Koh Phagnan Craziness

Koh Phagnan, a short boat ride north of Koh Samui, is infamous in backpacker circles.  The reason?  Every month on the night of the full moon thousands gather on its beach to party the night and (for those with enough stamina) morning away.  Party-goers get sloshed on alcohol and many partake in other seedy activities.  By seedy I mean drugs...no getting around it - even though drugs are illegal and offenders highly punished, they are plentiful on Koh Phagnan for the full moon party.

Full Moon Party scene

many don't make it till the end of the party

Joanne went to the full moon party around New Year's and had some crazy stories.  About 40,000 people attended the party, located on a beach less than a kilometer in length.  People were puking left and right, getting frisky in the ocean, and dancing to their hearts content.  Thailand is a relatively safe country but on that night a tourist was killed by a stray bullet.  A fight broke out at a bar and he was a bystander - just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Having built up the insanity of the party, I can't comment on it firsthand.  Mike and I missed the full moon and were visiting smack in the middle of two, so it was not possible to stick around until the next one.  Fortunately (for those who like that sort of party) the tourist friendly and business savvy on the island decided to have two half moon parties and a black moon party as well, for a total of one every week!

Mike and I were there for the Black Moon party, although it was definitely more low key than the Full Moon.  There were still several hundred people on the beach, some sitting in the sand, others dancing.  On one hand I feel bad missing the party, but on the other I am getting a little old for that kind of thing - well not too old but many of the backpackers are a few years younger, making me feel like an oldie.

buckets - mixed drinks heavy on the alcohol -
 are common on the island and can be lethal

Aside from the party, Mike and I had a nice time relaxing on the beach and exploring the island.  Aside from full moon time the area around the party beach isn't very crowded, or at least it wasn't when we were there.  Walking around at night it was actually pretty quiet and peaceful.

And to get around?  One more time we rented scooters.  The island is smaller than Koh Samui but still too big to walk, and there aren't many other ways to get around.  One could hire a taxi, but from one end of the island to the other would cost as much or more than a 24 hour scooter rental - which is only $5 a day!  Mike and I just rented them for one day, but spaced it out so we could tour the island by bike one afternoon, then ride again the following morning.  That morning we parked our bikes on a dirt road and hiked for an hour to a secluded beach.

Some photos from Koh Phagnan:

Looking at a map of southeast Thailand, there are three main islands - from south to north Koh Samui, Koh Phagnan, and Koh Tao.  We started in Koh Samui and the most logical route was to make our way north island hopping.  That meant our next stop would be Koh Tao, the last island before heading back to the mainland.

Samui, Phagnan, and Tao are easily accessible
by boat from one another

ferry routes between the
islands and mainland

Koh Tao is significantly smaller than either Samui or Phagnan - only 21 square km!  This time we didn't need scooters to get around (even though there were still rental shops dotted around the island).

 Unfortunately I had a sore throat and wasn't feeling 100% for several days, but I didn't miss out on much.  Koh Tao is known as the diving capital of Thailand and as one of the best places to get your diving license in the world.  I've been told that there are definitely better dive sites around Thailand but the waters are good for beginners and the license courses are some of the cheapest around.  Still, at several hundred dollars it is significant for a budget traveler.  Neither Mike and I are really keen on diving, so we passed.

For some reason I'm not big on diving.  Maybe one day.

At least we managed to snorkel.  I tried out Bobby's mask on Phuket but couldn't see anything in the water.  Aside from that brief experiment this was my first time snorkeling (let's just say the beach was not a popular family vacation destination).  Mike and I rented snorkel gear for the day and walked around the island to several spots the shop owner had highlighted on our map.

Sorry to bum you out environmentalists and snorkel enthusiasts - much of the coral around Thailand, especially in touristy areas, is dead.  But the story is the same in many countries.  The coral is very sensitive and simply not made for human activity - simply touching the coral can kill it.  Fortunately we did find a worthwhile area for snorkeling, with interesting fish and, although not pristine, coral still remained.

unfortunately most of the coral you will find is dead or not nearly pristine

sunset on Koh Tao

After four days on Koh Tao it was off to the mainland, the first time not staying on an island.  The trip to Bangkok was an excruciating 12 hour+ affair via ferry and bus.  I thought it best to stop somewhere along the way to break up the trip and see a smaller city.  More on that to come.