Hey all, after about 50 hours of travelling and waiting in airports I finally made it to my first stop, Ko Lanta, a beautiful island in the Adamon Sea on the west side of the southern Thai area (peninsula?). It is heaven though a bit more third world than I imagined. But the people are soo friendly and there isn't that harsh dichotomy of huts and shacks backed up against mansions. The whole place is "Across the tracks", if you will. But an absolute delight. I have my own bungalow that is costing me a mere $9/day. I could've gotten something 50 yards closer to the beach but that would havew been an astronomical $12/day. FUCK THAT! So now I have to cross the road to get to the beach. Yesterday I went on a 4 island snorkelling trip which included visiting a cave that you have to swim through for 5 minutes in pitch black only to come out in a tiny inlet completely surrounded by cliffs. Like being down a lush well, only the sunlight streams through and there isn't someone at the top feverishly sewing a woman suit to the music of the Jesus and Mary Chain. Saw some beautiful fish and even caught sight of a manta rey leaping out of the water off in the distance. Nothing has prepared me for what I have seen and done here. It is truly paradise. And thank heavens there are few American tourists. Actually, I haven't met one come to think of it. Storms on the east side (in the Gulf of Thailand) have forced me to alter my travels a bit so I'm really flying by the seat of my pants now, but I guess in for a penny in for a pound (if that makes sense?). Well, the clock ticks and I must try and catch some of the sun before the afternoon showers hit. They are incredibly wired here which is a comfort. The only drawback, a little too much Bob Marley and Simon & Garfunkel for my taste, but I'll manage.

Love to you all...

Sammy Jo

PS All the locals keep telling me about some ladyman who comes here every year and chases them around going "Tuk tuk for cluck cluck!"

PPS Thanks Missy for all the excellent advice. You have been the best resource!

Hey Nancy,
Do they need anyone to swim naked in a fish tank there?

The Empress & I were just thinking about you moments ago, wondering what you were doing. I said sucking "Thai Stick"...
she said you were probably still reeling from the trip. The cave sounds amazing.
Although...

quote:

---

Like being down a lush well, only the sunlight streams through and there isn't someone at the top feverishly sewing a woman suit to the music of the Jesus and Mary Chain.

---

????????????????!

Maybe you're smoking that Thai Stick!

Keep us posted!

Girl, didn't you see Silence of the Lambs?

Poor Kiki has a country full of young nubile ladyboys ready to steal her rugmunching concubine.

Hey, make sure you get some of those massages. Also, if you come across a local market, buy a knife and some mystery fruit. There are a lot of amazing local fruits that you'll never be served in a restaurant. Those hairy things are rambutans. They're like lichees, you peel them with your fingers. Like pussy.

errr.... an YOU know about pussy?

Don't worry...
She'll find 'em.
Especially the hairy ones!

Sounds tasty.

girl...
i got stuck for a MONTH on ko lanta.
i LOVED it.

there's a great place called SANCTUARY
(natch!)
that had really yummy food
and cute, groovey travellers.
lighter on the bob marley
but watch out for the morcheeba.

love it!!!
love you!!!!!!

I was checking out expedia last night for package deals to thailand and found some great hotel deals but the airfare was way out of control.A roundtrip ticket was Over $2,500 does anyone have a cheap airline they use??Would it be a waste to only stay in Bangkok and if so where must I go if I went there?Miss U maybe you can answer since you just came back...Thanks

Look up a small travel agency called "Pathra". I have always gotten discounted flight deals between $590 and $800. You can't get those prices right around Xmas or New Years.

Bangok's amazing. It's VERY different from the beach areas. The beaches are pristine and calm. Bangkok is dirty but exciting. It's a very easy city to get around with English. I suggest picking up Lonely Planet or The Rough Guide.

oh Pickels, Im so jealous! I long to be in water.

Today I leave Lanta which is kind of sad since there's a group of us that have become quite close with the staff here. I even did a little djing last night with my ipod- which floored them (the ipod, not my djing). Tex, I can totally see how you'd get "stuck" here. Today I'm taking the ferry to Ko Phi Phi about an hour away. Fellow travellers tell me it's become real touristy but there's some great reef close to the shore with some fab snorkelling. It looks like I might just keep heading south (like Danny Fields on Judy Collins) to the Malaysian border. Someone said I should try to go to Lamkawi, an island in Malaysia that was formed from a volcano so the sand is black. I don't think I'm going to have any time to spend in Bangkok, but since I probably will come back in the future, I figure can do it then. Missy, the lychee-like fruit is fantastic! It's so like peeling clyde. Last night they had a BBQ on the beach and you had to pick out which squid, tuna, tiger prawn, crab, or barracuda you wanted them to grill- it made me think of you guys. Hey Ulysees, you can try looking at travelocity.com for reduced fares as well. What's the dish in NYC? I want gossip! I'll check in again soon...

XO,
NI
PS Boo, I get back on Sat. the 22nd.

I am so jealous, you don't even know!

There is LOTS of poop to scoop when you get back. Let's make a date now.

Krungthep, or Bangkok to westerners, is mostly for visiting temples -Wats to the locals, the markets and assorted clubs. So being in the south islands is really the other half of Thailand. Like Key West compared to Miami. I have actually found okay prices for flights on of all lines Northwest. But they do an 'unplanned' 4 hour layover in Hong Kong which regulars on that flight always bitch about. Not to mention as compensation you are given vouchers for about $75 worth of food you can use while you hang at the airport which sounds great until you find out a plate of rice goes for $35, and standing up at the bar with Ausie oil rig workers on leave from Brunei you will find their exhorbitant salaries go a long way with $20 a shot Jack Daniels while you can get one before you are down to the $10 you want to spend on a couple post cards and some gum. But if you get to Krungthep its worth it to take a day trip on the train north to the old imperial city of Ayuthaya, which now is a kind of sleepy town built around some amazing ancient ruins best viewed under moonlight.

The people in Thailand are amazingly friendly and full of all sorts of unexpected hospitality. You really can't leave without feeling like you should just give up on life back here and indulge your hedonism as long as the smokes, beers, fruit and playpals hold out.

Thank you for your extensive summary on Bangkok...I just wanted to add a little note on hospitality.I was in mexico(tijuana) 3 weeks ago and was so shocked at how friendly and kind the people were especially since "opportunity" was only a stones throw away but yet so far out of reach.They really appreciate your business and they let you know it.New York tends to change foreigners who make it here and at times makes my perception of them rather blurry.I must remember to keep focused!

...Since I had already been warned that Phi Phi is much more touristy than Lanta it didn't shock me when we pulled in to see what resembled the parking lot of a Phish concert, or so I imagine it would look. Luckily some brits had told me to hop on a longtail boat to Long Beach instead of staying near town, which is what I did. What surprised me about Phi is the water, like a green lifesaver sucked so it shines through. UNREAL! And reefs for days beginning five feet from the shore. After enduring the early part of the day without having had a swim, I rushed to a row of bungalows, secured my bed for the night, a much less glamourous situation than Lanta though more "authentic", and promptly got ready to swim. I plunged into the water prepared to swim out and see some fishies. Whoops, oh wait what was that? A school of fish already behind me in 3 feet of water. The shit is fucked UP!! Fish EVERYWHERE. Not ten feet from the shore and there is just the most incredible array of colors, shapes and sizes I have seen so far. You can even hear them muching on the coralmuch like Messy Bonnie Raitt muches clyde. I freaked. After about an hour's frolic, I grabbed a bite just in time to watch a storm blow through. Crazy clouds rolled in and the downpour just raged for half an hour. Then I started to get sad (am I getting too HRD?). Here I sat with this incredible view and no one to share it with. Not even a another traveller to chat with about it. I kind of got in a funk and realized I had to just make a plan for that evening to snap out of it. Off to the drag club I went! Unfortunately I didn't get to see any shows, but fortunately as I sat there looking out at the harbor, an adorable swedish couple decided to leave there table and ask me if I wanted company. I mean, it's crazy how friendly most of the tourists are. So I was soooo happy they came over and we spent the evening drinking and talking talking talking. Marie decided Red Bulls and Vodka would be the choice since it was 2 for one at the Tin Tin Club. So not only were we fucked up, but none of us could talk fast enough. Hilarious. Then on to the Reggae Club to watch people fall down the stairs after they left. At some point we stopped at a karaoke bar so Peter could belt out Sea Of Love and Imagine (he's like Belle and Sebastian's missing swedish member). At about 2 I decided to hop on my longtail and head home...to barf. Yeah, it was un ugly pickles night but it wasn't really the drinking per se but rather some strong cigarette I nicked off an Italian bastard. But slept like a baby afterward.
Today it was more swimming and a hike to this gorgeous viewpoint to watch the sun set. Tomorrow it's more travelling but, unlike Jackie Bigalow, I've had my fill of Phi Phi.

PS So far...Americans: 0, Gays: 0- it's kookoo I tell you.

Got My ticket to Pardise today.Leaving 29 Nov! Bangkok, Soi Cowboy, Nana plaza , then down to Pattaya to see and play with the Long Nailed Ladyboys!Now I can Get My Thai Lib Nails and Try Thai Dancing Like The Ladyboys there.You know the ones , Long and Curled Brass Fingernails. I've always wanted to have some!

"So far...Americans: 0, Gays: 0- it's kookoo I tell you."

that is paradise!

don't be sad.....just enjoy the solitude. That won't last long here!

xxxRR

miss u

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nancy Isla:

"...like a green lifesaver sucked so it shines through."

---

Hey Nance, after 15 cocktails and 15 blowjobs, you look just like the waters of Thailand almost every morning!