We are now on Koh Phangan island. Speedboat ferries from the mainland make the trip in under two hours. Our “night ferry” took seven, while we slept, side by side, by side, our luggage at our feet. This ferry could be described as every mother’s nightmare: old, wooden, bantam*, ramshackle, full of cargo and sleeping strangers. :P

On the mainland, we had been travelling with our friend Mimi. A few days before we parted ways, we visited a small town known for it’s Buddhist temples; you couldn’t turn a corner, or walk down an alley, without finding one, some of which were thousands of years old.

There were few other tourist in town. The locals were all smiles. The monks, clad in bright orange robes, waved and laughed. For a small donation we fed their fish. In the middle of the pond stood a scripture library, on stilts, built there to protect it from ants and other knowledge-eating bugs. Some temples contained giant golden Buddhas, the walls of others were covered in ancient murals depicting both Hindu and Buddhist history and mythology.

The full moon party is on Sunday; however, we’ve just been told that the island’s power will be cut tomorrow, and will not be at full strength for the following five days. No power, no party? I’m sure the locals will come up with a solution. I wonder if this has anything to do with the proposed ban on the full moon parties?

*Sam once advised me to never use bantam as a synonym for small; I thought it fitting here, as I’m sure there was fowl on board, hidden somewhere amongst the cargo.