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.
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