Full Moon Party and Chillin’

The wind continued to blow, but that did not stop Robin and I from going to the legendary Full Moon Party.

After a dinner of Tom Ka Koon, Laab, and vegetable stir fry, Robin and I hurried back to our bungalow to catch the evening taxi to Haad Rin for the Full Moon Party. We had learned our lesson from the ride to Thong Nai Pan Noi and made sure to find a ride back to Haad Rin where we could sit inside the vehicle (as opposed to holding on to the back of the pickup with a mouthful of jungle dust to look forward to). While everyone else held on for dear life in the back, Robin and I rode in style in the cab.

We were dropped off a few blocks back from the beach and within a few feet of the party. The streets were lined with dealers of booze sold by the bucket. Literally, there were rows of little plastic buckets stuffed with ice and a bottle of hard liquor accompanied by a can of soda or juice. Still early at 9pm, we walked past restaurants packed with partiers preparing for a night of serious mind alteration and body locomotion. Robin and I made our way to the beach where the main attractions were located. Haad Rin was now a long stretch of powdery white sand lined with bars and black lights, and thumping with bass.

Techno, trance, house, and electronica music was pouring out onto the beach, the fire dancers were just warming up, and you could still walk freely from one end of the beach to the other. Robin and I were doing just that. We walked from one end of the beach all the way to the cliffs on the other end of Haad Rin.

We found a comfortable table at a bar with a view high up above the main event and watched as the beach filled with people. Our quiet bar turned into a happening party as people continued to arrive, and we met a group of Australians drinking “magic mushroom” shakes. They were just traveling through, and we were soon wishing them a “good trip”. By the time Robin and I made it back to the beach, The Full Moon Party was in full swing.

I, however, was on a full-fledged search for black lights and space. I had brought my flags with me and would not rest until I could sail them in Thailand. About two thirds of the way down the beach, I spotted the perfect space. An empty bar filled with black lights was waiting for me. The music was definitely too loud, but the opportunity was perfect. My flags glowed and twirled in the black lights for a good 30 minutes, and by the time I was done, I felt pretty complete with the Full Moon Party revelry.

Robin and I bobbed about through the crowd that was slowly becoming insufferable. The crowd squeezed in on us, but before we were in the clear, an enormous scaffolding lit up with fiery elephants and letters that said “Amazing Thailand”; not to mention the number of people who had decided it would be fun to climb up this scaffolding and take their clothes off.

By 2am, it was time to catch our 4X4 taxi home. Again, we were fortunate enough to be inside the cab; and though this time I was pressed up against the inside of the cab by a drunken Irish girl who decided she had to lay down no matter what (hey, better that than barf on your knees), I was just happy to be on my way through the jungle back to a quieter piece of the ocean.

We have spent today lazing about and doing nothing really. A little napping, a little eating, a little walking on the beach, a little kicking a ball around has been the only activities we have partaken in today. The weather has still been… to say the least… crappy, but we have a new destination on the horizon. Tomorrow, Robin and I leave for Koh Tao, apparently the world’s second best diving and snorkeling site ever. We will finally be able to break in our snorkeling gear on some seriously stunning waters!