koh pha ngan v1.0

welcome to the pleasure reich. 600km south of bangkok, or an hour by ferry north of koh samui. here too paradise has followed what happened with samui. it is only a few years behind the bigger island. but the house music has not yet grown so great as to drown out the sound of the lapping waves.

lyds and i, like patton in ww2 sicily, landed via boat at the southeastern peninsula of haad rin - the site of the now world famous monthly full moon parties. while i waited in the shade reading and looking after our backpacks, much like the national guard keeping the viet cong out of denver, lyds went out by herself to secure our accommodations. she ended up getting us a bungalow right on the beach.

at night i look southwards and can see the lights of koh samui 20km away from our beach. by day i swing in our hammock reading. the best days are the days when a tropical storm blows in drenching the island. everything becomes soaked, but the heat remains. the water is carried in wave after wave by the blowing wind. you can see it like sheets. but i remain snug and dry under our porch, swaying gently in the hammock. can you see me there? i often see you.

when it has not been raining we have ventured out to explore haad rin and its beaches. at night we eat at one of the many open air restaurants as they show bootleg dvds of current movies. by day these places are packed with tanned adventurers in sandals gorging themselves on cheap food and cheap alcohol, all to the simpons and family guy marathons.

right now the power may go out from another storm. the full moon party is tomorrow, and it is the 20th anniversary of it. i feel like a fuse is slowly burning. the numbers of bandaged and tattooed touristas are rising. the heat is getting oppressive. the house music gets louder each night.