Beaches, Snorkeling, and a Full Moon Party

Such an amazing weekend! I found out on Friday that I had Monday off (random holiday?) So I decided to head for the beach. A couple of other teachers I met during the program were already there so, on a whim I hopped on a van, a bus and a ferry to the Island of Ko Samet. Our hotel was right on the beach and it was beautiful. I found out as soon as I got there that this weekend was a full moon and there was going to be a "Full Moon Party". Apparently there are huge parties on various beaches throughout Thailand every month to celebrate the full moon. Probably one of the craziest things I have seen. It was essentially like a New Years Eve party including fire dancers, fire works and a countdown. I can't believe they do this every month! The party started right after the sunset and lasted until 6am (I did not make it to 6am, not even close lol).

On Sunday we went snorkeling. We took a speedboat tour that took us to five surrounding islands. We snorkeled, explored the islands and visited a fish farm (with sharks and turtles!). The three of us were the only farang on the boat (Ko Samet is a popular weekend destination for local Thais due its close proximity to Bangkok) and I am pretty sure we were the laughing stock of the boat. The locals thought we were completely ridiculous. We managed to crash a Thai family picnic (we didn't know we weren't supposed to eat the food) and I managed to step on a sea urchin. I showed one of our Thai guides that I had little blue pricklies in my foot and the entire boat surrounded me and looked on in horror. The Thai man proceeded to hit my foot with the end of the snorkel gear and then put some mysterious liquid gel onto my foot. "Ok" he pronounced. Ok? Umm....Ok. Guess its not life threatening. We then almost fell into the water at the fish farm because one of the boards broke beneath us. Pretty exciting trip I must say.

On Monday morning Sandra took me to a nearby Wai (temple) that she had stumbled upon earlier in her trip. There was a gigantic Buddha statue that came out of nowhere! We were walking around admiring the temple and the Buddha statue when we were approached by a Monk. He spoke very good English and showed us how to light incense and candles to make an offering to the Buddha. He then let us walk around inside the Wai. It was a pretty amazing experience.

Overall, I would say a pretty fantastic weekend!