Full Moon Party

It's hard to describe the feeling one gets when arriving to Ko Phangan in the days leading up to the Full Moon. It's much like the excitement you may have when attending a very popular yet exclusive party, or some large-scale televised event like the Oscars. (I don't know what it's like to go to the Oscars, but I can only imagine). In the nights leading up to October 14, the beach at Haad Rin Bay had transformed from a swimming and water sports beach to one of the largest outdoor party venues ever imaginable.


The Gang


The Gang painted up

All along the beach lies different bars and clubs, each one with a different theme, bragging a larger sound system, and flashier lights and decorations, and a better DJ. A handful of clubs specialized in attracting a crowd with their impressive nightly fireshows, which featured local Thais spinning flaming sticks and ropes at extremely high speeds. Other clubs set up large platforms for dancing, and blasted music so loudly that it could probably be heard miles away. Countless "Bucket Stands" filled any remaining free space along the beach front. Each 5 foot plot featured different lights, decorations, and hilarious messages spraypainted on the makeshift storefront in hopes of attracting any passerby who might be any bit thirsty. I had never heard of the term bucket until arriving in Thailand, but the alcoholic beverage is extremely popular with European backpackers. Basically, its one giant cocktail served in a bucket with 5 straws, intended to be shared by a few people. (The reality is that many consumers purchase their own bucket with false hopes of lasting the entire night).


Just a bit of the fire...

We had a great deal of fun the two nights before the full moon party, since there was still a beach party every night, and several hundred people filled each club. But on the night of the Full Moon, the beach exploded with people! (About 7-10,000 from what I heard in a local's estimate) Travelers from all over the island and from nearby islands flocked to the beach by ferry, motorbike, and taxi beginning in the late evening. By 11pm, about the time we arrived at the beach, it was very hard to navigate through the crowds. We did decide to sport some glow in the dark body paint (a popular thing to do) that would be seen in the UV lights from club to club. The night went by in a flash, and we managed to stay awake for the sunrise on the ocean's horizon.

In all honesty, I'm not too much of a party person, but this was nothing like we had ever seen before. What was more interesting was really just the growing excitement that could be felt in the days leading up to the party. It attracts thousands of people from dozens of different nationalities. In addition, most of the party-goers are fellow travelers who are close in age and have adopted similar traveler's mindsets. When one travels, whether alone or with friends, one is pulled out of his comfort zone and forced into challenging and unpredictable situations. As one adjusts to backpacking and staying in hostels, naturally one becomes more friendly, always willing to meet more people and discover different cultures and stories through conversation. Sometimes it starts by turning to one's neighbor for travel advice, or meeting another group of backpackers in a hostel lobby and sharing stories. Other times one can just stumble into a random conversation with someone he/she recognizes from another part of the trip.

In Haad Rin, I was fascinated with the massive yet short-lived city of travelers that forms overnight and then disappears at sunrise. The loads of travelers that fill the island come essentially because other travelers will be there. During a moment of reflection one night, I thought to myself how we, as human beings, naturally gravitate towards other people. We like being surrounded by others, and not too many people can live in solitude. For example, there is a unique enthusiasm when going to see a movie in theaters, and much of that comes from the social surrounding that is created. Many people have home theater systems that can easily recreate a movie theater, but we still enjoy being around others. For a backpacker in Thailand, the Full Moon Party is very similar in that sense. One large-scale event, weeks of hype, and an impressive social outcome. On a smaller level, I was impressed and somewhat surprised by the friendliness of so many groups of backpackers we randomly met. For instance, we were walking down the beach the night before full moon when we bumped into a large, sweaty, jolly guy from Melbourne. I just gave him a nod "hello" and he instantly reached out his hand and introduced himself with a huge smile. Seconds later, as Kush introduced himself, the man hugged and picked him up in an act of excitement and accidentally flipped him over. It resulted in one big laugh from the surrounding crowd, and it made for quite a memory.

We left the island the following day extremely tired. We've had our fill of partying.
Here's a picture of sunrise the morning after: