Recent mishaps aside, we arrived on Ko Phangan the afternoon of an infamous full moon party.
These parties started as small gatherings on Haad Rin Beach as early as 1983. They've since grown into an all-night festival of music and hedonism taking place on the evening of, or either side of, each full moon. Attendance estimates range from 5,000 to 30,000 people!
The lack of hostel availability and floods of other tourists arriving with us indicated it would be nearing capacity. That's something to bear in mind if you're going.
Fortunately we struck gold with Relax Corner Hostel in that Joe, our host, was superbly friendly and accommodating. When the air con failed to work adequately, he moved us to another room without question.
These parties started as small gatherings on Haad Rin Beach as early as 1983. They've since grown into an all-night festival of music and hedonism taking place on the evening of, or either side of, each full moon. Attendance estimates range from 5,000 to 30,000 people!
The lack of hostel availability and floods of other tourists arriving with us indicated it would be nearing capacity. That's something to bear in mind if you're going.
Fortunately we struck gold with Relax Corner Hostel in that Joe, our host, was superbly friendly and accommodating. When the air con failed to work adequately, he moved us to another room without question.
Being slightly further out from the beach was no problem either, as it turns out a tuk tuk-taxi to anywhere on the island is a set fee of 100 baht (£2.39).
We had a brief walk around the surrounding area, but with the sun blistering above we checked out a local restaurant called Kokei and Fifa. They're presumably the names of the friendly, yet slightly eccentric older couple who run the place. The spring rolls and noodles were of a decent enough quality and there couldn't be any grumbles about the price, it was an ample stomach liner.
We had a brief walk around the surrounding area, but with the sun blistering above we checked out a local restaurant called Kokei and Fifa. They're presumably the names of the friendly, yet slightly eccentric older couple who run the place. The spring rolls and noodles were of a decent enough quality and there couldn't be any grumbles about the price, it was an ample stomach liner.
We prepped for the party at the hostel bar with complimentary neon body paint and the option to play whatever music we wanted, which most of the crowd were happy to let us dictate. For its many positives Relax Corner didn't have the cheapest drinks, so we interspaced them with 47 baht (£1.13) a pop beer runs to the local 7Eleven. Needs must on a traveller's budget.
With our war paint on and belly full of booze, we loaded onto a tuk tuk to the party around 10pm. Everyone's excitement was building as we made the winding journey to Haad Rin, through an ominous looking police checkpoint and to the drop-off. The number of people traipsing towards the beach was incredible, easily 15,000.
With our war paint on and belly full of booze, we loaded onto a tuk tuk to the party around 10pm. Everyone's excitement was building as we made the winding journey to Haad Rin, through an ominous looking police checkpoint and to the drop-off. The number of people traipsing towards the beach was incredible, easily 15,000.
After picking up a bucket full of mojito for 250 baht (£5.99) and an entrance wristband for 100 baht (£2.39), we were finally on the famed sands. I must say the queuing process was really efficient and the entry cost is remarkably low for what's on offer. Back home you'd pay at least five times that for an event this size, with awful weather to boot.
Along the beach there's a mix of house, trance, reggae and all niches in between to choose from; for the first time there was actually some decent music on offer, and the atmosphere was buzzing. Different clusters of people extend out from each bar, gyrating their painted bodies, rolling about in the sand or just doing their own thing in general.
Along the beach there's a mix of house, trance, reggae and all niches in between to choose from; for the first time there was actually some decent music on offer, and the atmosphere was buzzing. Different clusters of people extend out from each bar, gyrating their painted bodies, rolling about in the sand or just doing their own thing in general.
The sheer number of people could be a tad overwhelming, and the large group from our hostel quickly splintered into smaller ones. From then on it became almost impossible to remain as a group. When you do get lost it can be a good hour before finding someone again.
Losing people wasn’t the only concern, as one friend somehow lost his t-shirt amid the carnage. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, he was rewarded with a replacement in the form of a horrendous poncho that washed up on the beach.
Losing people wasn’t the only concern, as one friend somehow lost his t-shirt amid the carnage. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, he was rewarded with a replacement in the form of a horrendous poncho that washed up on the beach.
After a few hours of partying and sinking buckets, a couple of us searched for a breather and a sit down at one end of the beach. A tarantula found itself massively out of its depth, as drunken revellers played with it as it raced across the sands.
A group of Canadians scaling the steps behind us were on the charge to find some magic mushrooms, but to no avail. Apparently the bar selling them had been raided in previous weeks. Large signs around the island warning that narcotics are illegal did also suggest that the party is moving away from previous years of wanton drug use.
Even without chemical help, the party rages on well into the next day. But with no sign of the others, two of us called it quits shortly before the sun started to rise.
We were ushered onto the back ledge of a rammed tuk tuk to the hostel, trading songs with some Atletico Madrid fans on the journey. That did help me to forget about the sketchy and precarious situation, as the tuk tuk whizzed along the winding roads. We did get back in one unharmed piece, to the sight of several casualties passed out around the hostel.
A group of Canadians scaling the steps behind us were on the charge to find some magic mushrooms, but to no avail. Apparently the bar selling them had been raided in previous weeks. Large signs around the island warning that narcotics are illegal did also suggest that the party is moving away from previous years of wanton drug use.
Even without chemical help, the party rages on well into the next day. But with no sign of the others, two of us called it quits shortly before the sun started to rise.
We were ushered onto the back ledge of a rammed tuk tuk to the hostel, trading songs with some Atletico Madrid fans on the journey. That did help me to forget about the sketchy and precarious situation, as the tuk tuk whizzed along the winding roads. We did get back in one unharmed piece, to the sight of several casualties passed out around the hostel.
I wasn't as rough as I should have been, but the next day was understandably not a productive one and it seemed the whole island was deserted. I had breakfast well into the afternoon at a French style bakery on the corner of our street. It wasn’t cheap but it was fresh and tasty, just the sort of treat needed after a heavy session.
Afterwards we found a quiet strip of beach, part of a resort in truth, to sweat out the night’s poison. There were an abundance of friendly dogs, but swimming was off the cards as lots of jellyfish had washed into the shallows from a storm a few days ago. Some of the locals seemed unperturbed as they wandered around with nets to catch them for local restaurants. One local lady did take me wading out and showed me how to spot them from streams of bubbles.
That evening we took a trip to a highly recommended Indian restaurant called Chana Masala; which is authentic, with everything being vegan or vegetarian. I opted for the namesake dish, a chickpea based curry. It was delicious and filling to boot, very close to the high quality curries we have back in the Stalybridge area (though you may laugh).
We were all showing our age by this point and in full agreement that a night of Netflix, with a full belly and lack of booze, was essential.
While most people had evacuated the island, we extended an extra night to allow two of the group to go back to ‘Death Island’ and plead for their passports. Despite their bad experiences of mopeds, I spoke to Joe from Relax Corner and got some assurances that he knew a legit and trustworthy rental company. With him acting as an intermediary, myself and another friend decided to get some to explore the island.
Afterwards we found a quiet strip of beach, part of a resort in truth, to sweat out the night’s poison. There were an abundance of friendly dogs, but swimming was off the cards as lots of jellyfish had washed into the shallows from a storm a few days ago. Some of the locals seemed unperturbed as they wandered around with nets to catch them for local restaurants. One local lady did take me wading out and showed me how to spot them from streams of bubbles.
That evening we took a trip to a highly recommended Indian restaurant called Chana Masala; which is authentic, with everything being vegan or vegetarian. I opted for the namesake dish, a chickpea based curry. It was delicious and filling to boot, very close to the high quality curries we have back in the Stalybridge area (though you may laugh).
We were all showing our age by this point and in full agreement that a night of Netflix, with a full belly and lack of booze, was essential.
While most people had evacuated the island, we extended an extra night to allow two of the group to go back to ‘Death Island’ and plead for their passports. Despite their bad experiences of mopeds, I spoke to Joe from Relax Corner and got some assurances that he knew a legit and trustworthy rental company. With him acting as an intermediary, myself and another friend decided to get some to explore the island.
Through some general nipping about the island we discovered a national park, with waterfalls and a deceivingly strenuous jungle trek. It was a wholesome change to see some nature and have a sense of achievement from reaching the top; but don’t wear cotton t-shirts in the tropics or you’ll end up a sweaty mess, like I did.
On the way back we discovered the self-professed ‘best viewpoint bar’. It was certainly high enough to contest the title, but clearly lacked regular visitors. We also passed the famed ‘slip and fly’, which was pretty vacant and seemed a tad expensive for a glorified water slide - at 700 baht per person (£16.84).
On the way back we discovered the self-professed ‘best viewpoint bar’. It was certainly high enough to contest the title, but clearly lacked regular visitors. We also passed the famed ‘slip and fly’, which was pretty vacant and seemed a tad expensive for a glorified water slide - at 700 baht per person (£16.84).
Later we searched for somewhere near our hostel showing Premier League football, with both Manchester teams in action. The streets around were eerily deserted, but eventually we found a quiet place to watch City trounce West Ham 4-0 and United scrape a painful 0-0 with Crystal Palace. A few rogue dogs made the journey back equally as dodgy.
In the morning we boarded yet another island hopping ferry, this time heading to Ko Samui and this time with all our passports in hand.
I can’t deny that the full moon party was loads of fun and I’m glad to have experienced it. In all honesty though, it’s probably a tad over-hyped compared to other beach parties in south Thailand; perhaps due to the volume of people and the ease of getting lost.
In the morning we boarded yet another island hopping ferry, this time heading to Ko Samui and this time with all our passports in hand.
I can’t deny that the full moon party was loads of fun and I’m glad to have experienced it. In all honesty though, it’s probably a tad over-hyped compared to other beach parties in south Thailand; perhaps due to the volume of people and the ease of getting lost.
My advice would be to weigh up if the date of the full moon party fits comfortably and conveniently into your travel plans, rather than rushing there at all cost. If you just want to dance on a beach there are other places to do it that are equally, if not more fun. But if you have the bucket list of a hedonist then sure, come and tick this iconic party off.