Treehouses, Disco-Schoerle, Suntans...and More!

We think it's supposed to say Gina Harris...but...

Two View Moutain over Sairee Beach, Ko Tao

Chaklolum Bay, Ko PhaGnan

Mountain Woman Gets a Suntan

Back in Bangkok, regretfully, after the following acts of brillance:

1. Hopped ship to an island directly south of Ko Tao - Ko PhaGhan, home of the noted Full Moon Party - 20,000 + crazy backpack kids from across the world dancing across Haad Rin beach to the sounds of 6 different international DJs.

FMP HIGHLIGHTS:
a. Learning how to dance to trance music. If that sparks to mind a motion that includes flailing arms, wide-open mouths, and legs emulating a lead-weighted mummy on a pogo stick, you can visualize trance dance. G and I did it up right.
b. We arrived at the party in the back of a pickup owned by the brother of our friend Kai, a waiter at Nong Nook's Seafood - our fave dinner spot on the north side of the island (where we slept peacefully AWAY from the madness of Haad Rin). This was a gorgeous ride, the summer breeze blowing through our meticulously arranged hair - until a frenchman almost fell out when the hatch came undone. Oops...
c. G and I danced and made new friends all the way until sunrise, giving us the visual hangover of the whole business: Come daylight, we were knee-deep in 20,000 + crazy backpack kids' straws, bottles, whiskey buckets and more than a few war-strewn passed out bodies.
d. While riding in the sangtahew (truck/taxi rig) back to our sleepy fishing village of Chaklolum, I was thankful for my Concordia Choir excellent experience : I sang the national anthem of Norway with three chicken-eating post party Norsemen.

(Along these lines, I would like to take a moment to unabashedly brag about my charm and overall greatness: Thus far, I have the biggest following of Scandinavian men...I have yet to figure out why this is, exactly, but it's remarkable what they'll say in broken english! The other day, I had a Swede tell me that I had beautiful eyes and that he didn't think GW as such a bad duck after all - in one breath! How's THAT for a line? Um. Right. Gotta Go, a la Tess Amberg. A SWEDE? WHO LIKES BUSH? AREN'T THESE SUPPOSED TO BE A PEACE-LOVING PEOPLE?)

2. After three nights in Chaklolum Bay, G and I moved to a very remote bay, Haad Thian, on the other side of Ko PhaGnan where we stayed near a Mountainside Yoga retreat in...a TREEHOUSE! (Lizards, mosquitos, a cat living under our bungalow that thought he was a lion, no flush toilet, no electricity at night and prayers with every anti-malarial med swallowed.)

3. We spent one day accidentally hiking directly up a moutain for about 3 hours, and the next doing yoga and playing on the beach with our new friend, "Champ" (i.e. - "Wilson" in Castaway). Champ is the best tennis ball two American girls could ever hope for. And he is teaching us the art of ambidexterity! (G's right hand is still a little bit wounded from the motorbike incident of Ko Tao.)

Athough it's been fun, we didn't come to Asia to lay on the beach, body surf with Israelis and learn to throw tennis balls left-handed.

Gina and I are off to Cambodia in 2 days...We are now in Bangkok again gathering visas and tips for crossing the Thai/Cambodian border (we are advantageously choosing to do so by train/foot/truck combination, totally possible - but necessary to bone up on every possible scam that could go down.)

Questions? Comments? Let me tailor my next entry to what you want to know!