Ko Phangan: FULL MOON!

I'm back in Khon Kaen for 24 hours and heading to Laos tomorrow morning! I have spent the last 2 weeks down at the islands and had an amazing time! I'll update as much as possible but may need to save the last two islands for when I'm back!

I started my 2 months summer break with a bang.. a Full Moon Party! Full Moon is very popular and a must-do amongst the backpacking community. Its basically an all-night beach party that takes place on Haad Rin beach on the island of Ko Phangan on the night of every full moon.  The beach is filled with people drinking buckets, body paint, various bars and different stages of music ranging from R&B, drum and bass, house, dance, reggae, and top 40.  The party draws a crowd of 20,000 - 30,000 every full moon and is ranked high on lists of the worlds most popular beach parties and lasts until the next afternoon.  Naturally, me and 10 English teachers decided that we had to do experience it!

Jess and I made the 25 hour trek of two buses and a ferry ride to get to the island the day before the party.  We were the first of our friends to arrive and were greeted with some drizzle which escalated to rain.  We crossed our fingers and hoped it wouldn't rain the night of the full moon.  Slowly throughout the day, the rest of the group arrived making the final count 15ish girls all staying at the same bungalow guesthouse. We had two to a guesthouse so needless to say, we took over the Triangle Lodge.  We decided to stay at a beach about 10 minutes outside of Haad Rin because it was quieter and our belongings were safer there, we had heard of a lot of theft and noise at other guesthouses near the party.  The night of the full moon was rain free and we were all armed in neon colors wearing clothing we wouldn't mind getting neon paint on.  We all piled into a songtell and were driven up and down the windy roads to the party.  Although we weren't all able to stay together as a group the entire night since there were too many of us, we were constantly bumping into someone we knew even amongst the thousands of people. I was able to meet up with my friend B.C. from UCSB, she is living here in Thailand working for her dad in Hua Hin.  The girls and I spent the evening dancing, meeting people from all over the world, snacking on some rotti, watching fire jump rope, and enjoying the full moon scene.  A group of girls and I were out until 9am and grabbed breakfast on the way home and spent the rest of the day napping on the beach to catch up on sleep! It reminded me a lot of Halloweens at UCSB, but all in all, it was definitely a fun experience!

Chelsea and Chelsea!

Jumping for joy, Full Moon sunrise!