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Published: February 24th 2011
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What have I let myself in for? Haad Rin's monthly Full Moon Party was something just about everyone I chatted to about my travel plans said was a 'must-do' for travellers in the region, and with a week to go I decided to book a bed in a hostel in the town that one of those to have previously passed this way recommended to me and experience it for myself.
I checked in at the Dancing Elephant (review
here), whose affable European proprietor David put my passport in the safe and ran through some of the do's and don'ts in the hostel and at the beach. There were 19 people in the dorm and it turned out that (though I booked independently on the net) almost all had booked from and to the same days. A lot of places I've been 19 would have been way too many especially with only one loo in the block, but here it was quite a good thing as it meant there were always people around to go down the beach or to a bar with.
During the day there's not really a wide variety of things to do in Haad Rin. There
are boat trips to other parts of the island, but I think none of us really felt like doing that after having been out partying the previous night. The shops are mainly of the souvenir type, as well as quite a few pharmacies. There are lots of places to eat but many of the ones aimed squarely at the tourist market were overpriced, however a short walk from the hostel around the back of the busier thoroughfare towards the beach there were a few better-value Thai places.
On the first night we went to a bar recommended by David on sunset beach to have some food and watch the sun go down, then the hostel put on a get-together so we had the chance to meet some of the people staying in the other dorms, play a few games and testing out the neon paint. Later a few us headed back to sunset beach where one of the guesthouses with a swimming pool out front puts on a pool party. Next day (Thursday) was my birthday, so what else for it but to party down the full moon (sunrise) beach for the first time. Though the official party night
was still a couple of days away, there were at least a couple of thousand people on the beach, the bars' sound systems were up and running and so were some of the attractions, including the infamous 'fire skipping rope'. Didn't fancy that, especially after I saw a couple of people fall over it. More entertaining (and less dangerous) was watching the Thai fire-poi spinners at work - some really impressive displays of skill. Friday was much the same as Thursday with maybe a few more people in the resort.
On Saturday, however, it was clear the resort was getting busier as people who were staying elsewhere made their way to the party. By the time we went down to the beach at around 10pm the festival atmosphere was palpable, the beach was much busier than it had been on Thursday - at a guess, across the whole length of the beach there must have been around 10,000 people dancing and partying. The most memorable moment of the night was going up onto the balcony of one of the bars overlooking the beach, and looking over the neon ravers below on the beach and the sea behind them. Very
much like being at a music festival, but in a quite different setting. (Unfortunately I don't have many photos of the party itself - that's because when I went there I left my phone along with most other valuables in the locker at the hostel rather than risk it going astray. Besides, as you've probably noticed the quality of its night-time photos isn't great).
Music-wise I heard a lot of the same pop/dance hits that I've heard pumping out from clubs and bars since KL - Katy Perry's song 'Firework', 'Love The Way You Lie' and 'The Only Girl In The World' in particular are everywhere in Malaysia and Thailand it seems, and FMP was no exception - though I'm sure other less mainstream tunes were playing elsewhere on the beach.
After a rest day on Sunday, just about everyone in the dorm checked out on Monday and headed variously for Bangkok, Ko Tao, Ko Samui or Thong Sala. I decided to stay on Ko Pha Ngan for a couple more nights rather than taking the almost certainly crowded and uncomfortable ferries and buses back to the mainland, and get the sleeper train to Bangkok later in the
week. I stayed at the Buakao Inn again which was the same place as I stopped off at when I came through on the way to Haad Rin. Next stop, Bangkok...
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Mark
non-member comment
Hahaha - love those Babelfish translations
Also see this, if you want an eg of bad translations:- www.picasaweb.google.com/ilesmarkdavid/TobaktsRestaurant#