16 Hours, 9 Taxis, 2 Boats, 1 Airplane, and a Strange Rash!

We left Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday, February 6th and expected an easy "travel day." Our Bangkok Airlines flight was only 60 minutes and then a short ferry ride would take us to Ko Pha Ngan. No big deal, or so we thought. We woke up at 3 a.m. and left our Bangkok home away from home, the Bossotel Inn. We caught taxi #1 and headed to the airport. We had a nice snack in Bangkok Airlines Boutique Lounge and flew south to the island of Ko Samui. We landed on the Lower Southern Gulf of Thailand amid beautiful azure colored seas, white sandy beaches, and coconut grove vistas. The airport was one runway with attractive thatched hut out buildings. There awaited taxi #2 to a high speed catamaran which whisked us 20 kilometers away to the island of Ko PhaNgan in just 20 minutes. It was only 9:30 a.m. and the beach was calling our names - life was good. We had heard the Ko PhaNgan was a quieter, calmer island and only got crazy once a month for the big "full moon party." Knowing that the full moon had been on Feb. 3rd, and it was now Feb. 6th we were all set. So into taxi #3 to scout out the north end of town and find lodging. We visited some "resorts" only to find none suitable. Feeling a bit frustrated we caught taxi #4 back to the pier to catch taxi #5 over to a recommended "remote" location on the east side of the island. We went across a dirt road filled with boulders, downed trees, and dry river ruts, only to arrive at what we would describe as a twenty something, Melrose Place, hippie hangout with a lot of new age activities. Not our cup of tea. The accommodations were less than basic, not so clean, and once you got over there you sure as heck weren't going anywhere else easily or cheaply. So into taxi #6, back across the jungle and over the mountain for more searching. We had hoped to settle on Ko PhaNgan for a week or two, but weren't having much luck. Into the Internet cafe we went, but try as we might, we just couldn't find a place on the island. So by unanimous vote, we caught a very rough riding ferry to Ko Tao, 90 minutes north. It was 2 pm. Ko Tao, also called "Turtle Island," is a bit smaller and we hoped a bit of an older crowd. It was now about 5 pm and taxi # 7 took us to a recommended "remote" location on the east side. This "road" was even worse! At best it was an impassable trail through the jungle. But pass it we did. May we say that the taxis are nothing more than pick up trucks with a metal bench in the back bed. That's where we had spent most of our day, on the metal bench, riding around in the 90 degree heat hanging on for dear life. Really. But we digress... when we arrived at this location we found a tree house type bungalow with gaping holes in the weak floor, less cleanliness, a bad mattress and some animal issues. It was beautifully located and staff was charming, but we just couldn't do it. Into taxi #8 back across town and to Ao Chaluk Ban Kao, on the Southern tip of Ko Tao. It was now after 6 pm, we'd been up 15 hours, and we didn't have a place to sleep. Why? Because after the "Full Moon Party" on Ko PhaNgan everyone becomes enlightened and heads to Ko Tao! We walked in the dark, carrying our bags to over half a dozen resorts, all full. Finally, we stumbled upon 7-11, and just started making phone calls. Finally one place, Tommy's Bungalows had a room. Into taxi #9 to Tommy's where we landed for the night. It was after 7:30 pm, we were starving, we were smelly, and there was a very strange and painful rash appearing on Melissa's rear end. Our sense of humors had long since disappeared. Need we say more? Tommy's turned out to be OK, a bit overpriced, but clean and located in a small cove that has great snorkeling and a nice sunset view. That's where we are now. Sitting on the giant rocks overlooking the water and watching the sunset. Tomorrow we move on down the coast to the Sensi resort. Our new location is www.sensiparadise.com - Take a look, we fit in a bit better here. We rented a scooter today and scouted out the island and this was our pick. Along the way a nice Thai pharmacist took a look (really) at Melissa's full moon and prescribed some cream that is supposed to help. It's a condition called "too much taxi" butt. Life is good again. We come home three weeks from tomorrow so we plan to spend our time in the sun to work on our tans. We did break down and get haircuts, so we won't be shaggy on our arrival. Ko Tao is a snorkelers paradise. We went in for a short dip today and saw amazing fish, sea slugs and coral. We can't wait to see what else if under the water. Check it out at www.kohtao.com. This is your last chance to join us. It's now or never!