Bangkok and Home.

We left for Bangkok from Koh Phangan at around 5pm by ferry. It was a strange feeling leaving the island. It had been good to us and provided some of the best nights of the trip. But as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." Sometimes the best moments are had, when you know your time is almost up. Things were winding down quickly. One thing I wasn't looking forward to was another 12 hour ferry and bus ride. The ferry would take us south to the mainland and from there we would jump on the VIP bus and take it back to Bangkok. The VIP bus is a little more expensive, but you get a bigger seat and it reclines more. Plus you get some snacks and dinner at a rest stop on the way. We would arrive sometime around 6am in Bangkok. Everything goes pretty much as planned, even the dinner is good and we arrive on schedule. Before we left Mam gave us a name of a hotel to stay at called the Nasa Vegas Hotel which is close to Sukhumvit Road, which is where we want to go. We get to the hotel by taxi around 7am and check in for the night for about 700Baht ($21/night). The place is nice and seems to be in a pretty good location. We both pass out for a few more hours, because those few hours sleeping on the bus are never very good even if it is VIP. Back into the hustle and bustle of the big city. We are in luck today though. Monday and Tuesday are Buddhist holidays, so many people are not working so traffic isn't nearly as bad as usual. I believe the holiday celebrates the Buddha giving his first teachings after becoming enlightened. Cramer wants to buy some gifts and things for his family before he comes back home. So we venture out to find the Sukhumvit Market, which is suppose to have many good and cheap things for sale. Now Sukhumvit Road is very long, but most of the taxi drivers act like they have no idea what we're talking about. The internet and Lonely Planet all talk about Sukhumvit Market like its a well known place, apparently the taxi drivers didn't get that memo. After driving around in two different taxis looking for the place, we finally settle for MBK, which is a big shopping mall, with 7 levels of shops and restaurants. It is pretty nice and does have AC to beat the heat. After an hour or so, we still want to find this "market" so we now get into a tuk tuk with the driver claiming he will take us there. Big fricking mistake. We fall right into the trap we we're told to avoid when we first visited Bangkok. The guy drives us around, not taking us where we want to go, but instead to a gem dealer. We tell the guy, "No gems, take us to Sukhumvit Market!" Ok he says and then drivers a little further to a place that makes suits. This guy just doesn't get it. I tell him I'll give him more to just take us to where we want to go. He gives us a sob story about how these places give him vouchers for gas for his tuk tuk and if we just went in for 5 minutes then he could get more gas. Of course we already know what these places are like. Just looking is hard to do as the salesmen are very persistent and persuasive. The suits, pants, and shirts all look nice and are completely custom made, but we manage to make it out of there with out buying anything. Finally we just tell the tuk tuk guy to take us back to MBK again. Next we jump in an official taxi. He says he knows Sukhumvit Market. He drives us to some back alley where they sell bootleg purses and shoes. WTF? Dude we don't want any fake Louis Vuitton bags. Finally he drops us off on Sukhumvit, but there doesn't seem to be any real market going on in this part of it. As I mentioned earlier it is a Buddhist holiday so maybe that is impacting the market, but I doubt it. These guys are all bent on shaking us down or something. Finally after getting no where with another taxi driver, we finally just tell one of the guys to take us back to the hotel. We never did find this "famous" market. Either it goes by a different name or all these guys were plotting against us. I think some of the problem was Sukhumvit is so long, that you need to tell them block numbers like Sukhumvit 12 or Sukhumvit 23. Apparently the markets run from Sukhumvit 3 to 15. I don't know if we ever got close or not.

After a few hours back at the room to rest, we decide to head down to Sukhumvit 1 through 3 for some night life. This is suppose to be an area well know for debauchery and hedonism. Cramer sees some Korean BBQ places and we decide to grab a nice dinner before any partying. Cramer says that in Korea any night that starts with Korean BBQ and Soju (Korean alcohol) is bound to be a good good night. We're treated to a great feast. Korean's definitely know how to eat. Tons of side dishes, dipping sauces, vegetables, grilled meat, and bottles of Soju... how can it not be good. The area we're in is also known as "Little Arabia" because there are many stores, restaurants, and people from the Middle East here. We find out from a guy that all the bars and nightclubs are closed due to the Buddhist Holiday. Again I don't know if this was ever confirmed. There are "other" places that are still open he tells us. After hanging out awhile I head back to the hotel, leaving Cramer to try his luck with the ladies. I end up walking across the street to get one last massage before I leave. My back is sore from the bus ride down, and I admit I'm somewhat addicted to a nightly massage now. An hour and a half later I walk back to the room feeling loose and relaxed. Cramer is back. We catch up on each others nights and go to bed. I have to leave for the airport at about 6am.

I'm packed and ready to go at about 5:45am. I say goodbye to Cramer, he's coming back home on a later flight and staying in Los Angeles to visit his brother for awhile too. I take a taxi to the airport and I'm off at 8:15am. I have two stops. I fly to NRT (Narita/Tokyo) for 6 hours, switch planes, then 10 hours to LAX (Los Angeles), then 5 hours to ORD (O'Hare). The way back seems to be a lot shorter and painless than going there. I am treated to a great homecoming when I get to LA. I'm the only one pulled out of line in customs and my bag is entirely searched. I guess I look like a drug smuggler or something. Also when I exchange my Thai Baht back to US dollars I get royally screwed and take a $15 loss. Welcome back... My flight back to Chicago is smooth and I arrive on time. My mom picks me up and I'm back at 8:45pm. After a month on the road in South East Asia I finally arrive home.

Our last night on Koh Phangan and Back to Bangkok

Well it is our last night on Koh Phangan and we're still staying at the Haad Yao Bungalows. Its time to say farewell to the island and take in the island vibe one last time. The night before I hung out with Mam and Oa and we kind of tentatively agreed to do some Karioke if we can find some. Cramer and I go back to Mam's shop and get our nightly massage. (Side note: all the massages I got were pretty professional and most of the shops are legit, just like getting a massage back home.) We even convince Mam to get one too. (She had 2 in one day! I guess that's what happens when you own the shop) After getting stretched and loosened up we're ready to go out. This time Cramer is actually awake and wants to go out! OMG. Hahaa. We decide to grab a drink at a place down the street. It is pretty dead there. We just shoot some pool and Cramer and Mam team up to kick Oa and my asses. Oa keeps saying, "Jon and Mam #1 at snooker". She can't speak English that well so she always says people #1 at things if they're good. Mam must know whats going on on the island all the time or something, because she is the one who took me too the Reggae Bar the night before and also knows of another beach party called the Moon Set Party at the Pirate Bar on another beach close to Haad Yao tonight. Mam drives us in her truck to the party, there is no one around, but we can hear a beat in the background coming from somewhere. We keep walking and come to a place on the beach with a bar and big DJj booth, people dancing, and guys/ girls twirling fire around. There is only about 30-40 people but it seems intimate, but at the same time everyone is getting down. Its perfect. Cramer and I did the Half Moon Party, which was a big ass Rave in the jungle with 100's of people there. This is much smaller, but I'm loving it way more.

I've been reading the book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the whole trip, I finally found her- it was Mam. So we get some drinks and our getting down on the beach to some beats. According to Oa, "Oa is the #1 dancer tonight, me #2, Jon #3, and Mam #4." Suddenly these girls come up to me and ask if I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia about 2 weeks ago. I was, I talked to one girl named Jess for like 10 minutes in a internet cafe there. She and her friends are from Portland, OR. All the girls were super excited to see me! I'm like "sweet". The whole month I was here I met maybe 10 Americans. Like I said earlier its mostly Europeans, English, German, Dutch, French, Australian, South African, and Canadians. Every time I think I hear a American, it turns out to be a Canadian. The girls are having a great time and we talk about there trips. They are leaving on the same day as Cramer and I. Jess is in purple, she's staying one more week and doing the Full Moon Party in Haad Rin.


Cramer is loving it too. He finally got going! We're all dancing on the beach, with the waves crashing, and the ocean breezes easing our minds for one last night.
Get your boogie on!
Now that's a tasty: an Oa, Sommer, Mam sandwich!
People getting down on the beach for the Moon Set Party. Every party here is about the moon. They have some kind of moon party just about every week or more: Full Moon, Half Moon, Shiva Moon, Black Moon, Moon Set, maybe more. Guys and girls were doing the fire dancing. Anyone could try it. Some were really good, others not so good. It was fun to look at though. We party until about 4am or so. Maybe later. We head back home. When we get back all of us walk down to the beach. Mam isn't feeling too well. She had too many Barcardi Breezers... whoops. Cramer goes to bed, and I'm left with Mam and Oa on the beach. Oa is kind of sleeping and I sit and talk with Mam till the early morning about Life and stuff. We finally make it back to her shop, they live in the back. The girls pass out, as I leave at 6am I hear Mam praying to the porcelin goddess one more time. Sorry for getting you drunk two nights in a row!
The next day we buy our tickets to Bangkok, by VIP bus. And hang out with the girls for a few more hours. Cramer gets the older lady that works at the shop to give him one last massage. She is more like a Physical Therapist though and works on Cramer and his knee for a good 2 hours. I get treated to some awesome home cooked food. All this time and I finally get a meal that tastes authentic and healthy. Thank you ladies! You made the last few days in Koh Phangan some of the best of the whole trip. We thank them and wave good bye as the taxi takes us to the ferry for our bus ride back to Bangkok.
This food tastes great, its simple but super delicious. Fresh vegetables that you dip in a sauce that's almost like a Thai salsa. White rice, some spicy cooked vegetables, some scrambles eggs, and some kind of soup.
This is where Mam apparently spends most of her days. Chilling in the hammock outside her store!

Haad Yao- 2 more nights on Koh Phangan

After being in the perfect tranquility of Chaloklum Bay Resort, we decided to stay on Koh Phangan and avoid Koh Samui. Mostly because we heard Samui is much more commercial, expensive, and a lot busier. Koh Phangan has been great so why leave. We end up driving a little bit around the north west coast a mile or so to Haad Yao. A great stretch of beach with some nice resorts and bungalows. We end up getting a place after a Scottish guy name George who works at a place kind of sells us on a room for 2 nights. It seems like a good deal at about $15/ night. Little do we know that our tranquility will be utterly destroyed because directly behind our bungalow they are installing a new pool and the guys are working from sun up to sun down. The sound of cutting tile is not the most relaxing. Anway the beach is nice and we're kind of in the middle of the beach with 4 places really close together, and there seems to be a little bit more life here. George tells us the place next to ours will be having a DJ playing starting around 10:30pm. We rent snorkels and check out the reef about 100 yards out from the beach. Again the islands around here have some great snorkeling and we're treated to some cool underwater landscapes and fish. Late night we grab a few drinks and check out the DJ. The guy is playing some great Electro/Funk House, Ben Silver would have been proud. I meet some people sitting listening from South Africa, England, Australia, and a couple of guys from France. As the night wears on there isn't a lot of people dancing except me, an English girl named Kaz, and a French guy named Manu. England, France, and USA....rocking in the free world. We're definitely all in the zone, loving it. At about 2am, I finally manage to make it to bed, after politely declining an offer of a psychedelic experience from Manu the Frenchman who was going in search of the "truth" and "liberte!"
Cramer and I booked a trip to the Angthong Marine Park for the next morning. The tickets are extremely expensive at about $60, but the tour guides and Lonely Planet said this was one of the best things to see in Thailand. Angthong is a national park, which is made up of about 42 islands bout 20 km away from Koh Phangan. I wake up at 8am feeling like death. Too many Sangsom and Cokes. We hope in the taxi and he takes us to the pier. We hope in the speed boat to go to the park. It will take about 1 hour to get there. Unfortunately it is a gray and cloudy day and the seas are choppy. This is going to be a long ride, especially hung over. The whole ride everyone on the boat looks like they are just praying they don't puke. Not only do I have a hangover suddenly I have the worst heart burn ever too. We get to the first stop and they let us off for some snorkeling for about an hour. I kind of just float in the water not doing much of anything trying to get my head together. The snorkeling isn't too amazing here after seeing some of the other places on Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. We take some pictures as the boat weaves around the cool looking islands. Next we get off and check out a lake called Emerald Lake on the second largest island in the park. Finally we eat lunch and do some kayaking on the biggest island. They bring us back and this time the seas are a little smoother and we're back to our bungalow at around 5pm.





Cramer goes to bed early and isn't up for going out, but some girls I met are going to a nearby Rasta bar called RastaHome. Mam is the owner of a massage parlor that Cramer and I went to the first night and I went back again the next day. So Mam and Oa, invite me along. I don't feel like sitting around some I'm down for some Reggae Music. There are tons of Thai Rastas, loving the Bob Marley vibe. We get there and some local guys are warming up getting ready to play some music. Its a small little place, but it has a great vibe. There is probably about 10 locals, some playing, some just chilling and another 15 or so travelers just hanging out. This is the experience I'm looking for. It feels right.
This is Mam with one of the owners of RastaHome.
I'm chilling with Oa (that's her name).
One of the Thai Rastas is in the zone listening to the music.
It was kind of like a jam sessions. There was about 4-5 different guys that cam up to play different songs and what not. Very good, it was awesome to hear these guys sing a bunch of Reggae songs and others. They played lots of Bob Marley, Blowing in the Wind, Brown Eyed Girl, Wish You Were Here, Stand By Me, Hey Jude we're just some of the songs I remember they played. They love a Thai Reggae guy over here name Job To Do. He has one really popular song that they always play, its pretty good.
These guys are pretty awesome. Its great hearing these guys sing these gongs in broken English, it makes it that much more amazing.
Today we wake up with the guys buzzing away on the pool again at 9am. I'm a little light headed again. We rent scooters and cruise around the island for awhile. We cruise down by Thongsala, the big city on the island where the pier is, then try to go to the other side of the island. The only problem is the road turns to a dirt road about a mile into and we still have about 8 or 9 miles to go. After driving my scooter into the ditch on a steep incline, we turn back before something worse happens. Tonight is the last night on Koh Phangan, we're suppose to hang out with Mam and Oa again to go to Thongsala to do Karioke. We'll see if that transpires. Tomorrow we head back to Bangkok, for a night or so and then back home on Tuesday. I have to enjoy the island life one more time. The island taught me one thing: Give and Receive unconditionally. I hope I can bring that back with me.

Koh Phangan- The party and the peace (3 nights so far)

We got up early to get to the boat that would take us to Koh Phangan. After being on Koh Tao and having a good time, we felt it was time to check out the next island, Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is world famous for their Full Moon Party on the Sunrise beach in Hat Rin. During the full moon up 30,000 people from all over the world come to this island to party all night long. Its a giant rave/ concert on the beach with all different kinds of music. Unfortunately for us, we didn't schedule our trip quite right and the full moon party is the day after we leave. We heard there is a half moon party as well. It is located north of Ao Ban Tai a few kilometers or so in the jungle, and is a huge open air rave/ dance party. The books and things we read on the internet said that it was on July 18th. We'll it looks like we missed that too. We arrive at the main pier in Thongsala. It is a busy little town with a bunch of stores and shops. This seems to be the main "real" city on the island. The people are out in full force trying to get us to stay at their hotels and handing us multiple fliers. Koh Phangan is a pretty huge island and there are many different beaches that you can stay at, each with its own specific qualities. Not really knowing any better we choose to go to Hat Rin, because its suppose to be the party place. As luck would have it the Half Moon Party is actually on the 19th, that means its tonight. Alright, we have something to do later. First we need to find a place to stay. Hat Rin is another place packed full of little shops, restaurants, bars, dive shop, tattoo parlors, massage shops, etc. This is probably completely insane during the few days before and after the full moon. Right now its pretty quiet, but I'm not liking it too much. Too congested. The sunrise beach is awesome, lots of nice sand and it looks like lots of stuff to do. We decide to head to the other side of Hat Rin to the Sunset beach which is quieter. The beach isn't nearly as good, but its good to be away from all the congestion of the shops and what not. We hike down the beach and find a bungalow a few feet from the beach with 2 fans for only 300 baht ($8/night). This place is pretty dead, except for Cramer and I. There are two places really close only about 50 yards away that were recommended in the Lonely Planet, but were full: Seaside Resort and Coral Cottages.
We grab some food from the Seaside Resort bar/ restaurant. Cramer is just chilling like Bob Marley living on island time. Now we just hang out and wait for the party tonight. I think I'll take a little nap on the hammock here. After dark we venture down to the place called Coral Cottages. This place seriously is a back packers paradise. If I ever came to Hat Rin again this is the place to stay, especially if you're doing the party thing. It has everything. There are tons of kids here probably from 18-25, it has a definite spring break atmosphere. But everyone is European. The place has a pool, huge menu, cheap drinks, internet, taxi service, cheap massages, trip packages, movies playing on the big screen, and a good staff.
We head down and grab some food at the Coral Cottages. They throw on some classic Simpsons episodes and we're cracking up with some foreigners. I end up playing some intense Jenga with a couple of Germans, an Irishman, and a Brit. After a little while everyone is starting to get ready for the party. Its about 10:30pm and the taxis will start taking people to the party at around midnight. All of a sudden the day glo paint comes out. Everyone is getting decked out in paint. Painting their bodies, their shirts, faces, you name it.
Everyone is putting on the party paint. I have to join in as well and I throw on some war paint on my face, arms, and legs. A little after midnight we arrive at the party. Its a huge open air dance club, with all kinds of black lights, screens, and lights. 1,000s of people are getting down to some techno.

People are loving it, and we're getting down. These one kids kept wanting me in all their pictures. So I had to get one of them with me too. Notice the awesome paint. We hang out partying until about 5am or so. Its fun, but there is only so many beats beats beats you can hear.
After party we get up late and pack our stuff. Its time to move straight north to a place called Chaloklum Bay. On the map above Chaloklum Bay is the bay to the right of Koh Ma. This is suppose to be a little fishing village that has great seafood and is way quieter and more scenic. We hope in a taxi and the guy drops us off at the place, the Chaloklum Bay Resort. This place is like a post card. It used to be a coconut plantation. Large palm trees are everywhere. There is an awesome pool right nex to the beautifully scenic bay surrounded by mountains. We score a deal and get a bungalow for 500 baht ($16/night). Hat Rin was the party scene, especially if your in you 20s, but this is the tranquility I'm looking for.
This is the bungalow we get and the view from the deck near the pool. Its amazing. We rent some motor scooters for about $5/day and cruise into the little village for some dinner. Why is this place so great? Personally any place I've been on this trip where the locals out number the tourists is much more to my liking. The vibe is more laid back and natural. When the tourists out number the locals it has kind of a dumpy, lets make a buck feel to it. And you are always feeling slightly hassled, some places more than others. No hassles here at all. We get dinner right by the dock where the fishermen come in with their catches. Cramer gets some huge prawns and I get a nice bbq piece of fish. The one thing about being on these islands is that some things are pretty cheap, like lodging. But the food prices are almost the same as being at home. Not quite, but it certainly isn't cheap compared to the rooms. Plus we're eating out 3 times a day, food is where they get you. $5/$6 for breakfast and lunch, and then $9/$10 for dinner. Throw in some beers and it can add up quickly.
The next day Cramer and I rent a mask and a snorkel. We take our scooters out to some snorkeling hot spots and to check out some other beaches. We hit up Hat Salad. A great beach with some great coral. This looks like a great place to stay too, some nice places and resorts line the beach. The tide is kind of low in the morning and rises in the afternoon around 5pm. We see some cool fish and ride to the next place. Hat Yao is another awesome beach with some nice looking places and resorts. It looks like there may be some night life too. We finish up after lunch by hitting a place called Koh Ma, a little island connected by a sandbar thats suppose to have the best snorkeling on Koh Phangan. It takes awhile to swim out there, but we're treated to some amazing coral and 1000's of fish. I'm getting more daring and diving down to the near the bottom where the water is cooler and clearer. Its just ridiculous. I really want to learn to scuba now. After a couple of hours we head back to the place. I get my second massage in two days from the resorts massage lady. She has me loose and relaxed with my kundalini energy rising... hahaha. I have to get all the cheap massages I can before I get back. I sure as heck can't pay $60/hour back home, but $10/ hour I can get these every day!


We go back down to the pier for dinner again. We go to a nice little place that is suddenly packed with Europeans. A group of French people are to our right and a big table of Brits are right behind us. Cramer and I are treated to some of the best food of the trip. I order fried fish with garlic and peppers. It's amazing. Cramer gets the red snapper and he cleans it to the bone. We have a few beers and call it a night. Now we have to decide whether to say here for the next few nights or try and go to Koh Samui, which is even bigger than Koh Phangan, and supposedly more expensive.

3 Nights on Koh Tao, Thailand

Cramer is all smiles once we finally see the ocean. We're almost to Koh Tao.

The island of Koh Tao as the boat pulls up.
Koh Tao isn't the idyllic place I had in my mind when we first arrive. I envisioned grass huts lining perfect white sand beaches with no distractions... Actually its pretty damn busy. We got off the boat from the mainland at a place called Mae Head. Its the main pier on the island so all the tourists get off here. Tons of taxi drivers are waiting to driver you were ever you want to go. There is a ton of stores, restaurants, bars, dive shops, massage parlors, etc all crammed into a few blocks. Koh Tao isn't really that big. There are two main places: Mae Head, and Sairee Beach. There are a lot of other more secluded beaches and stuff, but we decide to go to Sairee Beach, based on the Lonely Planet recommendation. As I mentioned earlier we end up getting a place off the beach and paying a lot. ($38/ night) Which isn't too bad in the states, but seems really high compared to what we've been paying the whole trip, usually around $15/night. The first day we didn't accomplish much. After being on the road for 26 hours trying to get here, we sleep and walk down the street and grab some food, have a few beers, and decide to call it a night. As we get back to out place right across the street is a bar with some local girls playing pool. Cramer says he's going to bed, I'm still awake so I head across the street. A cute girl named Memee is only too kind to start talking to me and making me feel welcome. I grab a beer and buy her a drink too. We play some Connect 4, Jenga, and a game of pool. So all this attention and fun can only mean one thing... yep you guessed it. 2000baht for the whole night or 1500baht for an hour in the back. Ouch. Not being that type of guy and being entirely too cheap I say goodbye and tell her maybe tomorrow. I head to bed hoping the Memee can find some other work. She actually seemed like a really nice girl. The main thing about these islands is if you haven't been here before it takes a day or two to kind of get your bearings and figure out where the best place to stay is. Koh Tao is small and there are literally 100s of places to stay all over the island. So finding a good place can be somewhat complicated, in terms of a price, location, and overall atmosphere. We make up our minds to find a better place for the next night. We rent scooters to try and find another place. We drive up and down the main road. I think we were just being completely lazy because we don't find any new places and end up staying in the same room a second night. We hit the beach and do some swimming. Later we eat dinner and go back to the room. Cramer thinks he got a good deal on some beer. The only problem is its some cheap wine called SiamSato. It tastes like crap, but its all we have. We pound down some crappy wine while listening to Phish in the room. I walk to the 7-11 to get some late night snacks. Memee is out in front of the place wondering why I didn't come back tonight. I can tell she is broken hearted. Hahaha.
We had booked a snorkeling day trip for the following day. Starting at 8:30am we get on a boat and then hit up a bunch of good coral spots with a lot of fish. We'll get lunch on the boat and get back around 4 or 5pm. We also found a bungalow the night before, right near the beach, for 500baht ($15). It is small, but clean and has a big fan. It is also down where everyone is hanging out at night. The snorkeling trip is awesome. Its great to be out on the water and I feel like we're finally seeing something worthwhile. I've never really done a lot of snorkeling, so I'm loving all the cool stuff I'm seeing. Crazy coral, tons of different colored fish, its amazing. Our last stop (there was about 5 or 6 places we stopped) is another little island off of Koh Tao. There is a little lagoon called the Japanese Garden. We have 2 hours on the island. I have my face under the water for about an hour and a half. One of these trips I'm going to have to do the diving thing. Cramer didn't want to do it because its pretty expensive, like around 300-400 dollars and takes about 4 days. But these islands have some of the best dive spots in SE Asia. I'm content with the snorkeling and can't wait to do some more. Later we get some food on the beach and then head to a bar called Choppers. It is a total Australian Sports bar or something. They're bringing out huge plates of food and all the tvs have rugby and soccer on them. The beers are ultra pricey, but they have some live music playing. We have a couple and start walking back. On the way back we stop at a tiny road side bar. It has cheap mixed drinks. I finally pound back some Sangsom and Coke and I feel like a new man. Cramer and I enjoy a number of cocktails before heading off to sleep. Tomorrow we leave for Koh Phangan, to see what the next island has in store of us.
Ready to go under.


Its a dogs life here. Dogs are everywhere.
These were the nice little bungalows we stayed in on the last night. Too bad we didn't stay here all 3 nights, the experience would have been much better. Better late than never.
This little path lead right down to another path with some shops, bars, and food and the beach.

From Phnom Penh to Koh Tao by Any Means Necessary

So we waved goodbye to Territ at 7:30am and took a tuk tuk to the bus station in PP. The first bus will take us to the border between Cambodia and Thailand. It costs 250 baht ($8) This should take 7 hours. We board the bus and we are in the very back. Every seat on the bus is taken and our seats are located directly above the engine. Cramer is sitting to the right of me and a local kid is sitting to the left. Its suppose to be AC but I'm sweating instantly. The bus slowly weaves through traffic and we finally get out of PP. Once in the country the bus is making frequent stops to let people off and to pick some up and for periodic rest breaks. About 4 hours in enough people finally get off that I have the whole back seat of the bus to myself. Cramer and I open the windows in the back and the air is blasting us in the face. We finally get to the border at about 4:00pm. We get our visas for Thailand and walk across the border. We find another bus leaving for Bangkok in 5 minutes. This one only costs 200baht ($6.50) This bus is much better. We have tons of room and the AC is working well. Things go smooth and we arrive in Bangkok's east bus station at about 9pm. Now we need to find a bus that will take us another 8 hours south to Champuon, so we can catch a ferry to Koh Tao the first island on our agenda. The only problems is we're not at the right bus station. We hop in a taxi and tell the guy to step on it. We tell him to take the expressway, which is much faster, except you have to pay for the tolls. But the tolls are only a few dollars. He tells us he can get us to the other bus station by 9:45. True to his word he drops us off at exactly 9:45. We walk into an empty looking station thinking we may have to spend the night in Bangkok. As we get to the top of the stairs near the ticketing area the people ask where we're going. We say Champuon. They say hurry up, the bus leaves in 5 minutes! Holy shit. We buy the ticket for another 250baht ($8) and we jump on the bus with 2 minutes to spare. At this point I'm just a zombie. Barely sleeping the whole time. This bus has more room, but I can't get comfortable and the AC unit is leaking water right on my head. I switch to another seat and finally manage to fall asleep. The guy is nudging me to wake up. Its 4:30am and we're in Champuon. They drop Cramer and I on the side of the road, and the bus takes off. So its 4:30am, we're both half asleep standing on the side of a road with nobody around. Suddenly two guys are standing there telling us they can take us to the ferry for 500baht each. What!!! Not knowning where we're suppose to go and not seeing any other transportation options they have us by the balls. We settle on 250baht each, which is the same amount as an 8 hour bus ride. Thinking we will be taking a taxi, we're shocked to learn that we're both going to fit on the back of a scooter including our huge backpacks and the driver. The guy seriously drives us 5 minutes and drops us off at a restaurant. Thats it? Wow. Its too early and we're too tired to worry about it now. We go into the restaurant and buy a ticket for 350 baht ($12) that will take us to the ferry and include a ticket from Champuon to Koh Tao by boat. Finally we get to the dock and board a huge new high spped catamaran which will take 2 more hours. 26 hours later... We finally step on Koh Tao at about 9:30am. It looks like something out of Lost. A tropical island paradise: Interior mountains, beautiful beaches, beach side bars, and bungalows. I need to find a tree to lay under and sleep. We're bombarded by taxi driver wanting to take us to our room, well we don't have a room. We try using the Lonely Planet recommendation, but it doesn't pan out. We cross the street and we find a huge room for way more than we want to pay, but we're too tired to keep looking. The cheap prices from Laos and Cambodia are gone, we're now in Tourist county. We pass out trying to catch up on sleep ready to explore the island as soon as we wake.

Phnom Penh pt 2- The Killing Fields and S21

Territ had to work this morning. He works part time for a phone card company called Bee Line. I'm not too sure what he does but he has to work until noon. Cramer is finally starting to feel better. We walk over to a shopping mall close to the house. What does Cramer want for his first meal since having his intenstines invaded? We opt for some pizza. Which sounds amazing to me. All of this asian food is playing havoc on my intenstines too. I don't feel sick or anything and don't have to go more often than usual, but damn I haven't had a solid crap in awhile. Territ comes back and we call for a tuk tuk to pick us up. We probably could all fit on Territ's scooter, but that's a lot of weight. One of the most amazing things about being over here is how people use their scooters. I've seen 5 people on one, a whole family! Some are carrying 5 huge boxes and a bunch of huge bags of rice, while others have trailers attached. Pretty much anything you can imagine a scooter being used for is being used in that way over here. PP is the capital of Cambodia. It is not huge like Bangkok or other giant metropolises. It has many people living in it, but still has more of a medium sized city feel to it. There aren't any sky scrapers, some tall buildings. There are many new buildings as well as many run down shacks and what not. Some of the smells around town just make you shake your head like "what the hell was that?" Not good. Driving here is an absolue trip. Just like everywhere else over in this part of the world scooters are king. But on the streets of PP, traffic rules and laws are mere suggestions, not things that have to be followed. Pull out in to on coming traffic, u-turns infront of 50 speeding scooters and cars, driving down the wrong side of the road for blocks, large intersectons with no traffics signs at all: yes, yes yes, yes!!! Just merge and swerve baby. I think watching how people drive and manange not to get into any accidents is one of the most amazing things about being here. It truly is mesmerizing. Every time we drive I just wish everyone could see this. It would be funny to put up a web cam at a busy intersection and just have it for people to watch, it is that entertaining. Alright back to the story. Territ, Cramer, I take off to see the Killing Fields.

"The Killing Fields were a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Vietnam War.
At least 200,000 people were executed by the Khmer Rouge[1]. Analysis of 309 mass grave sites by the DC-Cam Mapping Program and Yale University indicate at least 1,386,734 victims.[2][3] Estimates of the total number of deaths resulting from Khmer Rouge policies, including disease and starvation, range from 1.4 to 2.2 million out of a population of around 7 million.[4] In 1979, communist Vietnam invaded Democratic Kampuchea and toppled the Khmer Rouge regime. - Wikipedia"

The Khymer Rouge took control of the country and pretty much killed off more than a quarter of their own people in 5 years. The killng fields were located all over Cambodia and contained the mass graves of many victims of the Khymer Rouge Regime. The place we visit is only a few miles outside of PP and has been turned into an historical center to remember the atrocities committed. We first visit a large building which contains the remains of 9,000 victims that were discovered in various mass graves on the grounds. It also contains the clothes they were wearing.

As we walk aournd the grounds, what makes it more unsettling is that there are still teeth and bone fragments on the ground as we walk around. More clothing is still coming through certain spots in the ground as well. Near one mass grave there is a large tree that was used to beat and kill children against. Then they were dumped into the nearby pit, some dead, some still alive to die later. After walking around we head off to another chilling place called s21 Prison.

Some local kids near the killing fields pose for a picture, then ask for some cash. S21 is a converted High School in PP that was used as a prison during the Khymer Rogue period. They used the prison for torture, interragation, and as a holding spot until they were taken to the killing fields to be executed. Here there were 1000's of pictures of the dead. The Khymer Rogue (KR) documented all of there prisoners and victims that came through the prison. There were torture instruments, tons of rooms that were converted to holding cells, and gruesome pictures. Walking aournd this place sends chills down my spine. This is much more disturbing than the killing fields.

Territ walks past some of the 100s of cells that were built inside the classrooms.

Barbed wired and bars cover all the windows to prevent any escape.

Tons of the victims were woman and children.

This was used to hang people upside down until they passed out, then they dunked their heads into vats of foul smelling water to wake them back up, or drowned them.

Territ and Cramer outside of S21 Prison- also called Tuolsleng Genocide Museum. After having enough for one day we head back to the house. Cramer is finally feeling up for it, so we all head back out to the Happy 7 Restaurant. Territ and I went there every night. It is a great spot for locals, it has great Cambodian food, good prices, is clean, and has a great atmosphere. All 3 of us to eat huge meals and drink a few pitchers of beer costs about $15. We're all tired after a long day and stuffed now. Cramer and I have to catch a bus tomorrow to the Thailand/ Cambodian border at 8am. Then get on another one from the border to Bangkok, and then one more from Bangkok to the islands in the south of Thailand. Its going to be a long long day.

Cramer, me, and Territ toasting "ChumWeay" at the Happy 7. Later I found out Territ's toast really means "Fuck More". Hahaha.

Territ and a neighbod kids outside the house.