again, its been a while, so there's a lot to catch up on. last i wrote we were heading to phuket.
turns out phuket sucks. at least the part of phuket we saw sucks, and maybe we shouldn't have stayed where we stayed or just not stayed for as long as we did, but what's done is done.
here's the scoop on phuket: its filled with whores. and im not talking about loose women, but actual prostitutes, and when i say its filled with them, i mean it. its bursting with hookers, and the fat old white men who rent them. our first night there was actually fascinating and fun. it was like being in a zoo, staring at all the exotic wildlife. they're everywhere. i'm not exaggerating by saying that if you threw a tennis ball down the street, you would more than likely hit a hooker. and the best part is, half of them are ladyboys... very convincing ladyboys. we went to a ladyboy cabaret show, and you can not believe that these girls are not girls. it's wild.
unfortunately the intrigue of the tranny prostitute scene wears off almost immediately, and when it did, we found ourselves anxious to leave phuket. it was disgusting. i guess it was worth seeing, but i wouldn't recommend it.
our next stop was khao sok national park. there were ups and downs to that trip. the down was that immediately after settling into our bungalows, we went for a two hour hike through the park, and on returning, found that someone had broken into our room, stealing ashley's brand new camera and about $100 cash. long story short, we called the police, and after closely examining, in a very csi moment, what they saw as mysterious scuff marks on the floor of our room, they eventually tracked down the culprit, and managed to retrieve the camera but not the cash. my guess would be that they pocketed the money themselves, or that we were set up from the beginning. it was all awfully fishy.
but the ups are that the park was beautiful and we rode an elephant. we both took turns riding bareback on an elephant's neck. we have awesome photos of that.
now we're on ko phangan, an island just north of ko samui. last night was the full moon party, an event that had me skeptical at best. every month, between 10,000 and 15,000 people come get wasted and dance to club music under a full moon. it sounded to me like spring break in cancun, but ended up being a blast. our new friends noah and steve met up with us, along with even newer friend keira, and most of us danced on the beach until the wee hours. noah cashed in his chips a little earlier when he vomited in a bush and then fell asleep with his head on a rock. not a big drinker, that noah. the rest of us remained responsible and safe (hi mom) and ashley and i made it home after the sun had risen. we've got four days total here, though we might extend that by a day. we're staying in these fantastic bungalows on a beach far away from the site of the party, with a great restaurant, beautiful snorkeling, and not too many people. it's perfect. we still don't know where we're headed next. we hope chang mai, but that's a long haul and the weather might not be agreeable. apparently this whole "rainy season" thing isn't just a catchy name. it actually rains a lot. yesterday was the first full day of sunshine we've had since we've been here. not a complaint, because when the sun is out, it is hotter than you can believe, and the rain can be a nice break in the day.
otherwise, everything is still going smoothly. we're excited for those who are planning on joinning us along the way, and for those who aren't planning on it, you should. it's so fun here. and cheap! think about it.
oh. we bought a cell phone, so if anyone wants to call us, maybe pick up a calling card and give us a jingle. its a 12 hr time difference between us and the midwest. our number is 08-6948-4563 and the country code is 66. feel free to call.
and i almost forgot. on our way here (to ko phangan) we were in a minibus for a three hour ride, and ashley probably could have used the bathroom before we got in the car, but she didn't, and after an hour had a determined but panicky look in her eye. i asked if she could make it, that we would be at the next town in about 45 minutes, but she was past the point of no return. full emergency pee mode. so when the minibus pulled over on a city street to drop off a passenger, ashley plowed her way out from the back row and told the driver, who spoke no english, that she needed a bathroom. her crazed look made the situation clear, and this poor guy actually knocked on someone's front door, and asked if she could come in and use their bathroom. it was amazing. the woman who answered was so nice that not only did she let both of us use her bathroom, she gave us her phone number and invited to stay at her house in vietnam. her name is jew.
thats it for now.
call us.