Day 21 - Koh Phangan: Full Moon Party!!

I arrived in Koh Phangan by ferry and took a minibus to Haad Rin Beach, where all the festivities take place. I've learned not to use any of the taxi drivers directly within the ferry terminal area, as they charge twice or three times that of the drivers on the streets if you walk just a few minutes outside the area. I'll gladly welcome any money saving opportunity, because every little thing does add up quickly, and I want to prolong my trip as long as feasible. :)

I checked into my hostel in Haad Rin around 3pm. I haven't stayed in accommodations like this yet on this trip - a mixed dorm style room with 16 beds to each room. My original plan was to do quite a bit hostel hopping, but the prices of traditional hotels and bungalows have been so affordable, that I haven't minded paying just a few bucks more for the privacy of my own room. This wasn't the case this time - because of the Full Moon Party, the cheapest room in the vicinity was $168 a night. :/ The hostel was much more appealing at $30 a night, which is still pricey compared to the $7ish rates at most Thai hostels this time of year.

With ear plugs in, I decided to take a nap before the party. This rager apparently runs until 8am the following morning, but even with a nap, there is no way I could do that anymore!!!

I grabbed a few party supplies after my nap (a flower headband and some body paint), readied myself, and headed out at about 9.

 

The scene at the beach was insane!!! The Full Moon Party started here in Koh Phangan in the 80's as a beach birthday party for some guy, and it just happened to fall on a full moon. Story is, that it was so much fun that they had another party the night of the full moon the next month, and it just grew and grew. It's now celebrated by anywhere from 8,000-30,000 partiers on this island alone, and the party has spread to islands all over SE Asia, who also participate now.

A couple hours in, I ran into a few people that I met last week in Koh Samui, so it was great to see some friendly faces among the thousands of strangers. Had just a few beers - no shroom shakes, laughing gas balloons, or buckets of handmade Thai booze for this girl (all being sold on the beach). Lol

 

 

I'm not one for raging all night parties, but all-in-all, it was a really fun night. If nothing else, the people watching was fantastic! The fact that it's probably the biggest and most famous party in the world made it a "can't miss", and I'm really glad I was able to experience it!

I called it a night at around 12:30, when guys began getting too aggressive, and people just starting getting a little too crazy. Of course, I was the first one back at the hostel, so the bonus was I got a few hours of sound sleep before all the kiddos began stumbling in. ;)