16/10/2013 to 21/10/2013 - Koh Phangan - Full moon party.

Cycling the past 2 weeks from Bangkok to Surat Thani with the exception if visiting my uncle I barely had much interaction with westerners. I mean of course it's great to see the proper culture of Thailand and its people but sometimes being able to have a fun filled, non broken up conversation with someone who speaks English (or Spanish) helps me keep sane and continue this bike trip. This is why I headed to Koh Phangan to the full moon party and also to have a few or many drinks and enjoy myself.
Coming here was a hell of a lot more expensive than I anticipated and I know that the largest beach party in the world is overrated as I have been here twice before but I was in the area and needed to experience it for the last time.
I met some great people while I was here along with some quite the opposite 'meat-heads' who would do push-ups in their rooms before going out (actually!) but all in all I had somewhat of a good time.
Personally i like to be in a chilled environment where I can talk, have a few drinks, show some magic tricks and tell stories of my 8 years of venturing around the globe. Obviously there is more to me than just this but going to a place with loud music, dancing on tabletops and having to yell at an individual in the hopes that they can understand really does not appeal to me.
I was able to find a happy medium between these two situations and as such I had a great time.
I did cycle a little bit around the island where I tackled the hardest climb I have ever done on a bicycle, when cycling from Thong Sala to Had rinn beach (where the full moon party is held) the road gradient went from horizontal to almost vertical, a 20% grade! My gear ratio does not adjust to this excessive climb and as such I had to dismount and push my bike up 120 meters in altitude to get up and over it. With no exaggeration i can say it was painful to say the least... And I had to do it twice!
Ill admit that the previous two times I came to the full moon party I enjoyed more but that was four years ago and perhaps I have matured since then... What am I saying... matured? Of course not.
For those who I met on Koh Phangan and who read this, thanks for a great time!

 

View Ko phangan in a larger map

This is just where I cycled around the island not including the day I hired a scooter to see the scenery in the North West of the island

I know looking at this terrain profile doesn’t look like much but those two peaks were the hardest climbs I have done on a bike.

Just ruined after cycling pushing my bicycle up that crazy hill into Haad Rin

The dogs of Koh Phangan

The Sunsets of Koh Phangan

The beaches and scenery of Koh Phangan

The people I chilled with in Koh Phangan

15/10/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 7

Distance cycled: 144km .... from Surat Thani
Average speed: 21km/h
Moving time:6h51m
Total distance: 758km
Border X'ings: 0
Money spent: 800 Baht

View 15OCT13 in a larger map

 

To keep myself amused whilst cycling I tend to listen to a boat load of music, music that would pump me up to push just that little bit harder to bring up my average speed by just a few kilometers an hour. Recently however I have been getting back into listening to podcasts, more specifically a podcast called Radiolab. Radiolab is hosted by two guys who cover many topics from Science to culture; each episode is an investigation a patchwork of people, sounds, stories and experiences.
It is certainly worth listening to, highly recommended.
Today was rather boring, I was stuck on a dead straight road for many tens of kilometers but I was flying, with the wind on my back I went on a pushed myself to Surat Thani where I was getting the night boat to Koh Pnangan for the festivities of the full moon.
Having pushed myself as much as I did today I managed to buckle my chain... Something I did no notice till the following day. Hopefully it will just be a replacement chain setting me back about $30. We will see.
Thankfully while waiting for the boat to depart I met an awesome British group where we killed the time drinking beer and eating food.
140km today in the sun simply nackard me so obviously it didn't take long for me to fall asleep next to all these people on the top deck of the cargo boat.
Sorry for the lack of pictures. My camera is playing up and it drained all the juice from both batteries.

This is the life.. and my life!

Ferry to Koh Phangan

14/10/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 6

Distance cycled: 98.6km from
Average speed: 20.5km/h
Moving time:4h48m
Total distance: 614km
Border X'ings: 0
Money spent: 300 Baht ($10)

View 14oct13 in a larger map

Google maps is a godsend! I use it to route my trip then upload the data to my GPS where all I have to do is follow the darkened dotted line; it often puts me on roads that no other cyclist or traveller for that matter would use and it gets me off the crazy traffic clustered and dangerous main highway.
Today's route was a mixed bag of terrain from vacant 'B' roads where I passed ghost towns to a fast dirt shortcut to the beach where the only thing I saw for miles were farmed palm trees. It was a fun day where the time on my bike passed quickly.
I saw a plethora of generosity and kindness today from many Thai people, I was given free food and fruit, a place to camp of a run down and at first i thought abandoned beach town where I witnessed some sort of ritual performed by school kids involving fireworks on a small scale fishing boat and plenty of uneaten food...
There is a steady breeze tonight which means I won't be hassled by those fucking irritating mosquitoes as I was last night keeping me awake killing in total 40 or so that some how snuck into my tent.

Not a bad sunrise!

Great beaches too

                                       

I wouldn’t want to be up here without a harness

 

13/10/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 5

Distance cycled: 108km from ... To Bo Mao Beach

Average speed: 19.9km/h

Moving time:5h24m

Total distance: 515km

Border X'ings: 0

Money spent: 300 Baht ($10)

View 13OCT13 in a larger map

 

I made a big mistake today. Nothing in terms of heading the wrong direction which can be irritating but being lost is part of the fun, however what I did today was stupid. I ran out of money and as I was cycling the scenic route there were no ATMs to withdraw some cash.

It was around midday when I realized that I did not have enough for water or food but I am in Thailand and the people are friendly so when cycling I waved my upturned water bottle to passersby and they gratefully pulled over and offered me refreshing drinks; I did this on two occasions.

I was pointed out that there was an ATM in a nearby village and happily I headed there to get some money for food. When I got there I found a group of workers repairing the damn thing so I waited around in the blistering sun until it was fixed, unfortunately they were not able to fix it and I was left with only a few packets of sticky rice to feed me until I reached the town of Chumpon 60km away!

There was no way I was going to make it there before nightfall but hopefully I would find something or someone on the way; and that's when I ran into a group of 4 Spaniards cycle touring around SE Asia and also the world. They were happy to help me out when I was in such desperate need to chow down some food. I simply love it when things just sort themselves out like this.

Today was perfect with some small climbs, quite roads and beautiful scenery also finding a place to camp behind an abandoned building on Bo Mao Beach where, at the time of arrival the colour difference between the soon to be night sky the calm ocean could not be differentiated.

First night using my tent

 

 

Along the way

A bicycle path

The only ATM around for 60km.. and with no money I thankfully met these Spaniards who were able to help me out

12/10/2013 - Cycling SE Asia. Day 4

Distance cycled: 107km from uncle Brian's place to Ban Krut Beach
Average speed: 21.8km/h
Moving time:4h56m
Total distance: 408km
Border X'ings: 0
Money spent: 100 Baht ($3)

View 12OCT13 in a larger map

 

Highs and lows. There are always highs and lows when it comes to touring on a bicycle, today was evident of this; leaving uncles place where I had spent the last two days where I was treated to all the comfort that you would possibly get at an all inclusive resort to finishing the day in my tent on the beach... I know this doesn't sound so bad but as I write this I am sweating profusely and surrounded by many dozens of blood sucking mosquitoes. Another example is the weather and being caught in a dumping of rain that occurred on two occasions.
By no means am I not enjoying this trip towards Singapore it's just quite different from touring in Europe and North America.
I am going to try and make it to the full moon party on Koh Pha Ngan that starts in a week put simply to party it up and meet some traveling backpackers. To Surat Thani it's only 300km from where I am now and this is where you get the ferry across to the island, the terrain is flat and I generally get good tailwind so two and a half days I should be there.

Leaving Uncles Place

Monkeys… I hate Monkeys!

…But fighting Dinosaurs… thats all good!