I've spent the past two weeks on the islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in Thailand.  I traveled first to Koh Phangan to take part in the Full Moon Party, a massive gathering on the beach that lasts past sunrise the next day.  It's a strange event with buckets consisting of concentrated red bull (Pretty sure it wouldn't be FDA approved), soda, and an alcohol of your choice sold at every corner and all along the beach.  Neon clothes and body paint are essentially uniform and activities involving fire provide recreation for inoxicated partiers.  I'm proud to say that I did not partake in any flaming jumproping, limbo, or attempted fire dancing while consuming buckets.  A wise choice, as most people were walking around with bandaged appendages by the time Full Moon finished.  Also, Full Moon isn't exactly a stand alone event.  There are parties every night leading up to it that are similar affairs on a slightly smaller scale.  So by the time the Full Moon was over I was more than ready to get out of Koh Phangan.

Neons, body paint, buckets, and friends.

From Koh Phangan I headed to Koh Tao, a common post-Full Moon stop for many backpackers.  While the Island is not nearly as filthy as Koh Phangan, it has still seen the effects of a massive boom of western travelers thanks in part to the Full Moon Party.  A few of the people I was travelling with had been there only a few years ago and mentioned how much the Island has changed which is sad to hear.

Flaming jump rope at a Koh Tao bar.  Completely normal for Thailand.

I went diving for the first time in Koh Tao and after getting over the initial shock of breathing underwater, it was an amazing experience.  The coral and aquatic life was not as vibrant or varied as what I saw while snorkeling in the Perhentians, but was still very beautiful and having an airtank made it possible to get a closer.  While many people take advantage of Koh Tao's low diving prices to get certified, a three day course, I did only a single day discovery dive.  I wasn't sure how much I'd use an open water certification after I leave Thailand and also enjoyed snorkeling as much as I did diving, which is way easier and cheaper.

Koh Tao early morning before the beach got crowded.

Another first in Koh Tao was Queen's Ladyboy Cabaret.  Ladyboys are a sort of third gender in Thailand and cabaret shows are very common.  While I've seen many ladyboys walking around Southeast Asia, this is the first performance I've witnessed apart from a few fire dancers on the Perhentian Islands.

Ladyboy Whitney Houston with backup dancers.  Too soon?

While my weeks on the islands have been incredibly fun, I find myself getting a bit lazy.  Okay, maybe a lot lazy.  You realize when you decide you're too tired to move from the beach to get a massage (less than 10$ for an hour massage is difficult to resist) it's probably time to get away from the beach and get some new experiences.  After an overnight boat ride and two short flights I arrived in Sandakan, part of Malaysian Borneo.  I've already done some rainforest trekking and seen orangutans.  Today I leave for a three day river boat cruise that came highly recommended from two girls at my hostel.  After that, I'm thinking I'll head to Kota Kinabalu to see if I can book a climb up Mt. Kinabalu.  Borneo has already been a wonderful change of pace and I have high hopes for the rest of my stay here.

Rainforest trekking!

Orangutan!  Mama and baby at Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary.