WAKING UP ON A DIFFERENT ISLAND5 min read

THE NIGHT

Not one to rest up for the biggest night of the year, the entire room did the usual in the dorm: bottle of Sangsom, a few games, and Notorious XX playing in the background. The people in our room were all different, but it was a great group.

Aled, Phil, and I knew the Welsh guys Nicola (Tits) met would take to us like a duck to water. Showing any sign of slacking off the drink was not an option with those two around. If we slowed down, they made sure it didn’t happen.

LOTUS BAR

After quite a bit of whiskey, we headed to the jammed Lotus Bar! Our nights always end in complete mischief! Not one to snitch, but Jac suggested getting better value for money from the drinks stall. I made my first mistake by borrowing a bottle of Sangsom, which led to me going AWOL.

WHISKEY IS DANGEROUS

How do you drink a bottle of rum in the bar you took it from? Easy, split it into your already full Sangsom Buckets, then a forfeit for someone to down the rest. After topping up our buckets to the brim, there was still a quarter of the bottle left, so we decided to play a game of 5s, which goes like this:

A bucket is kept in the middle of the group with each person keeping one finger on the rim. On the count of three, each person decides to keep their finger on the bucket or remove it, and it is taken in turns to guess how many fingers will remain. I was first up, guessed correctly, and gave out a huge sigh of relief and a subtle fist pump.

However, I was not told this was against the Gentlemen’s rules of imbibage, and you were not permitted to celebrate but to take it gracefully. That’s when I knew where this was headed. In the end, I was left staring at the four smug faces of my buddies. After a deep breath and zero delays, I downed it in one and tried to take it well before carrying on with my night.

WAKING UP

Little can be said about the rest of the night until 6am the following morning when I woke up below a park bench somewhere unfamiliar. Even more bizarre, people were casually sitting at the bench as if there wasn’t someone unconscious beneath them. Although I know Koh Tao pretty well and it’s not a big island, I was so confused when I woke up.

I knew I was in Thailand but had no idea where I was before, during, or at that moment; I had a complete mind blank. Using Google Maps was the only way to see exactly where I was, and as soon as it came up “Koh Tao,” I sighed with huge relief.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The booze might have just taken its toll, but at least everyone I was out with came looking for me when I disappeared…NOT! Cheers all 🤣! I’m sure “waking up on a different island” sounds hard to believe, but it’s 100% the truth. I don’t think I’ve ever had a blackout quite like it. If I hadn’t downed that bottle of rum and all the drinks before it, I would’ve bet my passport that my drink was spiked. With buckets, it’s hard to keep an eye on your drink. Something could still have happened, but it’s good to see my survivor instincts kicking in as I took refuge under a picnic table.

SIDE NOTE

I took the next night off before New Year, and we all went to Thaita Italian Restaurant, hands down the best restaurant on Koh Tao. I must make it clear that it’s not a claim but a fact. Please visit if you have the chance, and don’t forget to book ahead. The five of us ate ourselves into a food coma, and it never felt so good! I managed to reach dessert before I started taking photos, but take my word for it!

NEXT UP

The biggest party in Asia awaits us, New Years Full Moon on Koh Phangan. Click to read.

SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
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This post is part of the South East Asia and Thailand Series, click to explore