Songkran on Phi Phi Island!!!!

When I finally arrived on Phi Phi Island I went to the guesthouse I was staying at and was pleasantly surprised. It was a little difficult to find because it is a new guesthouse but once it was found I was happy! When I came with my Dad and Debby we stayed on the complete opposite side of the island on the different beach. I heard it was a party island but it didn't seem to crazy when we stayed... but now I was on the other beach and holy cow! Yes this was the party spot! I was by myself and had a single room so I sat in the lobby for a bit to see if anyone would invite me to dinner, surprisingly it worked!!! Travelling by myself has taught me that just a simple hello and wearing my blue jays hat can help me make friends. I met some guys from Winnipeg and we went for dinner then drinks. I hadn't met too many Canadians yet during my time in Thailand so it was refreshing to talk Canadian weather and food. I called it an earlier night since I was still on yoga time, except now I am on the party beach and there is a beach party every night. I can hear the music from my room.... It wasn't too loud, but I could not imagine the hostels that are right on the beach!! They are probably shaking from the music! The next morning I received a text from my friend Jenna who lives in Bangkok. She had seen my snapchat picture saying I was on Phi Phi Island and said she was coming in two days with her friend from home! No way!!!!! I spent most of Tuesday just laying on the beach, drinking beer and reading my book. The beach near me is beautiful and the water level was perfect to swim in, unlike the other beach which always seemed to have a really low tide. I fell asleep on the beach and woke up just in time for the sunset, which was stunning. I have had the chance to see many sunrises and sunsets and they still amaze me every time. As I was packing up my things a girl noticed my maple leaf towel and asked if I was from Canada. Her name was Reagan (21) and she is from Vancouver! She had also just arrived and has been traveling Asia by herself now for 3 months. She asked if I wanted to go grab some dinner! Wow being Canadian was really helping me on this trip! She was was really nice and on our walk to dinner promoters of a bar stopped to talk to us. They were telling us that the parties tonight were going to be crazy because it was the Thai New Years Eve and we should wear bathing suits. We separated after dinner to get ready and met back up at the bar we got stopped at. The bar was called Stockholm Syndrome and was awesome! Every half hour a horn would sound and they would give people free shots. They also had beer pong tables and great music. We met some guys from England named Chris, Barry and friends (I forget the rest of their names). They were staying the same hostel as me and were hilarious! They were typical boys doing stupid stuff to get laughs. Everyone was carrying around water guns and buckets of water so we were soaked from head to toe! Then most of the crowd started heading toward the beach for the big party. It was insane!! I have never seen so many people on one beach! There were 3 different bars that had a set up dance floor area and loud pumping music. Reagan and I danced the night away until our whole bodies started to look like prunes from being wet for hours! The next day April 13 was the big Songkran festivities. Songkran is all about the throwing of the water. Everyone I saw on this day had a water gun or a bucket, hose anything you could think of to get people wet! The custom originates from the ritual of cleaning the images of Buddah using blessed water. To soak other people is seen as a way of paying respect and is supposed to bring good fortune. People were also coming up to us and putting a 'chalk' on our faces. It is a mixture of water and powder and placed on you to show you have been blessed. Some of the chalk that was put on me smelt very nice too so I think also some families had put something else in it too. From the moment I walked out of my hostel I got soaked! It was the most incredible day of my life. Most businesses were closed but the Thai families that owned them were outside of their shops with buckets of water and chalk blessing people. Everyone was smiling and laughing and having the best time ever. I met a girl who works on the island and she said her roommate woke up that morning like it was Christmas! He was up bright and early filling his water gun and waking everyone else up in the house. The Thai kids were hilarious too chasing around tourist with their water guns. All day I had a chalk in my eyes, pruned fingers but a permanent smile on my face. It was amazing to see everyone celebrating this day together on the streets of Phi Phi Island. Reagan and I had heard of a pool party the day before so we decided to head in that direction. Once we got to the Ibiza Hostel we could hear the music loud and clear! This pool party was incredible! I don't think I have seen so many people in one pool before!!!! We got a bucket of rum to share and sat down to take a break from getting sprayed at by water guns. Another group of guys from England approached us and bought us some drinks. There were so many groups of English boys on the island, it's like a thing I guess for boy from England to do haha. They were all really nice guys and we decided to meet up with them later after a quick nap because we had now been drinking from 1pm-8pm and we were exhausted! Well the next thing I know, I wake up in my room with 6 missed calls from Reagan and I look at the time and it is 1:30 am... haha opps I had slept the whole night away! But also a great time to wake up because when I went to go get some water I bumped into Chris and his friends who had pizza :)  I sent Reagan a message apologizing for not meeting back up and went back to bed after stuffing my face with pizza. Jenna was on her way to the island the next day and I knew she would want to party so a good sleep in was needed to prepare me for the night. Jenna arrived around noon with her friend Liv who is so nice! They met up with Reagan and I for lunch and turns out that Jenna is staying in a hostel really close to mine! It was really nice to see a familiar face, especially Jenna's because I have been travelling and hadn't seen her in a while. We all laid on the beach for most of the afternoon. At the time I was reading the book Me Before You, so I could never put it down! It was the most amazing book! Then we went to go shower and get the sand off of us before heading out for the night. We went to a restaurant for dinner called The Rock. It was on top of a large rock... obviously, and had great food! Then we went to Stockholm again for starter drinks. Well we got buckets right away at 8pm and played beer pong, and the rest is history. We lost Reagan, then I lost my flip flops and some of my memory haha. We all woke up the next morning feeling really rough. Jenna came back to my hostel because it had better a better aircon so after we had breakfast we went back and napped. We were supposed to do a booze cruise on this day but cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday. We took it real easy!!! Worked on our tans, then Liv and I went and got pedicures. It had been 6 months since my last one, so it was time hah. I also bought some new flip flops so I could give Liv back her extra pair. We went for dinner and then to a fire show. They are very popular and always different so I really enjoy watching them. It's incredible when the little kids come out and do amazing things with sticks on fire! We went to bed early so we would be in good shape for the booze cruise. I decided to get up a little earlier so I could do the hike up to the lookout point. I knew I had to leave early Sunday morning so this was the only time I would be able to do it. It was already 35 degrees out by 10 am and the hike was more than I was expecting.... First it was about 400 steps until the first lookout point... but it wasn't the best. Then you had to walk about another 30 min up a trail to the second lookout point. I was covered in sweat and out of breath when I got to the top but because it took longer than expected I could not stay too long because I was meeting Liv and Jenna for breakfast before we left for the booze cruise. Two girls were taking pictures and I kindly asked of they would also take my picture for me at the top of the lookout point.. well this girl was serious and posing me it was hilarious! But she got some great pictures! Then I hurried down for breakfast. Going down is always much easier and faster. I had the most delicious eggs benedict for breakfast and then we walked to the pier to start the best day ever! Jenna and Liv had pre-booked us tickets for Captain Bob's Booze Cruize. It is a very popular company and known for being one of the best on the island! The cruise goes from 1pm-8pm and makes numerous stops at beautiful locations and free drinks the whole time! Well you pay for your ticket but then its free right haha. We went to the pier and waited for our boat to arrive. Other people started showing up and a group of people from Canada was on our boat!!! They were from Hamilton which was so strange because that's so close to Cambridge! So everyone gets on the boat and the rules were simple. Music loud, drinks in hand and have a good time! Our first stop on the cruise was Shark Bay. We did some snorkeling here but sadly did not see any sharks. Then we put on our lifejacket diapers and just sat in the water drinking beers. Cooper and Brendan were the DJ's of the boat playing the best music from new tunes to 90's and it was amazing! Our next stop was Monkey Beach. Usually they would stop and feed the monkey's but lately they had become very aggressive and bit someone the day before so we just stopped and stayed in the boat and watched them jump from tree to tree and hang out on the beach. Next was Maya Bay and I had gone here with the scuba boat with my dad but only quickly for lunch. This time we got to get off the boat and explore and go to a lookout point and walk to Loh Samah Bay! The guides of the cruise were awesome! We had a guy from South Africa and a girl from Australia named Eliza. We hit it off and she was super cool and only 19! I could not believe that she moved here with her friend and just applied for a job and has been here for 6 months now, amazing. They had a Go Pro that we could take pictures with. We did a super cool jumping picture with everyone on the Maya Bay Beach. By this point in the cruise everyone was starting to feel drunk. Next we went to the lagoon and holy was it beautiful. We were the only boat in this cove surrounded by huge walls of rock and it was magical. We did some more snorkeling here and saw crazy amounts of fish and the water was so clear! We stayed here for a long time we dancing and chatting with the others on the boat. I started talking to this guy Sami from Switzerland and he was so nice and really fun. After the cove we just went out into the open water and watched the sun set. It was so beautiful and everyone was jumping into the water and just having the most amazing time ever! It was dark when we got back and I was starving! They had given us a sandwich on the boat but I forgot to eat mine so Sami took me to get some dinner. Then I went back to my room to change and everyone on the boat planned to meet at Stockholm for drinks later. Well classic Melissa again went and passed out!!! I woke up to Jenna and Liv banging on my door I woke up confused and drunk so i quickly changed and went to the bar because poor Sami had been waiting there for me! We started at the one bar and waled around the streets stopping at different ones we had never been to before. Everyone on the boat had really bonded and I made friends who will be some of my friends for life now. That's the great thing about traveling, you get to meet people from around the world you would never had gotten the chance to meet, and now they are my good friends. And now I also have friends all over the world to show me their home country when I go to visit! This was a great last day with amazing people and I was sad to leave the next morning. I was also hungover and packing and carrying a heavy bag to the ferry then to the airport was not fun! Overall one of the best weeks I have had in Thailand. I know I keep saying that but they keep getting better and better, it's going to be a hard place to leave.

Island Yoga Retreat April 7-11

After the exhilarating but exhausting trip to Myanmar I was excited to then spend the next couple of days relaxing at a yoga retreat on the island of Koh Yao Noi. First I had to spend a night in Phuket after my two flights that day back from Myanmar because the boat rides had stopped to the island unless I wanted to take a private boat which would cost and arm and a leg! I stayed at a wonderful guesthouse called Moonlight Cottages. The owner was so nice and made me feel very welcomed! It was very clean and the bathroom was huge! It was nice to have a proper shower and bed after roughing it for a week. The next morning the owner personally drove me and some other guests to the pier to catch the afternoon boat at 12:30. It took about an hour on the longtail boat to get to Koh Yao Noi and the boat was nice and full! When we approached the island I was shocked by its beauty. I mean over the past couple of weeks I had witnessed some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen in my life I didn't think I would witness more! How blessed and lucky I am. The island was not crowded with tourists and very quiet. Perfect for a yoga retreat! The yoga resort was beautiful and Mary was there to greet me when I arrived. My room was right next to hers, and even though it was not air conditioned it was cute! Yoga classes were twice a day 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. I was able to go to the afternoon class. The yoga was more difficult than I was expecting. I've done beginner classes back home and videos but this was intense. It felt good to push myself and the instructor and owner of the retreat, David, was amazing! He was probably around 50 years old and filled with so much knowledge and loves to share it! After yoga class we rushed to go to a viewpoint to see the sunset. It was hazy so we couldn't see much of it, but the view was still beautiful! We then went for dinner on the beach with a group of girls from the yoga retreat. I was really happy to have my Thai food back. The food in Myanmar was amazing but Thai food has stolen my heart. I could eat pad see ew  for every meal!!! We all called it an early night because David does Tai Chi at 6:00am on the beach and I thought it would be a cool thing to try. I didn't have the best sleep because it was hot and no AC was killing me. It would just take some getting used too. When my alarm finally went off for Tai Chi i wanted to stay in bed, but I was here to get the full experience so I got up. It was magnificent. Tai Chi is very relaxing especially when the sun is rising while you are doing it. David supplies coffee and fruit before the Tai Chi which is nice because right after Tai Chi is 2 hours of morning yoga. The morning yoga was a little easier than afternoon yoga and focused more on breathing and mediating. I haven't thought much about meditation before but it is really relaxing and can set you up for a positive and stress free day. David talked a lot about the power of positive intention and if you think about something happening it will happen because you have positive thoughts about it. During meditation dream about what you want and how to achieve it and it will happen. After morning yoga we get a buffet breakfast. It was amazing!!! Yogurt and muesli, fruit, eggs, rice and french toast. I could get used to this! After breakfast Mary and I went for massages and then to the beach. This beach was beautiful and had an awesome view of the many islands and rock formations that surround Koh Yao Noi. We swam and lounged in the hammocks. This was the most relaxing island and trip I have taken so far! Afternoon yoga David kicked my butt and I was doing yoga moves I had never tried before. Pushed myself and I am very proud of the progress I am making during this yoga retreat. A couple of girls went for dinner together at a restaurant on top of a hill. It was dark so we didn't get the view but the food was amazing! I had cashew chicken and a coconut to drink, so great! Most nights during the retreat I was in bed by 9 because we were all exhausted from the day and knew morning would come too soon. It was now Saturday and and the morning started off the same as the one before; Tai Chi, morning yoga, breakfast. After breakfast the yoga retreat they set up a day trip to go kayaking in the mangroves by Krabi. We took a 40 minute boat ride to get to the mangroves, and then spilt in pairs, as they were double kayaks. Mary and I went together and had a blast! It was the hardest kayaking I have ever done because we were going against big waves and then maneuvering in between trees in the water, but so worth it! During our tour we saw monkeys who jumped on the kayaks, a king cobra snake in the water that scared the Thai guide because they are extremely dangerous, and in some of the caves it was so peaceful just to take in the beauty around me. We stopped for lunch on an island and went swimming. It was a perfect day. This was one of the coolest tours I had done, and unfortunately my go pro broke during this trip so none of my pictures were saved, but the memory is enough. When we returned from our day in the sun we still had afternoon yoga to attend. We were all exhausted and our arms sore from hours of kayaking. We had a new yoga instructor as well who took it easy on us. She focused a lot of breathing and holding poses for 10 minutes at a time. It was still difficult but a type of yoga I enjoyed. After that we grabbed dinner at a restaurant right next to the resort, and I extended my stay by a day. I was suppose to leave Sunday but I wasn't ready so I changed my last day to be Monday. The sunrise on Sunday morning was beautiful. The best one I had seen yet. No Tai Chi on Sundays but we still got up for coffee and the sunrise and then yoga and breakfast. This retreat was teaching me so much about myself and how to channel negative thoughts into positive ones. Mary and I spent the afternoon at a cafe reading our books and drinking coffee. It was a nice calm day and the last full day I would have with Mary as the next day we would be going our separate ways and then she would be going back to Boston. Afternoon yoga introduced us to another new instructor. I did not like her, she was very critical and if people weren't doing it exactly like her she would come over and say something, like sorry I can't move my leg like that I'm trying my best now leave me alone!! After we went for dinner with the great friends we had made that week; Tanya from Germany, Emma from England and Mia from New York. We had all become very close and it was sad knowing this would be our last dinner together. The next morning was bittersweet at Tai Chi knowing it would be my last. We all got a little emotional knowing it was coming to an end and we would all be leaving each other. Mary left right after breakfast and I saw her off. It was sad and I am going to miss her so much. She has been my rock and travel partner for the past 6 months. She will be a friend for life. I left late afternoon and was headed back to Phi Phi Island. It was a last minute decision to go back, but I knew it would be a good party island for the Songkran festival. I caught a boat to Krabi first because there is no direct boat from Koh Yao Noi to Phi Phi. And then once I got to Krabi I then caught the ferry to Phi Phi Island. I finally arrived at 5pm on Phi Phi Island to spend the next week exploring the island on my own. I hadn't done much travelling on my own so I was interested in how it would go.