On the 17th of december we left from Amsterdam to Bangkok. In the morning after
a visit to the bar untill 05:00 a.m. i had to get up at 08:00 a.m. because we had to leave at 9:00 a.m.! I felt bad because
of a hang over but it was holiday time so it didn't really matter.
At Schiphol Airport we had some breakfast (fish and chips with beer) and left for
Bangkok. I have allready visited a lot of countries in my life but when i arrived in Bangkok a totally new world opened for
me. We left the airport and got in a cab to the Bangkok Palace Hotel. It was a really nice hotel but they didn't know
we were coming. No sir, no reservation. So, the only thing we really reserved in advanced wasn't o.k.!!! I called
the organisation and they told us they wrote it down wrongly. It wasen't the Bangkok Palace, it was the Prince Palace.
When we arrived in the Prince Palace we were not dissapointed because it was even
better then the first hotel. There were two girls that had the same problem so they came along. At 10 o'clock we were in the
pool drinking margarita's. It was a bit cloudy but allready about 28 celcius and at home it was about -8 celcius so we didn't
really have anything to complain about.
In the evening we went out for dinner in the best part of Bangkok. Khao San road.
This is backpack paradise and it's a little bit the student part of Bangkok. You can buy just about everything there. If you
would like a permit to golf on every golfcourse in the world they make it for u with picture and all for as little as $ 5,-!!!
Lost your drivers licence because you had to much to drink....no problem, in bangkok u just choose from wich country u want
a d.l. and they will make it as proffesional as the governement does at home.
Because we wanted to move to paradise island a.s.a.p. we were in search of some
airline tickets. Khao San Road is one of the cheapest places to buy tickets, call home or send your friends some email. For
a planeticket from Bangkok to Koh Samui we paid about $ 60,- each, wich is not expensive when you look on Bangkok International
Airport. You pay as much as double there.
We stayed another 2 days in Bangkok. We had a trip with a longtail we rented with
the 5 of us. Don't expect anything of the floting market because it doesen't really exist. When you look at the pictures u
see in the travel guides it's a big joke. But the trip in the boat is an experience without even doing anything. There is
a big V8 car or even truckengine on the back of the boat and it make s a terrible noise. And it goes very fast. Well we bought
the tickets and the day after we were suppost to be at the airport at 8:00 oçlock a.m. to leave for Samui.
The flight takes about one hour and will show howbig Bangkok really is. As i come
from The Netherlands and our biggest city is Rotterdam this was the biggest city i ever saw from above. Then the plane landed
in the rain in this tropical paradise. There is a little airstrip between the palmtrees. It's all coming back to the basics
when u arrive there. This little trainlike wagon came to pick us up at the plane. It was raining very bad now but you are
on holiday and who cares!!!
No we had to take a boat to the final destination. Koh Phangan. The Full Moon Party
Island. We had to wait for the boat at this little harbor. We were on the boat for about 45 minutes when the island showed
herself.
Koh Phangan here we come!!! We got into a taxi....The taxi's on the island
are all pick up trucks because not the whole island has paved streets yet. In the back of the pick up we allready saw the
beauty of the island. Tourism is not a hot item yet on the island. It's coming, you can see that clearly because they are
builiding stone resorts and the old hippy resorts are still wood.
IF YOU GO TO KOH PHANGAN. DON'T GO TO THE PHANGAN CABANAS. This was about the only
thing exept the tickets from Amsterdam to Bangkok what we arranged in advance. We booked the resort on the internet because
it showed very nice pictures of the resorts pool and cabanas. When we arrived we allready saw we were screwed over. The
rooms looked awfull and the bathroom was outside. So in the back of your room there was a door. Trough the door you entered
the batroom wich had no roof. There is allmost nowhere hot water on the island but on the internet it said it would
have hot water.It didn't !!! One night in this resort will cost you about $ 15,- a night. Well we thought $15,-
is ok for a resort but then the next day we went out to see what the bay had to offer. We had some Singha at a nice looking
resort but it was full. Then we arrived in Great Bay.
Great Bay Resort is in the same bay on the north eastern part of the island. It
depends on what angle you see the island. Exually it's on the side where you arrive with the boat from Samui. Great Bay is
one of the first resorts build on the island. And it shows. Many people come back here year after year. They have different kinds of
cabins. Stone, wood or palmtree leaf build. We started in the stone one because we had to wait for people to leave. Cabins
came free and we moved to KP9 and KP10. Cabins that were on the beach with a big swing in front of it (look at the thailand
pics). The cabins are about $ 10,- for the stone ones (3 people) to the wooden ones $ 5,- (1-2 people).
The resort is owned by T. T is a little thai/chinese guy with tattoos all over
his body did in the traditional way. Must have hurt big time. He runs it together with his wife wich is a very nice lady who
likes or dislikes you so be carefull. Food is cheap even in the resort. For fried shrimps with thai curry you pay about $
2,- and it will be the best curry you ever had. When you go to T you can arrange more then just food !
This story will be finished later
