Koh Phangan (Caw-Fenang)

Dennis and I finally left Koh Tao on March 9th by boat to check out the next island south, Koh Phangan (Koh being the Thai word for Island). I rode on the Prow of the boat all the way to this second Island on our tour.

I had just received a very disturbing reply to a letter from a dear friend who I hurt with my words, and I found the trip a soothing opportunity to consider many things in my life. I get a lot of letters as I take this journey and sometimes I wonder if I lose my perspective and hurt the people I love because I'm not connected to my old world the way I was. To those of you who feel I have become insensitive to the 'Real' world as I travel in my bubble of self discovery, I am truly sorry.
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We arrived on this Island just in time to watch the sunset. There are two beaches here, that are appropriately named, sunrise and sunset beach.
This is Dennis watching the amazing speed of the Sun setting over the Gulf.

This is a picture I caught within moments of this same sunset. This is how I think of Thailand; such beauty and tranquility in a setting of ancient tradition.

The night we arrived was 'Half Moon Party Night'. We met so many people that day who looked at Dennis and said: "Hey man, you are just in time for this party." Dennis really does remind me of the original Hippie in the way he looks.

We met three Brits as we headed to the Hot spot of the Island; 'Hat Rin'. They told us this is the place to really party. They pointed out 'The Mellow Bar' where you climb a long winding stairway and go for a special milkshake.

This is 'The Mellow Bar' at night. The Bar serves Magic mushroom milkshakes, which are legal in Thailand. The shakes cost 500 baht each and are said to be extremely potent. The day after this party, the Brits told us they had a couple of shakes each and sat on the floor of the bar for five hours just giggling as they hallucinated. Just for the record, Dennis and I spent the night walking the beach and watching movies in the Bars. Dennis may look like a wild crazy hippie but in reality he's just a very nice guy. That's why I hang out with him. If you want to find out about the drunken orgies that take place at these Parties you'll need to read someone else's Blog. We were back at our Guest House that night by 11pm fast asleep.