Phangan

I've just gotten back from Phangan this morning after a very long bus ride. Despite spending about 11 hours on the bus ride home, it was incredible! The small island of Koh Phangan is beautiful. The island, located in the Gulf of Thailand adjacent to Koh Samui, is filled with lovely flowers, greenery, mountains, and has breathtaking views of the Gulf. After a nauseating ferry ride to the island (everyone around me was vomiting ... really gross!), my group of friends headed to the bungalows were the rest of our group was staying. There we discovered that several of our friends who had arrived a day early had gotten into accidents with their rented motorbikes. They should be ok, but I'm sure that they'll seek proper medical attention this week :) Needless to say, I chose not to get a motorbike (maybe next time?!).

I spent most of my weekend hanging out at the beaches around the bungalows, tanning, and getting to know the locals. It was fantastic. At night I went to the Full Moon Party on beaches at the other side of the island. The giant rave was great and like nothing I've ever seen. Hundreds of people were covered in glow in the dark paint and dancing the night away. There were flame throwers, performers, and bars galore. By the end of the night, I was exhilarated but exhausted and eager to get a cab back to the bungalows. It took a while to get back to bungalows and cost wayy too much (tourist trap!), but we finally made it back safe and sound (wheww!).

It was a crazy and fun weekend, but I am so happy to be back at Rangsit for my classes this week. I miss you all soo much, and am grateful to those of you reading. Hopefully we'll speak soon!