Our overnight bus drove down coast of Thailand from Bangkok to the province of Surat Thani, and from there we would take a ferry to our first island, Koh Samui. To give you a visual, here’s a map of our point A to point B
Here is a picture from our ferry ride…pretty awesome, ya?
As soon as we got checked in, we made sure to get busy. I walked across the street and rented a moped. We rode those things all over that island when we wanted to venture out and see all that Koh Samui had to offer. My first destination was the Na Muang Waterfall, roughly 14 kilometers away from the hotel. Annie, Jon, Meghan, Eva, and myself got there, hiked up to the waterfall, and took in the view.
Some other notable stops we made were Big Buddha (picture below) and Grandma and Grandpa rocks. The search for the rocks was much harder than it should have been, but we got there eventually. I don’t have any pictures of it, but I’ll provide a link with pictures for those that want to know what it is and the story behind it (<http://www.kosamui.com/lamai-beach/hinta-hinyai.htm>). Again, a picture of Big Buddha is below.
The last noteworthy thing we did on this part of the trip was attend the Full Moon Party on another island close by, Koh Phangan. Every full moon there is an enormous party on this island, and this particular party hosted roughly 30,000 people. All the bars on the beach turned their speakers out and blasted music all night long until mid morning the next day. They sold alcohol in buckets, and it was unlike any experience I’ve ever had. Some call this the ultimate partier’s experience, and I would have to agree that it is indeed just that. I didn’t dare bring my camera to this, for it would have surely been destroyed. It is a night I wouldn’t want to be fully documented, for my actions were less than coherent and were safe to say, sloppy. IT WAS AMAZING! Everyone should go, seriously. I recommend it to anyone that has the means to get there.
From here we traveled to Railay, which will be what my next post is all about!
Unfortunately I will end this post on a somber note. While on this island a friend of mine, Curtis McIntyre, passed away. He had been battling lymphoma, and unfortunately could not overcome it. Curtis, may you rest in peace.
joshfellman 
Jill Fellman
/ May 3, 2012Josh — I LOVE reading your posts. Great pictures. I am so proud of you!!
Samui Villa
/ May 7, 2012which one did you enjoy most? Koh Samui or Koh Phangan? I just want to know, because we are planning to visit Thailand in August.
joshfellman
/ May 7, 2012I was only on Koh Phangan for the huge party. Samui was great, but Phangan is more of a younger crowd (college age+) with a party scene. Samui has cool tourist attractions and is much more relaxed. You really can’t go wrong, it just depends what you prefer. If you’re looking for nonstop parties, go to Koh Phangan.