I Almost Forgot!

Over the past 2 weeks I have been in a special place called "Tonsai" in south west Thailand. I had forgotten about emails, blogs, facebook and telephones.

Ellen and I survived the mahem at the Full Moon Party in Ko Pha Nang. We boarded a speedboat to get to the Island and danced until 3 in the morning before our ride back to Ko Samui. The party was off the hook! 8 to 10 DJs played out the beats all along the quarter mile stretch of beach all night long. The party can attract over 20thousand people - and everyone is there to party!

We left Ko Samui the next morning and made our way to Tonsai via van and longboat taxi. It feels like an island but in fact its a small peninsula guarded by 200m clifts and thick jungle. The boat taxi in was incredible as the sceney quickly changed and we saw huge towering rock formations coming out of the sea, white sandy beaches, and huge cliff faces with gargoyle-like rock stalactites of different shapes and sizes.

Talks of amazing rock climbing had brought us(well me) to this area. The overhanging limestone routes with unique climbeable features made the climbing very fun and challenging. We met tonnes of people in Tonsai, including my friends Mark Taylor and Gerhard. I climbed some ultra classics like Humanality, Ao Nang Tower, and Babes in Thailand. Very physical climbing made me sweat like that morning in Mui Thai class.

The food was incredible and cheap - yeah Chicken Lady!! Ellen and I also took a cooking class where we learned to make spring rolls, Pad Thai, Curry, and Bananas in coconut milk. The best part was eating it all of course.

We also enjoyed some of the many caves, lookout points, lagoons, and wild monkey feedings.

We are now in Phuket and life here is much different. Very overcrowded and way too many tourists for me. You have to pay for a spot on the beach in Panong! We did get nice massages and are staying in a nice hotel for much less than hostel accomodation in Canada.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Surat Thani train station to board the overnight sleeper train to Bangkok. Only a week left before flying back to Calgary where I hear the temps have been in the -30c range! Ellen and I are hoping to take in a Mui Thai fight night and the chaos of Bangkok before heading home.

The Best of Everything is in Thailand....

Well, except for skiing. But you can get anything you want, day or night. You can be riding a rented Harley Davidson, while drinking a freshly squeezed banana and vodka smoothie and getting a back massage while cruising around the Island at 3 in the morning. And everything is CHEAP!

Yesterday Ellen and I rented a scooter for the day - scooters rule! - and toured around the island taking in the attractions. We road a huge elephant through the jungle before hiking to a waterfall. We stopped for a delicious Pad Thai lunch at "fishermans village" on the waterfront and continued touring the island. We stopped to check out natural granite formations of a giant penis and vagina (pictures coming soon) coincidentally within 100m of eachother. The climber in me had to climb the giant penis with Ellen standing by as photographer. It was only 5.5! For dinner we jumped on the scooter and got lost on a maze of roads many times before finding the most delicious Indian restaurant(I know I'm in Thailand but like I said the best of everything is here). On the way we got a flat tire and had to push the bike a whole 80m to the closest mechanic. They are everywhere and you dont have to go far for anything. After a 5minute tire change and a $5 bill we were on our way!

The people here are truly wonderful. Thais are quick to cater to our every request (I try to keep them to a minimum), and offer the most sincere greetings and goodbyes. They are kind in every way and are making our journey here unforgettable.

This morning I enrolled in a 2hour Mui Thai kickboxing lesson. For $9 I learned a lot from a kick-your-ass Mui Thai artist. Laem taught me the basics of MuiThai fighting before getting the gloves on for some action in the ring. I was sweating like I never have before. The training was so much fun and challenging - UFC here I come!!

Tonight we are catching a boat to the Full Moon Party....should be interesting.