Lady boys, a full moon and me …

So we are just over two weeks into our travels and it has been a fantastic experience to date. We certainly aren’t doing it the traditional backpacker style or do we intend to but an experience all the same. I’d heard lots from various friends, relations and Dublin taxi men about Thailand and what it has to offer. Lady Boys, the Full Moon party on Koh Phangan and gorgeous scenery were but a few things that people had told me about. We only spent a little over a week in Thailand and chartered a well worn path through Bangkok, Koh Sumai, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and back.

We only spent a night in Bangkok and headed straight for Koh Sumai. The airport in Sumai looked more like a beach resort than a typical airport. Palm Trees and water features wrapped around the open air arrivals ‘terminal’. Manicured grass and flower beds hugged the pathways between the airport buildings.

We stayed for the first four nights in the Amari Palm Resort on Chaweng beach. We had initially only intended on staying a day or two but extended that as the location was excellent and the hotel was beautiful. The breakfast was awesome which is always tops in my books. You are instantly struck by how friendly the Thai people are. Granted tourism is a huge earner for Thailand but the real genuine nature of the people we met was refreshing.

View from the hotel

We spent much of our time relaxing on Sumai with a little bit of exploration to some of the Islands waterfalls. We even got to swim in the plunge pool of one.

Swim Time

On the night of the fourth of October we ventured to Hadran beach on Koh Phangan for the ‘Full Moon Party’ … one word … crazy. There must have been twenty thousand people on the beach. We had travelled to Koh Phangan from Sumai on a speed boat (good fun) and returned late into the night. I’ve heard that Phangan is gorgeous but it was way too busy to stay there in and around the full moon party. The infamous buckets were everywhere and and one or two more unusual things too.

Full Moon Party

Its hard to visit Thailand without notice Kathoey or Lady Boys. They seem to be well accepted in Thailand but I have read that they still suffer an amount of discrimination in employment and status.They seemed to be employed in restaurants, coffee shops and the like.

Traditional Thai Dancers

I think Koh Tao was my favourite place in Thailand. Its was a beautiful little island with very few roads and there seems to be a genuine attempt to protect the environment and nurture sustainable tourism. We snorkeled in the clear waters and slept in a hillside cabin with a palm roof.

Thailand was beautiful and strange. There is great wealth and poverty. I think if I was to go back I would certainly try to get off the beaten track a little. That said I still think we got to experience Thailand at its best. The people couldn’t be more helpful and never seemed to be annoyed that I couldn’t speak the language or even make an attempt. I’d love to go back at some stage and explore a little more. I would still recommend Sumai. It has a lot to offer everyone.