Ko Phagnam - Songkran

Friday morning, come 4 am, Holly and I set out for our island adventure to Ko Phagnam.  We took her vehicle to the ferry.  It was about a 45 minute ride to the ferry, from her residence.  We arrived to find that we were not early enough for the 6am ferry.  We were told we had to wait for the 10am ferry if we wished to take a vehicle over. The ferry ride was about 2.5 hours. It would have been slightly more pleasant without the powerful rains that stuck 30 minutes in. A bit cold for me with the ocean breezes.

 The views while waiting on the pier.

While waiting, I spotted some excitement in the water.

From the ferry, I saw something rippling the water.

Can you guess?

Dolphins hunting. Right in front of me.  I saw the fish being chased.  I saw cow's with their calves at their sides during the full hunt. I saw my PINK dolphins. I got to see some after all; and I have only been here a couple of weeks.  The fish actually skim the top of the water before being devoured. I would guess that I saw about 8 or so dolphins and perhaps 3 calves.

 How beautiful is this? And just think about the splendor and plunder below.

What's my favorite planet? 

Earth.

Keeps a smile on my face.

On Friday night I enjoyed some fire shows along the shore. This is always fun. I experienced some of this in Cambodia. Young Thai men used batons and ball-chain fire wods. I was called up several times by one Thai guy so that he could throw fire around me, behind me, in front of me, and around my head - things we can't do in the US without lawsuits. Most of the action was set to music.  The best part was that these men/boys just do it for fun and to hang out, expecting no tips.  The fire wasn't the only crazy element to experience.  Several times I felt the earth give out below me.  The tide was playing with my mind. In my head I knew the water was far from the outershore, but not really.  The water would randomly gush in 50-70 feet and there I would be, sitting on a bench with a surge of water pulling at me. I had firey sky ahead of me, waves tugging tugging on my ankles and glittery night sky.  And because it was almost the thirteenth, waterworks were already starting.  I was shot with water and water balloons several times. Then came the downpour.  I walked back to my guesthouse through water trenches.  Let's just say that this island could use some help with runoff management, but then I wouldn't have deep puddles to jump in.

 And now ladies and gents, I present to you... Songkran 2013 - Ko Phangam Edition.

No time to prepare.

Water explosions. Rain. Chalk paint. Buckets. Hoses. Music. Adults. Children. WaterGuns. Ice water. Smiles...

All coming your way. Unavoidable.

(Hide your camera)

 Enjoying the street water fights.  The cars and trucks coming down the road are full of people with water guns, 30 gallon drums of water (many with ice blocks in them), and buckets.

 More street action.

 Checking out the wave seen by one of the local beaches. WINDY and rainy. Some powerful water.

 

 This is the area where I went snorkeling. Believe it or not. I saw some amazing things.  The picture makes me smile because not many people have any idea what's hiding in that water. But I do!

I set off from shore seeing some neat fish and sea cucumbers in the shallows.  Then a significant drop off at 50 feet in. It was then that it hit me that I was in the ocean.  It was a scary and exciting feeling.  I saw beautiful neon colored fish and the biggest, flattest fish I have ever seen. Some of the neon fish were cheetah printed (5-6 neon colors) and others were striped. There was a huge camouflaged grouper hiding against some coral.  As I went deeper I saw neon blue fish, maybe 1-2" in length, at most.  There were sea cucumbers by the hundred on the floor, the deeper I went the bigger they got.  I watched schools of 6-18" fish swim by me as if I was one of them.  The coral was gold and some with metallic purple surfaces.  Floating on the surface, at times I feared getting my legs ripped by the larger coral. Giant red sea anemone swayed in the water as I went by.  I felt like I was in the living, Finding Nemo.  I lost track of time while I was there.  The beach was nearly empty, I was by myself most of the time exploring the underworld. I am looking forward to more of this. Cost, 230 baht ticket on a ferry. I was lent the snorkel mask. Free entertainment once you have a mask.

This is was a beautiful veiwpoint near the area where I snorkeled. What you may never know, is how hard it is to get to the top, barefoot.  This cliff had a rugged surface, felt like I was walking on sharp shards of rock.

 

Corn and vegetable tofu, 80 baht. Ordered from a resort restaurant.

The next evening, I went to a quaint night market and bought some supper. It rained 4 out of the 5 days I was there.  The nice part was that the weather was cooler than normal.  I am really looking forwards to more island exploration.  There are several islands within a closer proximity to my future home.  Maybe even attend a full moon party if I have the right company.