The last part of my adventure found me on an island off the coast of Bangkok called Koh Samet. Koh Samet is one of the lesser touristy islands in Thailand and is often where Thai people go for holiday (vacation) themselves. It was probably my absolute favorite part of the trip; so mellow, so beautiful, peace and quiet and endless, endless food. The accommodations are mostly small thai huts and bungalows that each have their own style. There is a path that wraps around most of the island where you can walk from “resort” to “resort” and get a feel for what they’re like. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that until I landed off the boat. I had been scammed by some locals on the mainland who convinced me that the entire island was sold out and there was only room left. I’ve got a pic of that fine establishment below….

Now we’re talking…true resort living: 

 They didn’t lie when they said it came with a TV entertainment system and air conditioning.

After getting scammed my first night, I managed to trade up to a place down the road; much nicer.

Cool stairs up to my new, nicer room. 

The beach at Koh Samet. 

Went on a fishing trip. We used aluminum cans with fishing wire wrapped around them for fishing poles. My friend caught a baby shark! 

 Fresh fish!

Got to chill with some turtles…

 …and swim with some sharks. They were cool.

Everybody loves the New Happy Tour. 

Love the angle and colors here. 

I took this picture at one of my favorite beaches on Koh Samet. I sat there this day and wrote all the lyrics to one of my favorite new songs: Don’t You Stop. 

This was the restaurant of the resort I stayed at.

That was my room….top floor on the right. 

Bye Koh Samet. 

Landing back on the mainland. 

In the cab back to Bangkok. 

The plan was to head down to Patong Beach at night; this was going to be the heart of the big show. The entire beach covered with people as the fireworks go off. First, a stop at the hotel next door, where they were sign posted out front: “Free BBQ dinner and 50 cent drinks” - how could I pass that up? Well, the food was amazing and I end up talking to the hotel owner and his guests and before I know it, it’s nearly midnight. The hotel is on a hill over looking Patong Beach (although it’s still a mile or so away). So, we all run up to a deck on the top of the hotel and get a great view.

Hotel owner right after the New Year.  

My Italian friends….I couldn’t understand much of what they were saying, but they were having a great time.  

Cool lighting and angle….and it was taken with my iPhone!  

And this was my hotel, Club Bamboo, the next morning.

Phuket airport…back to Bangkok.  

Back in Phuket from Phi Phi Island, I wanted to spend some time exploring Phuket on a motorbike. Of course anyone who visits Thailand (or just about anywhere in Asia for that matter) knows that most people get around on these precarious motorbike scooter devices. It’s not uncommon to see an entire family: both parents and 2-3 small children, all hanging on to these bikes as they race through town. There is little regard for traffic laws, everyone drives very fast (including on the highways), yet, there never seems to be any accidents or trouble!First stop, crossing the bridge on my way down the south side of the island.

Check out the speed racer! 

After one crazy ride up and down on a 45-degree angled dirt road, I landed on Paradise Beach.

Even Paradise Beach has it’s fair share of motorbikes. 

Then on to Kata Beach.

And Karon Beach…

Finally, back home, parking my trusty motorbike.

Goodnight. 

Phi Phi Island is about an hour boat ride from Phuket. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The boat stopped here in this cove and we jumped out and deep some snorkeling. 

 Getting back on the boat, they’d give us bottles of Thai Pepsi.  

Time to stop and feed the monkeys.

Kicking back on the beach drinking water with a straw. 

After a few days in Bangkok, I jumped on a plane and headed for the island of Phuket. One crazy thing about the airports in Thailand. When you get your ticket, it shows the gate number on it, just like I’m used to. Usually, once you arrive at the gate, the gate will have some display/sign showing the flight number, destination, boarding time, etc…usually mirroring what you have on your ticket. But in Thailand airports, when you arrive at the gate, you’re lucky if there is even a number displayed let alone any sign telling you which flight is coming; zero information! Anyway…I still managed to find my Phuket flight and arrived in one piece less than an hour later. 

Arriving in Phuket. 

After checking into my hotel, I was hungry like crazy. I walked down the road from my hotel and stumbled upon this restaurant simply called “Pop Thai Food.”  Never figured out what they mean by “Pop,” but it was good. 

Every time I walked in to town, I passed by this river.

Walking down the street in to the main Phuket town. 

 Phuket has temples too….who would have guessed?

 I’ve always wanted a rich hair cut…you should have seen me!    

I spent a few days in Bangkok. My Thai friends took me to some temples I had not seen yet….you can never see enough temples.   Nearby this temple, we headed for the coast along Bangkok (I think). There we came upon a pier where all the birds hang out.    

I flew from Tokyo to my favorite city in the world, Bangkok. Some people are not too fond of Bangkok, usually preferring the beautiful islands of Thailand. The islands are indeed amazing, but there is something special about Bangkok that intrigues me. The energy, the people, the vibe; it just makes me feel at home.  I stayed in the same area I stayed before…Soi 11. Here’s that same building across the street from my hotel. I’m not sure what it is…but it looks cool.  Cruising down Soi 11.  

I traveled from Kyoto back to Tokyo on one of the fancy trains, getting in to Tokyo around 8pm at night. Switched trains at some point (so glad I was only traveling with my backpack) and eventually arrived back at ol’ Shinjuku station. The next 2-3 days I spent throughout Tokyo: Shibuya, Harajuku, Gotanda and a few other places I cannot remember the names of.

 Everybody loves the Condomania condom shop. 

I asked myself “when’s the next time you’ll be in a grocery store in Japan?”

 For my last meal, I had to try out the Vietnamese place in the basement shopping area of my hotel.

Bye Japan…off to Thailand! 

Dam, I’m so lagging on updating my blog…I returned from my Asia 2 months ago and I’m still only on Day 8 of my trip! Anyway, after arriving in Kyoto from the train through Nagano, I woke up and headed across the street for some great Indian food for my brunch/lunch. After this, I jumped on a bus and headed for one of the temples people kept telling me to go see: Kiyomizu Dera. Again, without speaking the language, I was very lucky to have gotten of the bus at the right stop. As I stepped off the bus, I looked up a narrow, long and winding road with little shops on either side. There seemed to be a good deal of people heading up this street, so I figured this must be the way to the temple.

  It was a rather long street, with dozens of shops on the way; at some point I stopped and got myself a green tea ice cream.

At last, I reached the top of the hill. Behold:Kiyomizu Dera! 

Still wondering what these are all about - beautiful! 

 At night, I walked for hours. This was a street musician jamming some great tunes next to one of the main subway entrances.