Full Moon Festivities!


The Welsh / English group I had traveled with in Laos was headed to Koh Phagnan for the Full Moon Party on May 25th.  As it turned out my flight from Germany back to Bangkok arrived on the 20th, so I decided to join in for the fun.  After a night in Bangkok plus a red eye overnight train I met up with the gang on the 22nd.


While traveling in Vietnam they had met an American who owned a hostel on Phagnan and he booked us for five nights at his place.  The hostel itself was quite nice, but it was a ways away from the full moon beach.  We had to take a taxi, or more appropriately a pick-up truck, to the party beach (all taxis are either pick-ups or moto bikes).  It really wasn't that bad; the drive took only 15 minutes, plus we rented out scooters to drive around the island as well (though not for the night of the party - I wouldn't want to try and navigate those hairpin turns after a few too many drinks!).

Here is a map of Koh Phagnan; the Full Moon Party takes
place on Hat Rin, bottom right.  We were staying close to
Ban Tai Beach, about a 15-20 minute ride away
the road to Hat Rin (Haad Rin) can be tough
to navigate for an inexperienced moto driver

During the group's tour of Vietnam they also picked up three newcomers - two from England and another from Wales.  In all we were 10, and I was the only non-Brit!  Well actually a Thai joined us too.  Remember the guy I called Frank (whose real name shall remain a secret)?  Well he was the infamous one who managed to fall in a fire pit in northern Thailand.  While recuperating at the hospital in Chiang Mai he met a Thai girl (worked at his guesthouse) who felt strongly enough about him to make the 2 day journey down to visit.  Must have made a good impression!

During our stay on Koh Phagnan we accomplished little of real, genuine cultural value.  To put it another way, our experience centered around drinking and parties.  I'd usually be ashamed to say that; I do drink but like to have a good balance.  To be fair we did tour the island by scooter and chow down at a fabulous night market, but when on Koh Phagnan the drinking and partying is the main attraction.

you don't go to Koh Phagnan for a cultural experience;
luckily there wasn't as much trash or as many hippies
when I was at the Full Moon Party

Every night we were on the island there was some sort of party going on.  The first night was actually lame; a pool party next to our hostel turned out to be a gathering of 20 people, half from our group.  The Jungle Party the night after made up for it though.  There's not much to explain, the name pretty much says it - a party in the middle of the Koh Phagnan jungle!

The day before Full Moon we went to another big party, at the Coral Bungalow pool.  Surprisingly none of us managed to get in the pool, although the water wasn't exactly sanitary.  I guess it's a good thing I wasn't drunk enough to jump in and risk catching an STD!  Just kidding (kind of) but the water was gross, and more than one couple was getting frisky in the pool.  I missed it but my friends spotted a girl bent over the side taking a drink of the water!

the Coral Bungalows pool party

On to Full Moon.  How can I describe thousands of teen and 20 somethings (maybe a few older folks sprinkled in) raging on a beach in Thailand until the sun comes up?  Epic is all I've got.  May is the low season for tourists, so the party had lower attendance than previous months.  Despite that the beach was still crowded.  It was actually nice to have fewer people; there were still more than enough to make it a huge party, but not too many that I couldn't move around and have space to dance.

the craziness on the beach lasts all night

Two famous traditions for Full Moon are body paint and buckets.  Many party goers paint themselves neon and wear bright colors to match.  There is no specific way to paint, just add your own designs, patterns, or words to your or your friends' skin as you please.  The second tradition, the alcohol bucket, is more of a mainstay on all the Thai party islands in general.  You can fill up with a plastic bucket full of your favorite liquor, energy drink, and soda for a quick buzz (or blackout).  Drink them cautiously...advice not often heeded for the Full Moon.

buckets are everywhere on Haad Rin
Locals sell various body art...
...but many prefer to paint it on themselves

Not all of us managed to make it until sunrise, but it was worth it.  When we left to get our prearranged taxi at 7am the party was still going.  It had cleared out considerably but hundreds of people were sticking around, dancing to their heart's content.  Dozens more were passed out on the beach.  It was a crazy atmosphere to say the least.  There was even an after party that picked up as the Full Moon Party wound down, so you didn't even have to sleep!  As for me I got excited when I realized the NBA playoffs were on TV back at the hostel starting at 8:30am or so, but only managed to stay up for the first half (Spurs beat Memphis is OT, would have been a great one to finish watching).

The night after Full Moon we took it easy and laid off the drink for a change.  The following night was our last on the island, and despite our 6:30 am pick up time for the ferry, we made the rational choice and went out once more.  We made it back to our dorm by 5:15 in the morning, got nearly an hour sleep, and it was off to Koh Phi Phi!  What a shitty wake up...I slept through my alarm and first thing I heard was 'Ben, the taxi is here we have to go.'  At least we could sleep on the boat and bus ride; the trip to Koh Phi Phi was scheduled to take us 8 hours.

I didn't take any pictures on Koh Phagnan (better to keep my camera safe) but here are a few photos of our group that have made their way on to facebook:

our group just got larger and larger
On the beach as the sun rose after the party was dying down

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From Busan to Osaka

Image
On to Japan! By the time we checked in to our hotel in Busan it was after 3 am.  Continuing our trend of sleeping in, Andrew and I didn't get started until after noon the following day.  Busan is the second largest city in Korea, and although its beaches draw lots of domestic tourists during the summer, the city isn't known in the West as a tourist destination.  Well Korea in general isn't high on many Western tourists' radar, but those who do come tend to flock to Seoul. We took a bus from Seoul, in the northwest, to Busan (sometimes written Pusan) in the southeast.  South Korea is about the size of Ohio, so a cross country trip is pretty quick. When it comes to beach weather in Busan May is hit and miss; it was still the beginning of the month and the highs were stuck in the 60s, so the beaches were quiet.  I still want to see Busan in the summer - I wouldn't expect to relax so much as awe at the crowds.  In the summer months it gets so crowded
Read more

Training in DC and Prep for Georgia

Image
As mentioned a few posts ago, I took a new job back in the US starting in mid-January. I flew back from Japan to my hometown in Ohio at the end of December, arriving just in time for New Year's. My initial contract in Japan ended along with 2020, so it didn't make sense to start a new one for a week or two in January. This way I was also able to spend time with my parents and my sister and her husband (who live nearby) before moving to Washington, DC. In addition to family time, I had a lot of administrative tasks to take care of before the move; my new job is with the government, which involves a long, at times frustrating onboarding process. I had to fill out several HR packets, arrange temporary housing for my training in DC, decide on consequential things such as life insurance and thrift savings plan contributions, and choose my healthcare plan. By the way, why is healthcare so complicated here?! The electronic form listed over 200 healthcare options to chose from! After e
Read more

My Dad and Uncle Visit Korea, Part 1

Image
Even before I left for Korea last November, my dad had mentioned that he might try and visit me.  In the past he has suggested trips only to say that it was just a hypothetical later on.  So when he finally booked a flight for a visit in the summer I was quite surprised.  Both he and my uncle flew in to Seoul on the 31 st of July and then also went to Japan together for four nights.  Here is a recap of their visit: My uncle (far right) and dad (second from right) were headed to Seoul! Korean public schools get over a month off for summer break in late June and August.  On the other hand, the private institutes (like the one I work for) often have much shorter breaks.  During the summer break from public school parents sign their kids up for extra classes at our school, so we actually are busier!  What a great vacation for the students – a full day of English classes!  My break was four days long (well six if you count the weekend), from Tuesday, July 31 st th
Read more