Songkran, Koh Phi Phi & traveling as two

Me, playing Songkran in Silom on day 1, with water gun in hand & chalk on my face!

Okay, I’m going to make this quick. Just wanted to say hi. I’m back in Bangkok for, like, the 5th time. I love this city! Since I left Laos two weeks ago, I’ve been all over the place, have met a ton of awesome people, and really have just had an incredible time. And Songkran was really one of the most memorable three days I’ve had on this trip!

First off, I should add, almost my entire time so far in southeast Asia since the beginning of March has been incredible. I see why so many people travel here: it’s easy, it’s fun, it’s cheap. Southeast Asia rocks as a travel destination and I’ve only seen a tiny bit!

Anyways, the past two weeks have been good. Started out with me meeting up with Adventurous Kate in Bangkok, where we partied with Rob, of Stop Having a Boring Life fame. Also met up with Mike of Travels of Mike and some other Twitter folk, plus some other travelers I’d hung out with the past few weeks in Laos. (Oh yeah! And finally got to meet Kirsty & Poi from No Place To Be.) Bangkok is fun and the food here hardly ever disappoints.

Noodle soup from Sukhumvit Soi 38 food stall - so good!

Drinking beer in a grocery store, drunk cab rides back to my hostel and randomly running into friends on the street downtown, oh Bangkok, I love you!

By the time Songkran finally started I had a new travel buddy for the week! Eyal came all the way from Israel to travel with me. From the world’s largest waterfight in Silom to delicious noodles on Sukhumvit Soi 38, Eyal and I had a lot of fun in Bangkok. And we even did some sightseeing (finally – considering I hadn’t done any the previous 4 times I’ve been here!). Went to the Reclining Buddha.

After being thorougly soaked for three days straight, we decided we needed more water, so headed south to the islands. Original plan was to head to Phuket, but after a pretty roundabout “tourist” bus fiasco to Thailand’s largest island, no more than an hour-and-a-half after arriving, we decided Phuket wasn’t for us and immediately took the ferry to Koh Phi Phi.

Ferry from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi - had some Singha beers and enjoyed the sun after a short rainstorm.

Koh Phi Phi (pronounced “pee-pee”) is beautiful. It’s a bit of a tourist mecca and food wasn’t nearly as cheap as Bangkok (or Chiang Mai for that matter), but it was nice to be on the sand and get some sun. Two nights there and we drank WAY too much, but it was fun to be on the beach for a full-moon “party” even if it wasn’t Koh Pha Ngan. Played some pool which I hadn’t done in over a year, and I sucked. But I did get some hilarious videos out of it, at my expense.

Pretty Phi Phi beach! It was much nicer when the tide was in, otherwise all these boats were just sitting on some really mucky sand.

After Koh Phi Phi, went back to Bangkok so Eyal could catch his flight and I could start on my way to Cambodia before my Thailand tourist visa expires (15 days isn’t enough)! Went to the weekend market (again) and found a gazillion awesome/trendy/hipster t-shirts to add to my t-shirt collection. If I end my travels of southeast Asia here in Bangkok, things could get ugly. I may just end up with a backpack full of cheap t-shirts, dumping every other thing out.

Drinking at Gecko Bar on Soi Rambuttri. Some of the cheapest beer you'll find in the area! Big Chang for only 60 baht!

Now I’m back in Bangkok, traveling alone again. It was fun to have a travel buddy. Makes a lot of things easier, and when you’ve got a broken iPod, having a friend makes long bus rides soooo much more bearable!

Just been pampering myself while I’m here on/near Khao San Road for the next day or two. Got a foot massage while I was simultaneously spoon-fed a ginger soup by a Thai lady who insisted I call her “Mama.” And a cheap haircut (where the woman clearly had absolutely NO hair-cutting experience ever, just a pair of scissors and some solid self-determination).

Day after tomorrow, I’m headed for Cambodia. Plan is to first visit Siam Reap/Angkor Wat, then this small town that my German travel friend recommended, then Sihanoukville which Adventurous Kate seemed to enjoy. From there, onwards & away, and eventually, Vietnam.

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So hey, I’m trying something new with this blog post in my writing style. Thoughts? Comments? Let me know if you like, love or hate it.