James: my week with the guys...

Heyyy everyone its James, I will be writing jays blog for him this week, this was part of the deal we had ( If I wrote about the week of my time in Thailand I didn’t have to pay him rent lol). I am just sat in kuala Lumpur airport right now waiting for my 13hr 30 minute flight back to London. Which Im not really looking forward to. Plus also the fact that I really don’t want to come back to the cold weather along with the fact that Thailand was a trip of a lifetime which I really didn’t want to end.

Below I will talk through my experiences along with the others in Thailand!

Firstly my day of travelling to phuket:

This was one long day with me flying from London on the 10th and not landing in Thailand until the afternoon on the 11th. When I landed in phuket I phoned jay who said they were on their way back from ko pang yang (full moon party) on a bus which would take them 7 hours so I said that’s cool and got a 45 minute taxi drive to chalong pier , from which I rung jay again asking him for directions to their house. After about 30 minutes I managed to find their house walking for ever in 35 degree heat carrying all my language! I tell you this was a very bad experience haha. Then I met the landlady who showed me to my room in the middle villa. I then sat and waited for the others to get back to the villa. 5 hours went past until they arrived; this was when I met Morten, Soren, Anton and Jay. They told me that Emil and Klara where in Singapore and I would meet them in a couple days. We all then went for some food at the lighthouse along with some beers and just had a chilled out evening. We then all had an early night due to us all having about 4 hours sleep in 36 hours.
apartment pic

The next day was yet again very hot, we all talked about going to the beach and in the end we decided just to chill out by the pool and play some poker. That evening we went to the sushi restaurant that they had all been talking about how amazing it was so I was interested to see! This place was amazing, set by right next to the sea with a great view out onto the pier. I tried some sushi and really enjoyed it so I carried onto eating it most evening with the others.

SOREN’S 21st:

We all knew this was going to be a fun day, we planned to go out to the beach in the day and the go out in the evening for many drinks. Buttttt it was raining, this was the first rain the guys had seen out there which was a shame for it to happen on a day we had planned to do stuff. So we stayed in playing some online poker and some bluff poker which they taught me how to play, GREAT GAME!! Then Emil and Klara arrived back at the apartments back from Singapore, Emil wasn’t feeling very well so he went to bed and Klara got ready with us and had a few drink ready to go out in Patong which was about a 20 minute tut tut drive away.
We had a great night getting Soren very drunk lol. We then headed back home in tut tuts at around 3am due to all the clubs shutting down at 2am for some strange reason and this was a rule they had for 2 weeks, no one seemed to know the reason.

(Jay And Me in Hollywood)

After all recovering from the night out before we knew we had to go to the beach today. We hadn’t managed to go there in 2 days so we decided at about 2 in the afternoon to go down to the beach to have some lunch and chill out. We all went in the sea which was amazingly warm and after about 2-3 hours there we packed up and came home and yet again went to the sushi restaurant. The food was great as usual! that night we all discussed that we wanted to go to Phuket zoo the next day in the morning.

So we all got up the next day and got a tut tut to the zoo which was only about 10 minutes drive away. We all paid for out tickets and they told us the alligator show was just about to start so we headed straight for it. This show was really good and included a guy putting his head inside the alligator’s mouth for around 5-10 seconds which is just completely crazy!
We then carried on walking around the zoo, and we walked past a tiger sat on a massive rock with just a chain round its neck, with a sign saying “picture with tiger?” we all stood there in amazement that people are stupid enough to sit next to this tiger and have there picture taken. What made the situation even more ridiculous was that the guy looking after the tiger and making sure everything ran ok only had 1 arm. We were all thinking the same thing that he probably lost it to the tiger! So not the best advertisement they could have for this attraction haha. This made not one of us want to sit there and have the picture taken alongside this hugeeeee beast who could kill you in seconds, they also had a cub that you could have your picture taken with, the cub was so cool and we all really wanted to take him back to the house! Lol

We then waited and watched the elephant show and the monkey shows which were also really good and funny to watch.

Dont think pissing himself was part of the act, hehe. (click all to enlarge)

After this we all got a taxi back to the houses and played a bit of bluff poker and sat and chilled out until we went for some dinner. At the meal Jay, Soren and I discussed and decided that we wanted to go to the shooting range the next day.


We all got up and played some poker in the morning for a couple hours and then got a taxi to the shooting range, and said to the others that we would meet them at the beach for some lunch. We decided to use the rifle first with jay showing us that he could possibly be a sniper for the army or something getting 95% which was very good soren getting 80 something % and myself getting 67% ha. Then we decided to use a 9mm hand gun which was going to be very fun, with Jay and Soren having a side bet of 500baht 10£ for the winner out of themselves. We started shooting and I was amazed at how much the small gun recoils and it was a lot harder to shoot than the films make it out to be. I won this shooting challenge because I got bulls eye with my last bullet to get 73% Soren 62% and Jay losing the side bet with 61%. We then got the taxi to the beach and we went for some lunch whilst we waited for the others to meet us. We had a good day at the beach and then got a tut tut back to the apartments where we all went back for a swim. we then went for dinner at the lighthouse waiting for 3 of Morten and Anton’s school friends to arrive that evening. After the meal we went back to the apartment and Morten and Anton went to meet the 3 girls in Phuket. They then came back and I met Felicia, Petra and Saga, who all seemed really friendly. Everyone got an early night ready for a good next day of the beach and Patong in the evening!


Most of us got up early again and played some poker for a couple hours and had some breakfast and then decided to get a tut tut down to a different beach at around 2 ish in the afternoon. The waves were really big so we all went in the sea and messed around for an hour or so and then sunbathed for the next couple hours. We then bartered a tut tut driver for 10 minutes to take us back for 400 baht when his first price was 700 which was pretty funny. We all got back and once again went swimming and got ready for the night ahead in Patong.
We all then got ready to go out for a meal at the sushi place! Now we had 10 in our group so we had to ask for a larger table which they put us on a table which made us look like VIP, which was nice! We all had a great meal as usual there and headed back to the aparments where we played bluff poker and “Fuck the dealer” which is a good drinking game! We then looked at the time and realised it was 11:30pm and that we should get and organise a taxi to Patong. Jay spent 15 minutes on the phone trying to get a taxi for all us which was tough considering there was now 10. in the end Jay had arranged a taxi to meet us down by Chalong peer. We arrived in Patong around 12:15 am which was a good time to arrive because everywhere was really busy and we started off by going to a Swedish bar which was a good laugh. We then headed to one of the nightclubs but we didn’t stay there for long because the music being played was very good so we decided to move onto the main club that me and Jay loved called Hollywood! This place played some of the best music ever and we had an amazing night in there. We finished the night off with a nice McDonalds lol and we then headed home around 4 am back to the apartments.(Swedish Bar)

(Anton, Me, Klara and Emil) in a night club in Patong

The next day jus consisted of getting over the night before, some poker a lot of swimming and just generally a chill out day. Morten, Soren Jay and I all went to a place where we could book a private speed boat to take us on a tour of the Phi Phi Islands. Which we had planned to do for the next day. That night we went back to the sushi restaurant again and then packed ready to go the Phi Phi islands the next day!

Phi Phi trip:

We all got up around 8 ready to meet at Chalong peer for 8:30 where then we would get on the speed boat to take us on a day trip around Phi Phi islands. Of course the weather was amazing again around 35 degrees like it had been the whole holiday for me which was great. We took a 40 minute speed boat trip to Maya Bay which was one of the Phi Phi islands where the film “The Beach” was filmed. This was an amazing experience, we then paid the boat driver to moor the boat on the beach so that we could get out and have a swim and have a look at the view filmed in the film.


We then headed to a great snookerling spot where we could spent around 20 minutes snookerling and diving off the speed boat!

Jay had bought the day before an underwater camera so that we could capture some pictures snookerling.
(Soren, Jay, Saga, Petra, Klara and Emil)
Me with some of the tropical fish.

We then headed to monkey beach which was great fun. Pictures below:

We fed them some of our watermelon and pineapple which we had on the boat.

We then headed to the main Phi Phi island where all the hotels and night clubs were. We stopped off here for some lunch where we found a place which kind of resembled a pub so we had to go there! We all sat down and saw this sign shown below which we all found pretty amusing!

before we went back out on the boat into the main part of the sea where we yet again did some more snokerling which was awesome! After all this we headed back to the main island to try and find a place to stay for the night. After around 1 hour of looking we hadn’t found anywhere with free rooms, so Jay, Soren, Emil, Klara and myself walked to the view point which someone told us we should go to, after around 20 minutes of walking uphill and up many steps we got the viewpoint, the view was incredible (shown below)

Jay boy looking very tired from the journey upAfter all finding accommodation we then got ready and met for 7:30 pm in the pub/bar that we had eaten lunch in where we had a couple drinks, after that we then headed to a restaurant where we all had a great meal. We then headed to one bar where we all got a small bucket of vodka redbull. When we finished these we went to the reggae bar which had a boxing ring in the middle of it, where you could take part in 3 rounds of thai boxing against your mate! So we stayed there for a while watching

some entertaining fights going on lol ! After this we headed to one of the beach parties which I have to say was incredible and something you could never have back home! We stayed there from 11pm to around 5:30 ish am so we all had a great night!

The next day we had to catch the ferry home at 1:30 so we had some lunch with the others and then said goodbye to Felicia, Saga, Petra and Klara as they were staying there for a couple more nights!
The ferry then arrived at Phuket docks (near the airport) where we got a 40 minute taxi drive back to Chalong, where we just chilled out back at the apartments with some peace and quiet due to no girls being there! Haha. That evening we all just had a couple beers but we were tired due to the heavy night out on Phi Phi.

LEAVING DAY!!

This was depressing due to me really wanting to stay atleast another month out there. We went out for some lunch and then booked my taxi for 4pm to catch my flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur at 7pm. 4pm soon came around and I had to say goodbye to everyone, they all wished me a safe trip back home and I left. Enjoying my 24 hour journey back home to Bournemouth NOT! :(

Happy 21st Soren.

I’ve been really putting of this blog entry because we haven’t been up to much other than playing poker which isn’t to exciting to write about, the last week or so has consisted of planning to go to a snake show, zoo, beach…and then grinding the pokers and not following through with plans, when a group of poker players are living together its really hard not to do what u all love and play everyday.

One thing that comes to mind about last week was are land lady whose name is Gar said she had the Sunday free and did we want her to give us a tour of the island, we jumped at the chance and set off, she took us to see the bigger Buddha which is on one of the biggest mountains of the island so everyone can see it, its only been there for two or so years I think and its still got a little work need doing to it so for the moment it still has a big hype even with the locals. It is a very bumping ride to get up this mountain but we made it and went to have a look, this thing is enormous and its so much bigger than it looks in the picture below, the view from this spot is the really something, unfortunately we only had Kara’s camera and it had close to 0 battery and we only managed to get 2 or 3 pictures.
We then headed to see some temple that has a market just in front of it, I didn’t think it was possible to but we drove right through this place to get to it, the whole road was so narrow it was like shopping in a car while at a market you could touch clothes and stuff that was on the front of there stalls, there’s just no rules what so ever its really bizarre yet people don’t seem to have a problem with anything that is going on around them. The temple was impressive and had so much detail to it, just a shame we couldn’t get any pictures.

Gar then showed us phuket aquarium, was some odd looking creatures in there that’s for sure one of my coolest was oversized fish none of us can remember these guys names but they were the size of sharks but fat looking, after Gar showed us some view points of the island that were awesome and very frustrating to talk about when you we couldn’t get any pictures. There was some other stuff that was planed for us but me and Anton fell asleep a few times in the car so she said we could do the rest another day which I thought was very nice of her.

Even before we got here one of the things we were most looking forward to was the legendary Koh Phangan beach party, we have just got back from it a few days ago and im still hung over.

It is a long trip from here to Ko Phangan in total it took us 7 or so hours 4 hours on mini bus which Anton and Marten arranged and was a great idea then 3 more hours on the ferry, it all went well and we played bluff poker for most of the ferry ride so it didn’t feel like to long, we hadn’t arranged a hotel or anything on this island which isn’t a very good idea at all seeing as everyone comes here just for this event, regardless of that we try and go to the beach where the main event is I think its called Hairain or something, anyways there was 0 rooms there, Emil had been to this island before and recommended a hotel that was 40 mins away called bamboo, this place was fantastic we also upgraded to the luxury rooms that have one big bedroom and a really nice bathroom, we got there at around 8ish and headed out for dinner, I didn’t no where this place was as it dark but we were only 50yards from the beach, there are loads of restaurants on the beach and they all put tables on the sand for you, we have eaten at some really incredible places but this one was perfect, we also saw a hotel that had rooms on the sand with internet so we have booked them for next full moon which is next month. That night was kind of a blur as we got very drunk. one bar has these sort of sponge chairs that are like pillows on the beach and you lay down and look at the sky. Out of everywhere in Thailand this beach is the best ive been to and just a awesome place to holiday.
The next day we recovered and got some things sorted for are return journey home, we also got tickets for a boat to take us to the full moon party this is the easiest way to get there as the roads are awful on the island, so we booked that for 10pm that night, we had to be home the next day because my friend James was coming out to stay with us for 10days and he was going to be at our place early the next morning, we wouldn’t be able to be there before him but we sorted out that the land lady would let him in and show him around, due to that we booked the earliest ferry home that was 7am…yes 7am and we had to be back at are bungalow at 6am for are taxi there, the plan was to party all night and head back at 5.20 on long boat then get taxi, ferry home. The ticket home we bought was 850 baht that included taxi to ferry at 6am to catch 7am ferry then coach at 9 for 6 hours back to phuket, not the best journey before the biggest party going but thought it would be better than going to sleep.

That night we had dinner on the beach again, im still in Orr of this for some reason lol, then had drinks and got are longboat to full moon at 10pm, boat took about 30mins and was much better than a bumpy taxi, its also cool to enter any party from the sea in my opinion.

We got talking to the guy in red as we gave him a beer because we had to many and found out he played World Series Of Poker last year.


when we saw the party we lit up, there can be anywhere from 8 thousand to 30k people at this event, the beach must be about 400yards wide and was completely packed full of people the closer the boat got the louder and louder the music got, when we pulled up we all jumped out and headed up, its really difficult to explain what this place feels and looks like, it was just one long enormous rave with fire shows massive wooden tables for girls to dance on and it seemed the only drink served was buckets, the buckets are deadly they are quarter bottle of a spirit of your choose then two fizzy drinks like sprite, you cant really feel the alcohol that much so these go down very quickly, after that we headed to the fire show
WAT.

that I thought we were going to just watch but Soren and Anton got pulled in and tried jumping the rope, obviously ending in failure but lucky no serious burns. Later we meet some girls that Marten and Anton went to school with that were staying there, they were a lot of fun and its was cool being in a big group.Saga, Feliscia, Marten, Me, Soren, Petra, Emil.

we did lose Soren though soon after this and me and Emil went to are meeting place to find him but he wasn’t there, after that the night was one big party and a lot of dancing, Anton headed back at 4ish I think and got a long boat that incredibly Soren was on lol. Myself, Marten, Emil, Klara headed back unwillingly at just after 5 to get back for are taxi at 6am, Emil and Klara were flying out to Singapore the next day to sort out there visa situation so they didn’t have to be up as early. When we were trying to get a boat back you see some funny stuff, people making out non-stop, boys, girls pissing in the sea, having sex and beer bottles just about everywhere, just about anything was normal.

Are boat back was a wet one back into the tide and time wasn’t really on are side as we had 15mins before are taxi was at are hotel, the whole boat sort of got wind of the fact we were going straight home and they were all cheering for us and telling the driver to hurry so we could make it, we got to are beach bang on 6am and Marten in his drunken state falls straight out the boat in front of all are new friends ahaha, smooth. Anton and Soren were waiting with the bags on the beach for us ( soren was asleep) so me and Marten ran to are room to get are stuff Marten again on top form falls over while running and takes all the skin of his knees, nothing hurts when drunk though so we think nothing of it and carry on running back and just make are taxi, then see that Marten’s knee looks pretty bad with blood everywhere, not good, Martens a drunken trooper and tells us all its no problem.

We get to the ferry just in time and head on when the guy will not take are tickets..WAT! He keeps pointing over at the front of the pier at this time we are panicking because if we miss this one the next one is in like 5 hours, Anton runs over to the place where he is pointing and runs back, he says that we are on the wrong boat lol, we didn’t even no there was two, we now have to run very drunk to the other pier 100yards to a smaller boat, somehow we just, just make it and sit down and pass out. when we get off we have no idea where we are and just walk towards any coach, we tell them we are going phuket town and they say its fine, unsure we get on and 15mins later stops in the middle of nowhere and have to all get of, apparently they have to check are tickets and then get on another coach, we are told this process takes 20mins but ends up being 40mins, we then get on what we are told is are real coach home, we drive another 15mins of a 6hour journey then STOP again at another random place and are told to all get of, WHAT! We all have to walk of and are told to sit down to wait 40mins for another coach, everyone is totally clueless to what is going on and the worst part is we are completely drunk, passing out all over the place, 30mins later a coach pulls up going to phuket town but we are told that isn’t for us…. We are really annoyed at this point and I give him 1000baht and tell him we have to get home can we please get on here, so we do and finally are relieved to be on a real coach home, my genius bribe doesn’t really go to plan as the coach isn’t full because they are waiting for another coach to come here to fill it up, we wait around 50mins just sat on this coach having to wait for it to fill, knowing that we have a 5+ hour journey ahead of us, we do finally get to phuket in the afternoon and get a taxi back to are apartment to meet James, we stumble thought the door and meet James (wthyo) who is also tired from a 15 hour flight, we head out for dinner and try and recover.

All this was by a long way are worst day ever! But the full moon party was the best so I suppose it evens out, as I said we have booked the best beach bungalow for next month at full moon party which we are all excited about already, that month there will be a change in the group as Nicklas, Johan, Shahin all poker players from the office in sweden are coming for a month, this month will be pretty insane I think and something to look forward to.

At the moment we are guna have a awesome week with James and try and show him a great time, as you see from my blog title it is Sorens 21st birthday today WOOT,WOOT. We planed on getting up early today and go get Soren cake and gifts as he is never ever up before 10.30 so we all this morning got up at 7.45 and as we are in the lounge Soren walks through the door, the shock on are face cant be described and we were in a really awkward situation with us saying happy birthday then walking out the door leaving him there clueless to where we were going, we got him a really cool cake and his favourite Chinese dish, Soren is also completely addicted to Mac Donald’s so we are getting him take away soon as its nearly lunch here, then tonight head for a meal in Patong then party, a friend of mine from school who was in the year above me called Vito and his bro Yan are also out here which Is great and they will be at the meal as well, so tonite is meant to be a big one and I wil make sure to get plenty of pictures of the birthday boy.
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you!

Yes, yes I forgot After this week well 10days of James’s stay I am going to make him write my next bog entry to summarise his week here in exchange for rent loll so that should be good.

I have a lot more photos of the beach I was talking about with some of the restaurants and bars but they are on Emil’s camera and hes in Singapore so when he gets back are try and post them

Peaceeeeeeeee.