Delicious Thai food wherever we went. Number 6 Restaurant was one of my favorite places I ate at, with lots of authentic food. 

Cheap massages anyone? (no happy endings please)

Being able to get by with Chinese! Once again, speaking Mandarin has come in handy and helped me get by.

Taking a trip to Big Buddha. 

Picking up seafood at Banzaan Fresh Market. Bottom floor filled with fruit and live seafood (where you will pick your own) to bring upstairs to have them cook whichever way you want. 

Going out drinking in Patong Beach and Bangla Road. Lots of cheap drinks with easy transport to and from the area with tuk tuks, and lots of fun bar games. Many places will have the bar owner play games and if you win they will buy you a drink. (Forewarning: it’s hard to win, but fun to play!) They have hammer games, tic, tac toe, etc.

Going to the Full Moon Party! We took this gnarly tour bus (just us + 2 other people), that provided full transportation to and from the Full Moon Party. Few thoughts below on the experience... 

• Full Moon Party is interesting because it can be as debaucherous as you want it to be or as tame as you want it to be. Entrance inside is $2, and everything else you can buy ad-hoc. Whether it’s alcohol buckets ($5 for an alcohol bucket filled with a soda, alcohol of your choice), food (there are small carts outside with fried food or you can eat at a sit down restaurant), or activities (face / body paint, massages, shopping) the festival is filled with anything you could possible want to do.

Kayaking through James Bond Island. Cool kayak experience, where they will take you inside a cave.

Seeing elephants up close. Recommend elephant sanctuary vs riding elephants (which I didn't know about until later!) for animal ethical reasons.  

Be careful of getting ripped off. While always a worry in any foreign country you go to, it is especially prominent in Thailand. IE, if you miss your bus for the Full Moon Party water taxis will literally charge you upwards $100 for a ride back home.