Koh Pha Ngan - (Koh-Pen-Ne-Yang) 

We all know why we are here, the way of the bucket is strong with you. The island is well-known for it's monthly full moon party, and it seems the whole island parties. You see the beach of thousands gradually get the same level as drunk as you. A word of advice, do not get emotionally attached to your flip flops, as it's tradition taking off your footwear to go into any beach bar, people may get confused as to which ones are theirs on the way out. I mean you can hide them as much as possible, but chances are, your drunk as well, and now you can't find them. Mushroom mountain is another hot spot at the full mooner, you know whose been there as you walk along the beach, the giveaway is grazed knees, they tried to fly down.  

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Koh Phi Phi - (Koh-Pee-Pee) 

Heaven on earth, beautiful beaches with shallow waters, bars on every corner, dramatic scenery, Thai boxing, I'm frothing at the mouth. It's too much.  You know how they say the Thai's are loveliest of people? Well, they made an island for me it seems.  There's more?  'The Beach' is here?  Maya beach can be visited by boat, and as you enter you'll think 'Wow, I didn't realise how many boats could fit in a small cove? And didn't he jump of a cliff to get here? Ohh, yeah, movie magic. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful part of the world. Now, as night falls and you peruse the bars, you may hear an enthusiastic crowd in the centre. What are they watching? I bet it's Muay Thai. Yes. But with a twist.  You can go into the ring for a round and get a free bucket.  You opponent is whoever else wants to go in there. Fingers crossed it's a child for an easy win.  After enjoying what is probably your thousandth Changover, you can explore the many island beaches surrounding this wonder of a place. A refreshing cliff jump is a great way to feel more alive, followed by visits to monkey island.  Now, don't get to excited in swim spots because our boat did decided to leave, with me still holding onto the ladder.  Thai people are famed for being the nicest around, but even they have their limits, I hope he doesn't meet me in the ring later.

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Koh Samui - (Koh-Sam-Ew-Ee)

The gateway drug island to the full moon party, Samui is small enough to drive around in a couple of hours.  Who wants to rent a car with me? It's cheap, a chance to explore the island's waterfalls and beaches, and if you have a slight accident, the repairs are cheap.  I heard from a friend.  Whilst the beaches here are not at the same level as other islands, there is a great opportunity to learn how to dive at a low price. Of course you can learn in other places, but the lure of beach bars, Muay Thai and island shenanigans are strong.  You can find pockets of beach huts here, which are a great place to set up camp before you head over to the party of the moony.  Is that what they call it? Boat transfers are included in your ticket.  As there is healthy competition for places to stay here you can pick up a lovely beach hut, getting friendly with the local owners comes with it's advantages. They tell you the best price for tickets and can even take you to a local buffalo fight.  There nothing more surreal than hundreds of Thai's watching a fight, whilst shouting around a bamboo ring.  What was that? The eye of the buffalo I bet on?  There's 200 baht I won't see again.

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Railey Beach

You know an island is after my heart when you have to walk along the beach, climb up a rope to get to the other side.  That's where the jungle huts and cheaper accommodation is.  The great thing is seeing people arrive with wheeled suitcases and realising they have a climb to get to the other side.  It's worth the boat ride over just for that.  It's only fair as Railey Beach is a climbing destination and the hippie center in Thailand.  You can smell them from the mainland.  I kid.  This climbing mecca provides hours of entertainment, be it you giving climbing a go, or relaxing by one of the bars and drinking every time someone falls off.  At night the softly lit beach bars play reggae tunes, as you listen the the waves quietly roll in.    This place is amazingly relaxed, it scores 9 Bob Marley's out of 10 hammocks on the chilled spectrum.

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Chiang Mai (Chang-My)

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Who wants waterfalls? Of course we all do, it's humid and hot here.  The highland's of Thailand covers a huge amount of the country, about 500 square kilometres ,that's  the size of Wales.... I lied, I don't know.  But it's big. For your waterfall fix you have Mae Ya and Wachirathan which you can do in one day.  It's perfect to get the mosquito's off for a few minutes. Whilst your visiting the roof of Thailand, you can check out the village of Mae Chem.  It's terraced rice fields are a thing of beauty and will make you wonder what your having for dinner.  We all know rice will be in there.

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