Amphawa Floating Market

umbrellas of vendors leading to the market

The floating market is an artifact of the past, important to Thailand when the most effective mode of transportation was waterways and the best way to carry heavy things on land was an ox cart (which moves about the same pace as a walking grandparent). Nowadays, the floating market is a tourist attraction which focuses on selling things (mostly food) on the banks of a waterway.
The floating market I went to, called Amphawa, is about an hour from Bangkok and is in an area that is a tourist attraction all on its own. I chose this floating market because it is close to where two of my friends live, and they had been there and knew how to get there cheaply.

sitting on the banks of the river having lunch

To get to the water way, we had to walk through a densely packed market to get to the actual floating market. This is fairly common in Thailand, and quite smart on the vendors' part: set up shop in cheaper real estate and get the people you know who are looking to spend money. ca-ching!
We started our day at the market with a mid-day snack consisting of oysters, pad thai, and pork skewers on the steps leading down to the river and cooked in a boat. It was pretty amazing how these vendors have full menus and do all the cooking in a small rickety boat, barely moving to make the dish. A waiter comes up to you, takes your order, and then picks up the order in the boat and serves it to you. It's an impressive display of teamwork on the waiter and chef's parts, and an incredible act of balance on the cook's!

mid-day oysters

The rest of the day consisted of walking around, tasting various food (my favorite was a steamed dumpling with BBQ pork inside), and having beers while watching the boats and tourists go by. In the evening, we took an hour long boat ride, which enabled us to view the fireflies lighting up the trees. Some of the trees had so many fireflies it looked like flashing Christmas lights. It was very magical and completely worth the $2 USD, even though there was a moment where it seemed like our longtail boat was unrepairably (yes I just made up a word. gonna take my literary liberties with that one) broken down and we were a bit concerned about how we would get back without missing our last minibus....but that's a risk you always run when you do anything in Thailand.

cook in a boat

vendors next to the market

Tess and I on our way to see the fireflies

Koh Phangan: The Return

I couldn't believe it: I was returning to the island infamous for the biggest parties in Thailand. I had gone at the beginning of my time in Thailand, but did not expect to be returning

My first time in Koh Phangan consisted of staying in the party area of the island, which is built up and filled with bros in tanks and impossibly thin girls in neon crop tops. But the island as a whole is not filled with this questionable lot. In fact, only a minuscule part of the island consists of these ravers.

nice place for some bungalows

I had been lured down to Koh Phangan at the promise of reuniting with 3 of my study abroad friends and one of my teaching friends. Though a long journey for a 4 day weekend (about 18 hours each way involving buses, ferries, and a lot of waiting), it was worth it.

My first few days and 2 nights involved staying with my friend who now lives on the island. After a string of events, both good and bad, she ended up living on this island paradise and opening a raw foods restaurant after doing two months at a yoga school. Her lifestyle fully encompasses the go with the flow attitude, and has reassured me that everything happens for a reason. Of course, that's easy to think if life has plopped you on an idyllic island, but nonetheless, she is a true inspiration. We spent our first full day together doing yoga on the beach and exploring the island.

collecting urchins 

The area my friend Melody lives on is kind of yogi-center. Many yoga studios, including her school, and a beautiful beach just down the road lined with bungalows. It has a very quiet, laid-back feel, and even some healthy restaurants (I found BROWN rice...it was a big deal). Though the island is highly touristic, my friend lives far enough away from the beach that she has many Thai owned shops for the locals on the island, so even though there are a lot of Western options (that makes life so much easier), it still has the Thai feel.
On our drive around the island, Melody decided to go to Had Rin (home of the Full Moon Party), since she had yet to venture over to that part of the island. Between the music blasting from the hotel we parked next to, and the young men dressed in neon and covered in bandages from motorbike accidents, Melody realized she really was not missing anything and vowed never to go back. Not only is the area filled with party goers, but the set-up is crowded and dirty. It hardly feels island-y at all. Luckily, this is the only part of the island that has this vibe.

ad in Had Rin

We ended our exploring in the northern part of the island on a quiet beach that has a sand bar out to a small, undeveloped island. Out by the island we found locals with piles of sea urchins breaking them in half and cutting out the meat, and a vast array of dead coral.
I ended my day with an hour long massage in a bungalow on the beach with a sweet Thai woman named Ann. She told me that it was her first day back at work after a week because her friend had died in a motorbike accident. She told me that 3 years before she was in a crash on the back of a bike, where the driver died and she broke her leg. She has good karma and an angel on her shoulder, because even though she walks with a limp and her left leg is bow-legged, she is still alive and mobile. Though I stay away from motos as much as I can, it is sometimes necessary to hop on the back of a friend's or a motorcycle taxi. Also, sometimes the best way to explore an area is a motor bike. Though I am cautious and make my rides as short as possible, Ann's stories reminded me how dangerous these vehicles are. Unfortunately though, cars are just too expensive for most people in Thailand and motorbikes are the only option for transportation.

quite a nice place to practice some yoga with Melody

My last night in Koh Phangan involved the reunification of me with 3 of my British friends from when I studied abroad in Edinburgh. I met them when I lived in the dorms on my semester abroad and they were freshmen. Now, one of them has just finished a year abroad in Australia and him and his friends are traveling around SE Asia. Talk about everything coming full-circle! It was so incredible to see my long-lost friends and reminisce about the semester that made me realize I wanted to live abroad after I graduated from university.

reunited with good friends in terrible shirts

The night with my friends was the technical full-moon, but because it was a Buddhist holiday, the party was postponed to the day after I left the island. As much as I hate on Had Rin, I encouraged my friends to go down to the full moon beach since I had never partied there and thought I should get the experience once since I will most likely never go to a full moon party in my life.
In good full-moon fashion, we decided to have a "shit shirt night," which meant that you drew names out of a hat and whoever's name you got, you bought them a shirt and they had to wear it. This was the perfect activity in Had Rin, since there are numerous outfitters selling obnoxious shirts for Full Moon Party-goers.

farewell, Phangan!

Though not the real Full Moon Party, we acted as if it were: by drinking buckets (drinks served in a bucket, choose your alcohol, choose your mixer, then they add Red Bull), dancing, and going to bed in the wee hours of the morning.

It was an incredible 4 day weekend catching up with old friends and having a completely different experience on an island I had already been to. To travelers, I would highly recommend Koh Phangan, just not recommend staying in Had Rin.