , and a signature dreadlock dangling at the back of their neck. Well...this is kind of what I saw I guess.

 On arrival I was greeted with an almost stifling heat and and the overwhelming sound of the tuk tuk engines. It was truly what I imagined. I stayed at Nap Hostel on Khao San Road and off I went the next day to explore one of the numerous sights of Thailand.
I decided to buy a day tour package that would take us to some ruins. My favorite was the temple which had Buddha statues with silk wrapped across them like a sache...surrounded by the crumbling ruins...magical.