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After spending a few days in Penang exploring the area and enjoying a Japanese festival we travelled to Ko Phangan in Thailand.
We took a five hour mini van journey first to Hat Yai which involved the border crossing into Thailand. Having arrived in Hat Yai we were told that the military had closed the bus terminal in town (something to do with the current Coup d'état) so we had to take another mini van to a different bus station before taking the next four hour van to Serrathani. After a two hour wait (and a few Chang beers) we boarded a night ferry which took about 6.5 hours to reach Ko Phangan.
Once we arrived in Ko Phangan we made our way across the island to Haat Rin where a friend of Ben's runs a bar / guesthouse. We've made a deal with the owner, Guy, that we will help out with cleaning etc. in return for accommodation.
Ko Phangan is a strange place - it's literally built for Western party tourists and makes me think of the beginning of the movie The Beach where Leonardo Dicaprio is describing everything he hates about tourism in Thailand.
It is actually a slow period here though as it is between full moon parties so most of the bars are closed. There is still a fair bit going on though, and it's weird because the bars sell magic mushrooms and weed which is a far cry from what I'm used to in Malaysia! We definitely had one really fun night when we arrived, but I can't imagine how people can live here!
We're going to another part of the island tonight to visit a local market where apparently the food is really cheap and the atmosphere is very local. Hopefully that will be a good experience. We've also found a resort with a free to the public swimming pool so may go there tomorrow.
We may be leaving sooner than originally planned as there is possibly an opportunity to go and volunteer at a dog rescue home in Phuket.
So far definitely enjoying Thailand, but looking forward to seeing more local life and experiencing a non-party lifestyle!
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