On-board diary 3. 29/30 January

I could pay myself the breakfast. At least I wasn't as wasted as the morning before, although the day was going to be as long as the previous ones. Mario and me managed to get the pictures ready in time, only Aga looked like a normal person, as the rest of us seemed junkies, russian dolls or zombies. Definitely, not respectable tourists (wich actually we aren't) who want to get a Myanmar visa. We gave the flashdisk to Candas having the certainty that all our work was going to be pointless, but anyway, we tried our best. Obviously, for getting the visa we had to apply by ourselves in the embassy. It's Myanmar, not an open, democratic country.

At the same time, at about 8 am all of us were ready to our first real trip of the journey. Destination: floating market. Again, the organizational issues appeared. Our bus was suppossed to pick us up at 8. Well, it was 8 and the first news we get are that the bus is not coming until one hour later. Well, that hour became two or more. The driver wanted to have breakfast or some shit like that. As the pictures were totally useless, and the meeting time was a fake, we could have had some really worthy sleep. We didn't. The fucked up point was that we didn't learned the lesson, and it was going to repeat a couple times more. Luckily, the redbull in Thailand is increidibly good, no bubbles, and so cheap, just 15 bath, wich is about half a dollar.

Finally, with a lot of bull's liver juice flowing trough my veins, the bus arrived and we headed towards the floating market, wich is about one hour -maybe a bit more- from Bangkok. It was fucking hot already, and a crowded minivan wasn't the best place to stay. I fell asleep at the moment my ass touched the seat. As my fellows told me, although I could have easily guessed it because of the non-stop laughs and jokes they were making, my head was moving from side to side, some kind of a puppet dancing in an aphasic mood. Ok, I had to be really enjoyable. Anyway, when we stopped because Fatih II (Fatih I is Murat's brother) was almost dying. We stopped in the middle of the road and he got down the bus, extremely pale, and layed
in the ground almost fainting. He seemed really fucked up, and having all the people surrounding him wasn't helping. I told the people to give him some sweet stuff, chocolate or anything, as he seemed to be having a sugar shortage, or a blood pressure drop. After 10 minutes stopped at one side of the road, we started to move again. Our arrival time was in about half an hour. I couldn't sleep any more. I was beggining to get used to it.

After all these incidents, we arrived at our destination. And it could hardly been more awesome. We stepped into a long thin wooden kayak, equipped with a fucking huge truck engine, and we begin to sail trough some water channels in the middle of the jungle. Damn, it was a fantastic experience, being able to observe the life of the people who live there in wooden huts -very massified nowadays, as it's a major tourist attraction- and to refresh as the temperature dropped a little bit thanks to the contact with the water. We stopped at some kind of pier and at the same moment we stand up in the ground, we were inside the market. This was our first real contact with the frenzy tourist bussiness of southeast asia. After almost one month, I can tell this was one of the worst parts of the journey. Everybody tries to sell you something, trying in all the languages they know, wich in fact are none, only three or four phrases aiming to get you a smile and feel sympathetic. The place was really nice, with a lot of old women in canoes selling food, fruit, wooden stuff and tiger balsam. One of them gave me a free head massage and then asked me for money. I said I didn't asked for it and she left so angry. Her fault. I bet the market is fantastic at 4am, where there is no tourist, just the locals trading stuff, but at almost midday is Harrod's. I had one of the most spicy padthai of all my journey, and thanks to the wonderful ice coffee Sinan gave me, I didn't jumped into the dirtiest river ever. Anyway, I enjoyed a lot the trip till there across the water canals, seeing elephants and water snakes.
But everything comes to an end, and we entered back the minivan -this time was on time, motherfuckers- to Bangkok, city of angels, city of sin. Cambodia's heat is horrible, but Bangkok deserves a honour place in hell's termometer.

We were all so excited, we were heading Koh Pha-Ngan, Full Moon Party was waiting for me. And then, I got to know the reality that was going to be all the trip: the killing bus trips to everywhere. I don't know at what time we got into that bus, I only know we arrived Kho Pha-Ngan next day, after suffering a vip bus, wich wasn't vip at all, waiting somewhere in southern Thailand for the next bus, on a very nice riverside, staring at the sunrise completely wasted and surrounded by the photographer's fever taking pictures and pictures and more pictures. I thank myself for not being like that, it's so stressful. And the "look at my pictures" stuff. I hope them the best, but please, I wish they are smart enough to know that most of them will end working in a mcdonalds, in an office job or as streetsweepers, being so unhappy. And after stopping in
three different places, we reached the boat. This one was nice, everybody so cheerful, drinking chang and eating shitty sandwiches. I didn't. I remember now the energy I had back then and I don't know where I lost it. Probably on the trip from Chiang Mai to Siem Reap. Yes, there it is. Arriving Koh Pha-Ngan was a relief and a preview. Murat was waiting for us with his motorbike, and we got into the car that took us to our hotel. A really posh one, as everything was full, and we didn't even have room, we were going to sleep in the hut next to the swimming pool. Really cheap, except for the small detail that we had to attend the buffet, wich was no cheap at all. But anyway, I ate like if I hadn't food for one month. And it was fantastic, chiken, beef, pork "brochetas", homemade slim delicious pizza, and a lot of extremely tasty things I don't remember. But the best, without any doubt, the free alcohol. Glass after glass of San Song with RedBull and Cola, I got ready for the party. Good times. Murat had some glow paint and we decorated ourselves in a real Full Moon Party style. Damn, that was fucking good, and without any need to be modest, my face was one of the best ones. Party guy, I deserved it. The bad side: the paint was so itchy, and it burnt my forehead, as well as making my favourite Circo tshirt an original Full Moon Party tshirt. But the stains combine with the colours, so it could have been worse.

After sipping all the cocktails we could for "free" and still being able to walk, we headed to Haad Rin beach. I swear I will be back there, my beloved readers, you've never seen nothing like that. Fuck off those disco parties, those huge techno clubs, the aftermath is Haad Rin beach at Full Moon. We just stepped into the beach and a fire swinging cord was there, awaiting the unconcious people to jump. My momma told me not to play with fire, and I follow her advise. Justyna and Murat got a whole life souvenir as a 2nd grade burnt, and a big hospital bill, but really, it was fantastic, so enjoyable, specially if you have a little sadistic mind like mine. After a couple of buckets more, we went to Cactus bar, climbed up the dancefloor and began to give our show. And after that is when my memories are blank. The next thing I remember is being sat in my meditation position next to a tree in the middle of the forest totally wasted. I don't know what happened, but I was fed up of the people, until Baran and the others rescued me to start our infructuous search for magic mushrooms. Or maybe they found, I saw a party next to beach and I stopped there for three hours. And it was worthy. I think I stayed there for three or four hours dancing barefoot to the best music I could have at that time, non-stop incredible drum&bass. Hit after hit, lovely girl after lovely girl, and without any more alcohol, music was all the drug I needed. All alone. It was a shame Albert wasn't there, he would have enjoyed it so so much, I have no words to describe it, and I only know I want to be back there. Full Moon Love.

And when the alcohol was beggining to clear off my veins, and I had no chance to end the night in an english or australian girl's bed -next day I knew why, the alcohol was still there, very visible on my face and words, as well as the paint- I decided to return hostel. I could only think of the bed. A bed. A real one. The first one since I left Turkey.

But I found Murat, Basar and Ilker. The realest. God, we were in Haad Rin and only four of us stayed partying almost till the end! And I forgot the bed in that exact moment, and stayed dancing for an hour or two more, fueled with more chang. Chang, after my beloved Estrella Galicia, one of the best beers for having just fun, I will miss it. And my trip's song was born. I will find Basar in Eskisehir to record it, the tikitikitikitiki ti is an anthem right now. By the way, I'm featured on the official Full Moon Party video. The only one. I knew it. Worldwide fame is awaiting. Try and download it if possible, I didn't want to see myself.