Back to Australia

After weeks debating what to do once our Thailand visas had run out, we decided our best option was to go somewhere where we could use a computer without a per minute rate, sleep in a bed that hadn't been slept in by a thousand others, and as ridiculous as it sounds, relax for a few weeks, while getting our bearings and figuring out what our next move was. We felt the winds from the north stirring, so we allowed them to carry us back to the little island we had once inhabited. The island of Oz.

Ian's parents picked us up from the airport, and in a way it felt like we had never left. It always does feel that way though, doesn't it? We got right back into the groove of Australian life. I had almost forgot about the three Bs. Beer, Barbecue, and Bread. What? Something OTHER than stir-fried rice and cheap Thai whiskey? My system almost shut down. Before we had even put our bags down, the questions started rolling in. How long are you staying? Where are you going next? We weren't altogether sure ourselves, but we were aiming toward Korea in approximately three weeks. Although everyone was really supportive about the idea, undoubtedly, some were very surprised that Ian of all people would consider teaching in Korea for an entire year, and questioned how realistic we were being. "What if you don't like it out there?... A year is a long time." "How will you be able to teach English if you don't speak any Korean?" We definitely had the same doubts.

Within days the suits we had had made in Vietnam finally arrived. It became painfully clear what a bad idea it was to have gotten fitted for suits while trying to recover from hook-worm. Nothing came even close to buckling, buttoning or zipping up. Sigh...I blame it on the three Bs. Meanwhile, Ian's suits fit like a glove, of course, so it was only necessary for him to model them (just to be sure), while gloating about his freakish metabolism. No, no bitterness here.

The weeks flew by. We used computers, slept in proper beds, and ate as much bread as we could handle. Ian was able to work for a few weeks, which eased our minds a bit. From the moment we landed, our savings were under constant attack. How had we forgotten how incredibly expensive Australia is? While Ian worked, I spent days going through our thousands of pictures. Pretty much the most tedious thing I've ever done. It was a nice surprise to find out we were missing a bunch of photos that should have been on a CD we had had burned for us. Tip: Never let someone else burn your cards to CDs while in Asia. Apparently, they don't care whether they have burned your pictures or someone else's onto your disc. Lesson learned.

The highlight of our stay was a short trip up to Mt. Hothom to visit Ian's sister Maree, and her boyfriend Orm. Maree and Orm live in a little mud brick cottage that Orm's father had built decades ago. Although it lacked electricity and an indoor toilet, it made up for it in charm. We had a great time hiking,(Ian saw a bunch of platypus in the river next to their place) barbequing, and bonfiring. For two days Orm and Maree built up a bonfire the size of a house. They invited over their neighbors, who weren't exactly close by since Orm's driveway alone is 14 km long and is surrounded by remote kangaroo country. We found out pretty quickly that kangaroos were not the only creatures to inhabit the area. One of the first things Maree and Orm told us after we arrived, was about their resident bat. They told us so casually that I don't think it completely registered until we woke up that night to the sound of flapping wings only inches a above our heads. Around and around and around our room it flew, for what seemed like hours. It even let out the occasional squeak to let us know how appreciative it was for the audience. Odd, yet somehow it fit the atmosphere so well that we didn't really mind.

In the meantime my visa for Korea was supposed to be processing, but there were problems with transcripts, problems with photos, problems with passports, not to even mention all the red tape with Ian's visa. Weeks of frustration and uncertainty followed until all of a sudden everything was processed and we were instructed to board the next plane out of Melbourne. We were delayed almost a month, but were still almost panic-stricken when it was confirmed we were actually GOING! Some quick packing and even quicker good-byes, and we were back on a plane, off to start our next chapter.

Back to Bangkok

We arrived back in Bangkok at daybreak and all seemed quiet on the southern front. We had no idea what was in store for us later that day. We had stumbled into yet, another New Year, but this one was MUCH different than the last. In Thailand, years ago, monks used to walk around for three days on the New Year, sprinkling water on people as a sort of cleansing. I guess eventually it caught on to the locals, then once tourists got involved, it evolved into a full-blown three day water fight. Nothing could have prepared us for this. It all started with just a few people on the street stepping out from behind poles, cars, dogs, and randomly blasting us with squirt guns, laughing their heads off while we stood there dumbfounded. Why would a stranger just shoot me with their water gun? I don't even KNOW them! As the day progressed, we quickly realized it was everyone for themselves. By mid-morning, those few people on the street multiplied to a few hundred thousand. The streets were so packed, there was barely any room to move. On top of that, the squirt guns soon became giant super soakers half the size of a human being. For some reason, and I don't know how this ever got thrown into the mix, bowls of wet chalk also became a weapon of choice and those who couldn't afford a water gun would scoop up a hand full of chalk and smear it across your face, back, hair, wherever... By noon, it was full out war. Old men and women, shop keepers, vender's, kids, parents, everyone was involved. Water and chalk everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! Ian, Brent and I were even turning on eachother. We were soaked to the bone, caked with mud, and had wild looks in our eyes. We were straight out of Lord of the Flies, except instead of chanting boys, dancing around a bonfire, we were surrounded by dancing Thai transvestites in mini skirts and tube tops out in the streets. That was the scariest part. The most shocking part of the whole experience was when Brent brought up the question of where all the monks were. We assumed, inside the temple taking refuge. Within seconds of coming to that conclusion, we look up and over top of the monastery wall a row of monks were plowing down a group of dancing transvestites, with their own super soakers. When monks become corrupt, no one is safe.

By day two, we were over the water fights, and tired of being constantly wet, we resorted to shooting people from our guesthouse window. It was hilarious! By day three we had to face the fights again, as it was our last day in Bangkok and we had to go souvenir shopping. Trying to get back to the guesthouse with all our gifts mid-day on the last day of water fights (it was the craziest day of all!) was like mission impossible. The tuk-tuk driver had to drop us off about 10 blocks from our guesthouse because we just happened to be staying in the heart of all the chaos. By ducking around corners and hiding in bushes, we somehow managed to avoid most of the water and chalk, and arrived back at the guesthouse virtually unscathed! It was a miracle!

The next day, the paranoia was still dwindling and it took a while to convince ourselves the waterfights were actually over, and that someone wouldn't jump out of a bush to attack us. We did some last minute shopping, then hopped in the cab to the airport. After almost getting arrested from dramas over expired visas, we eventually had to pay A LOT of money just to leave the country. Why did we have to leave on a bad note? The anger soon wore off, however, and soon the excitement of heading home kicked in! We were heading home!

Koh Tao

Unsuspectingly, we boarded the boat heading from Koh Phangan to Koh Tao, meanwhile thinking, "Gosh its busy today". Aren't there a lot of people on this boat? The entire deck, front to back, side to side was packed, not to mention inside, where the people are actually supposed to go, was full as well. There was a VIP lounge on the upper deck, which was air conditioned inside and only cost $1.00 more to sit in. We had scored, since there were actually a few seats left. But the people kept piling on, and squishing in. The maximum capacity of the boat was probably tripled by the time the boat took off for Koh Tao, but these people do this every day, right? So they must know what they're doing...... For the first half hour everything seemed fine, but once we hit the wide open choppy water, things took a drastic turn. The boat started rocking from side to side, and with every rock, it would sway further and further onto its side. This is when people started to scream. People started panicking (including me) and getting out of their seats to go out onto the crowded deck. Crew members started yelling at people to sit down, then a few of them started looking panicked as well. Forget buses, dirt bikes, and planes, this time I was actually convinced we were going to die. I have never been so scared in my entire life, and that's the truth. For two hours the boat swayed back and forth, almost ending up on its side. Ian was trying to calm me down, telling me we'd be fine, and that there was no way we would flip. When eventually he started giving me instructions on what to do if the boat flipped, I started really freaking out. That's when I made my way out onto the overcrowded deck, followed by Brent, to wait out the rest of our sentance on the Death Boat, white knuckled and pondering our own existence, or soon to be lack there of. Okay, so you can already guess we made it, miraculously. I know, I'm shocked as well. For about two hours after we landed I was still shaking. NEVER AGAIN! Now how was I going to get OFF this island?

Ian and Brent went off to find our accommodations, while I stayed with the bags. Eventually a man on a motorbike came to pick me up, with the rest of the bags. Far too many to be holding on a motorbike, but then again, these are the people who load a family of six, a dog, a fridge and a stove all onto one little bike, so who am I to complain? We eventually made it and Ian and I signed up for a four day Scuba Diving course. The next eight days on the island were amazing. Ian and I excelled at the scuba diving, # 1 and #2 in our class, ahem, thank you very much! We were up early every morning and didn't come back until late afternoon every day. The training was like a full time job. We loved every second of it though, and cannot wait to do it again. Seriously, we were born to dive.

Meanwhile, Brent was partying and making friends galore. We celebrated his birthday with a dinner on the beach and a pancake with candles in it. Classic. After extending our stay far beyond when we were originally supposed to leave, with claws dug into the sand, we dragged ourselves away to the pier once again. This time we opted for a catamaran, although it cost much more than the Death Boat. Like I said, NEVER AGAIN. We made it back to shore and started our loooooong journey back up to Bangkok. Our trip was slowly coming to an end. *Sniff, Sniff*

Koh Phangan

Back on the bus to head south, once again. Being the first overnight bus Brent had taken, he was convinced we were going to die. I think he's watched too many traveler horror movies. However, I do remember not too long ago Ian and I thinking the same thing. Its amazing how we've grown so used to potentially deadly situations. I would rather not be aware though.

What seemed like the longest trip ever, by bus, then ferry, we finally arrived on Koh Phangan. We settled on beautiful Ban Khai beach in a little hut by the water. Brent stayed in the more expensive one next door. We soon discovered that while the beach was beautiful, the water was so shallow, we had to walk about a km out from the shore, just to have the water past our knees. We basically resorted to lying down flat on our backs, and hoping a trickle of water MIGHT lap over our stomachs. The sunsets were by far the best I have ever seen. I'm pretty sure that's the general consensus as well. I think three nights in a row, Ian, Brent and I just sat there with our cameras, uncontrollably snapping away. While Ian and I enjoyed our hammocks, Brent was on the jungle party scene, so basically we met up for dinner. One night, however, Ian and I did decide to go to a party. After unsuccessfully trying to find it, then ending up in the bar we began in two hours earlier, we decided to call it a night and head back to our hut. Brent was still keen to go out and Ian decided to do the drive with him, as it was chocolate-milk o'clock and 7 Eleven was calling his name. Brent went onto the party, and after getting his milk, Ian decided to follow him to make sure he got in okay. Unfortunately, we forgot to take the "Attack Me" sign off of Ian's forehead, from Hanoi when he was held up by knife point. Take Two: 5 Thai guys surrounded Ian and demanded 10,000 baht (about $350.00), when he refused, they accused him of denting their car, which Ian parked no where near. When he still refused, they started throwing punches (Ian made me promise not to say they beat him up), but then, like a ninja, Ian started fighting back, taking on two, three, no, four guys at a time, and they all ran squealing away like pigs! (There Ian. Happy?) The truth is, Ian did fight back, but more and more Thai men kept getting involved, so what does Ian do? He decides to barter with them! He bartered his attackers down from 10,000 baht to 4,000 baht. Turns out everything really IS negotiable. They gave him the black eye for free. Ian was quite proud of this afterward, so make sure you Ooooo and Awww when you comment on the photos. Seriously though, it was actually very scary. We had heard a couple guys had faced similar situations, while we were there, only their attackers had knives and both men died. Ian was very lucky to get out of that situation as he did. Moral of the story, do not let Ian go out alone at night!

After that scare, it was a bit difficult gearing ourselves up for the famous Full Moon Party Koh Phangan is famous for. As the night approached, our anticipation grew. The night finally came................and it was no big deal at all. Hundreds of reeeeeeeeaaaallly drunk people vomiting and urinating on the beach and in the water. Yay. There were a couple cool performers, but before we knew it the sun was coming up and we were making the two hour trek back to our beach.

We had a nice time on the island, uh, minus the mugging. I would definitely warn people to be careful on this Island though. A day of recovery and we were off to the pier to catch our boat to Koh Tao. Woo hoo! Scuba Diving, here we come!