Techno on the beach (Thailand continued)


8 January 1999...Wow, the "new year" has come and gone, we've been to Koh Samui and back to Bangkok; Jessie left yesterday morning and now I'm hanging out with Mariana and Karin in Bangkok...we finally got to see each other after three months! They returned to Leleuvia (our Fiji island) for Christmas and are now en route to the Philippines. So damn good to see them again.

Ahh, where to begin since I left off...took two overnight buses in a row, one to Bangkok from Chiang Mai, hung out for the day, then got on another heading south down to Koh Samui, got the ferry and were into Chaweng Beach by noon--New Year's Eve. And after that, dancing, dancing, dancing. We boogied New Year's Eve, then on New Year's Day got a ferry over to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party--the first one of 1999--thousands of people boogieing on the beach, sitting around little tables with candles on the beach, lots of illicit substances and really fucked up people. But it was cool, had an awesome night and lots of cute boys running around. Ahhh, Marcelo de Argentina...

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave..." We hopped the first ferry at 6:30 a.m. after forcing ourselves to keep dancing all night. Needless to say, the scene to get back on the boat was outrageous--all the drunks nodding off and looking ready to hurl at any moment, people hopping from boat to boat, trying to find the ferry they came in on. Those who paid a little more for a speedboat ride trying to board the speedboats by lowering themselves from the upper decks of the ferries, drunk bodies dangling precariously from railings and dropping down into the speedboats--all the while the sun slowly rising, and those with forethought, sporting their after-hours shades. Wild. We got to bed around 9 a.m. and slept till 5--and I proceeded to go dancing solo every night after that.

Jessie and I took a day trip snorkelling out to Koh Tao and Nangyuan. Beautiful, clear blue waters and white beaches of fine sand. The following day we rented a motorbike and somehow managed to drive it (well, she did), and except for that first wreck in the bushes and running out of gas in front of the same shop that had seen us wreck in their bushes an hour earlier--we did fine. Went to see the Big Buddha then cruised back, made it all the way with no mishaps, oh yeah, except for that other motorbike we hit out by the Big Buddha, but anyway, we were pulling into Viking Huts (our place), lost control, slammed into a post and the bike whined, sputtered, then cut out, much to our amusement and that of everyone going by.

Decided to splurge and fly back to Bangkok. Met Mariana, Karin and Lena at their place and caught up on all the Leleuvia gossip--good, as well as a lot of bad, and then said goodbye to Jessie the next morning. Being with Mariana and Karin again has been so good, and now I've just about decided I'll go and meet them in the Philippines for a week or so, en route back to Fiji. What the hell...

I'm on my third day of studying traditional Thai massage, not confused to be with the special "internal" massage (!) popular in Bangkok :-) So at least I have some "skill" to take home with me, but it's a little stressful. I have a lot to study and remember, and it's a bit like pre-exam anxiety in school. I got hit by a motorbike on Khao San Road today. Some Thai girl creamed me, and I creamed her, and she yelled and glared and I felt really stupid and embarrassed standing there in the middle of the road in front of everyone getting cussed out by this little Thai chick on the motorbike. Not even 1/2 hour later I rolled my ankle over, busted the strap on my funky black sandals (disco shoes!), and ended up walking back to my place barefoot, very attractive. 14 January 1999....I completed my five-day course in Thai massage, so much fun laughing and bullshitting with Samreung, my teacher, as we'd end up in these weird positions and I wouldn't remember the next move. Down to the wire with money in Thailand, but finally got all my tickets purchased, Cambodia, Vietnam, a week with Mariana and Karin in the Philippines, back to Bangkok for one night, then the return home via Fiji!

"Holiday in Cambodia"!