Ko Phangan, Thailand - Beautiful Beaches and Full Moon Debauchery

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Day 14-March 19th: I got up at 8:00 AM and caught the 9:30 AM ferry to Satun, Thailand. I was accosted at Thai customs by travel agents - all promising to get you to where you want to go and cheaply and comfortably. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go, but knew that I wanted to go to the Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan which is Friday March 21st, so I decided at the last minute to go straight to Ko Phangan. This meant I had a day of transport ahead of me, but would get me to the island a couple of days in advance of the Full Moon Party and give me a chance to find some accommodation.

I took the bus from Satun to Trang, waited there, then another bus to Surat Thani, only to find that we didn't get there in time for the last evening ferry. I ended up taking the night ferry, which left at 11 PM and got you there at dawn. I met 4 Swedish girls on the journey, we kept each other company on the day's journey. They just finished high school and were traveling around SE Asia. We ended up in the same boat - literally!

Day 15-March 20th: I arrived in Ko Phangan at 6:00 AM and stumbled off the ferry with everyone. The 4 Swedish girls were picked up by their resort/hotel and I was going to go with them to theirs and walk around and try to find a place for me but first I scanned the pier for other solo travelers. I got lucky and found a fellow solo traveler - Jessie from Chicago. She lives and works in Cambodia and was traveling around for a couple of weeks. Perfect! She had a reservation at a resort on the north side of the island, the beautiful/non-party side. Great! We hopped in the taxi (songthaew really, a covered but open on the sides pick-up truck. It was so cool! We had a bungalow at Coconut Beach resort, just down the path from the beach! And cheap too, considering it's the party time of the month on the island. We put our stuff down and slept. We ate brunch and spent the afternoon at the beach. We swam and kayaked. It was delightful! We showered, did some laundry and watched a beautiful sunset - life is good!!!

We met Fritz (Canadian) and Jonas (Swiss), and headed to town to see what we could see. We couldn't get a taxi to Ao Chaloklum, the nearest town, so the staff at the resort put us on the back of motorbikes and took us! What a ride! We arrived in town and walked over to the lively night market. There was food, elephants (!) music, a temple, the works! Then we took a taxi/songthaew to Thon Sala, the port/pier of the island. Nothing going on there, we ate at Beck Beer Bar and were on our way back. We stopped and used the internet for a few minutes. Our ride back to Coconut Beach was in a taxi/pick-up that was open. We were lit by the full moon - very cool!

Day 16-March 21st: The day of the Full Moon Party arrived. We sat on the beach ALL DAY. I stayed in the shade most of the day to limit further sunburn. I swam a little bit. We took an 8 PM taxi ride to Hat Rin, home of the infamous party. There was Fritz and Jonas, 2 Danes, and 2 Canadian girls who teach English in Thailand. We stuck together in Hat Rin, they ate dinner there, we visited some friends of friends' bungalow, and finally walked to the beach.

We started off our night in style - we bought a bucket of vodka/RedBull/Sprite - this is the way things work, you buy a bucket of alcohol/mixer and share with friends. The beach was packed and got more so as the night wore on. There were men doing tricks with fire batons - very cool! There were many bars/clubs, we walked and danced and drank and kept moving around all night, taking in this party scene! Fritz wanted to try some "special shakes" so we found that place up the beach. Nothing happened, I say it's a scam! 😊 I met a guy named Johnny from Canada, he and Fritz and I had a goal of watching the sunrise - the party takes place on the southeast corner of the island and the moon and sun rise on that side. We succeeded! The others went home around 3 AM but the 3 of us stayed til dawn. We danced at Drop-In til sun-up. Party on!

We had breakfast at Mr. K's, then the guys went to the beach and I went to use the internet. Then Fritz and I headed back to Coconut Beach on the other side of the island. I was propositioned by a Brit on the way to meet Fritz. I tell ya, the full moon spirit goes on into the next day! 😊

Day 17-March 22nd: So Fritz and I took a taxi back in the morning after breakfast and etc. I took a cold shower because I was way too hot and sweaty after this all-night party on the beach! I tried to sleep but it was too hot in our room. I hardly slept but it was good to rest and nap. I got up finally and had lunch around 5 PM! Coconut Beach had a BBQ on the beach and reggae music so we had a mellow evening hanging out on the beach. I sat on the beach watching the stars and the water. This is the life!

The music started at the bar off to the side of where we were sitting. I watched a praying mantis on the beach and pet the dogs that hang out at Coconut Beach. At one point, someone decided to try the tree swing that hangs over the water. The tree gave way and snapped! It fell into the water! No more tree swing, it's a tragedy! No one was hurt, but the tree swing is no more. I went to bed early-ish to get a good night's sleep! Tomorrow we are checking out and relocating to Hat Rin to be closer to the crowds and nightlife. We'll see where the day takes us!

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