The fluorescent gear
The Full Moon party happens at Haad Rin in the island Koh Phangaan. Almost 20000 people party on that one night every month. Crazy is not quite the word to describe it. Starts in the evening and goes up to the next day afternoon. I have a lot of respect for the people who last till the next afternoon! :D
Crowd walking towards the party
Okay so going here is simple. On the day of the party, ferries move towards Koh Phangaan at a pretty high frequency. People wearing fluorescent clothes, walking in an imaginary straight line with a sober smile, and with fluorescent face paint (not always on the face) is a pretty common sight. It is a good idea to reach there by evening 7 and move out before 4 in the morning, when the entire lot decides to head home.
Once you enter Koh Phangaan, all you can see in every direction are people! Faces painted,armed with buckets and energy of 10 red bulls packed in them! Oh before I forget to talk about it, you know one of the nicest things Thai is the Thai bucket! Alcohol in this country is sold in these small buckets. Pick your choice of poison, pick the mixer and you're good to go. Instead of the lame glasses and stirrers, you end up with a bucket full! Sounds more and is definitely more fun! :) Very moderately priced too.
The first stop once you enter Haad Rin!
I was later told that what I painted was REALLY bad!
So, we picked our first round of buckets and face painted each other silly. In preparation for the party, I was pretty happy and high even before the ferry entered the island. :P All geared up, we went to the beach. The party scene there is unbelievable. And when I say unbelievable, I say it in a very good way. The beach is divided in music zones; each one churning out a genre of very dance-like-there-is-no-tomorrow numbers. Ropes are set on fire and there are slides with the sides all lit up in flames. And well, good sense takes a hike and the bruises are forgotten till the next morning, while people happily indulge in daredevilry. The one thing really commendable about this party is that twenty thousand drunk people party here together; yet no one bothers to trouble you even a little bit! Everyone was content in their own space. If you were a girl reading this, you would understand the sense of glee and relief.
All the fire stunts
That night at Koh Phangaan is pretty hazy in my memories. A haze of dancing like an idiot, buckets changing hands till I lost track of whose bucket was it anyway and a tremendous lot of fun! I do remember a man on crutches dancing on the top of a very rickety wooden stage! Madness is the norm of the night. Anything else would be deemed insane. ;)
Some of us!
You don't have to be a 'party animal' to go here. I mean, really! Who came up with the term in the first place! Did you see some dogs getting their groove on, and decided that folks who like to party are animal like? :-/ Anyhoo, all I am saying is get some buckets, throw out your shoes, feel the sand under your feet and dance! Everyone needs that dose of craziness once in a while.
And that was the last bit of the Thai trip. From there, we headed to Bangkok (by bus!) and then our flight back to India. A lost umbrella and a little more shopping. On that flight back, I think we were mulling over where next! :)
P.S - Don't go in the sea for a dip during the full moon party. Its where EVERYONE pees that night!
