Koh Pha Ngan

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Ko Pha Ngan A minivan, a bus, a boat and a sawngthaew (a pickup truck w/ two benches in the back which acts as a taxi) later, we finally got to Ko Pha Ngan. It was a pretty long day and we were happy to get settled in a guesthouse called 'Same Same' (hahah) at the beach town of Hat Rin - ground zero for full moon party action. Like the gilis in Indo, the island caters to backpackers and tourists on vacation. Hat Rin beach consists of mostly restaurants, tourist information offices, guesthouses and resorts, and most importantly, stalls and stalls lined up along the beachfront selling plastic buckets full of a mickey of alcohol, redbull and coke (selling from $5-10!) Every night here there is a party on the beach where everyone dances crazy-like to trance music while sipping out of their buckets. The first night there we joined the party and had a lot of fun crashing around 3:30am only after buckets, dancing, and skipping with a flaming rope! hhaha they love their fire 😊 The next 5 days were spent more or less the same - partying at night and sleeping on the beach during the day. We did though, go one night to Thai Boxing which was so fun! I didn't expect to like it but it was great! The fights were very impressive and it was fun to get really into it like all of the locals do - yelling and cheering the whole time. The funniest fight was at the end - an American woman vs. a Thai woman. It was hilarious. I am positive I could punch better than they were - their match was more about flailing and laughing than fighting 😊 We for sure think that the American came here as a tourist, took a boxing class, then decided Thai boxing is her calling in life and now is trying to make it as a professional fighter. Too funny. We also did a day boat trip around the island which was pretty cool, since parts of the island are only accessible by boat so we got to visit some secluded beaches and explore and swim in waterfalls. That night though was the much anticipated (by Tory!) half-moon party. Hat Rin is famous for it's monthly full-moon parties which are attended by 10,000 plus drunken & high backpackers who party until dawn on the beach. Since we had missed the full-moon party, we had to settle for the half-moon which was more or less the same except was more like a rave in the middle of the jungle. Hahah. More buckets with about 25 straws each, black light, painted bodies, delicious spring rolls at 4am and dancing until light. Unfortunately it rained but it was still fun. The best part though was finally getting back to 'town' and eating crepes w/ bananas and nutella, then pizza with two Canadian guys that we had met on the ferry over to the island. I've never eaten anything more delicious! hahah After a day of recovery on the beach, I was pretty beached out and was ready to move on. So next, I am taking an overnight train to Bangkok on my own then am meeting up with Brooke Kelly, a friend from home in her town of Saraburi (she's teaching english there). We plan on going hiking in one of Thailand's largest and most renowned national parks. I'm so excited to get back into the jungle!

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