Wake, eat, walk to the beach ... repeat

Day 94

Day 95
Day 96

You get the picture

Sorry its been so long since our last post. Until recently it has been very uneventful, but in the best way possible. We accomplished one of the things we originally set out to do, find a nice beach and sit there for as long as we could stand it. Turns out that's about 12 days.

Since leaving Cambodia we high tailed it to Ko Samui, which is a nice little island in he Gulf Of Thailand. We spent two days in a great resort and then moved to a beach on the other side, Hat Lamai. We stayed there another 3 days in a little bungalow about 40 feet from the water. The water and the beaches were beautiful but they weren't the best for swimming. That's why we decided to head to Ko Pha-Ngan many days earlier then anticipated for the Full Moon party on March 10th. We figured go early because we knew in the days following up to the Full Moon Party tens of thousands of people would be arriving. We headed to the northeast corner of the island to the bays of Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi.

There we found yet another bungalow on a beautiful stretch of beach backed by turquoise water. We figured we would sit there until the party and then head out. So we spent our days laying on the beach. Occasionally we got up and ate something. Our hotel had a restaurant right on the beach. I don't know what it is, but food always tastes better when your barefoot on the sand. Most the time was spent walking up and down the beach while working on our tans.

Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi

What a view

We were very excited about the Full Moon Party. Everyone had told us so much about it. The day had finally arrived. The night was perfect with a clear sky and cool weather. The big bright moon beamed down upon us from above. Transportation was a bit of a hassle, since we had retreated to the secluded part of the island and it was about a fifty minute ride in the back of a pickup on dirt roads.

By the time we arrived to Hat Rin, the beach where the party takes place, we were covered with dirt. The roads were clogged with taxi's from all over the island delivering tourists to the party. We had high expectations for the part and I must say personally we were super disappointed. The great part was that it was a huge party taking place in a beautiful location. Thousands of people gathered on a beach all getting down. The part we didn't enjoy was the fact that the sound systems were so closely placed. Each bar had a great sound system, but they were so close together that all the music bled together. So unless you were right in from of a huge speaker, all you heard was the train wreck of music around you. The music was another major disappointment. All the djs seemed to play the same type of spring break club music. It was some of the worst, most generic music I've ever heard. When Sandstorm is one of the better tracks being played, you know it's bad. We expected to hear a wide variety of music, but that simply was not the case. Around 1 am the beach was so covered with bottles and buckets you could barley walk on it. The water was also off limits due to the amount of people using it for a restroom. We planned on being at the party until 4 am, but at 2 we were looking for a taxi
Full Moon Party

You pick the bucket and they mix it all in it

In general, there were thousands of people who had a really great time. There is a lot to be said for that. The fact that so many people from around the world can get together for a good time is in itself a beautful thing. It just wasn't our party. I imagine it's what Ibiza must be like with hoards of drunk people getting down to cheesy dance music. Anyhow, we were there and I have the wrist band to prove it.


We left for Bangkok two days after the party. We decided an overnight train was the best option. The trains here are quite comfortable and nice. They regularly come by with food and beer. We met two Americans from Oakland, CA sitting in front of us. They offered us some of the Thai rum they had and things progressed from there. In a few hours we were drinking with the beer salesmen and had a small yet lively party going on around us.

The train was mostly filled with people returning from the full moon party, so the party atmosphere was still heavy in the air. I have to admit that night we were the stereotypical brash Americans getting drunk and causing a ruckus on the train. We were not alone however. We had people from Austria, England, and Israel all helping to create the spontaneous party. We awoke early the next morning in Bangkok, my head spinning and my stomach turning. The heat in the train station did little to comfort us. We left the fellows from Oakland asleep on the benches and made plans for our next adventure. Kanchanaburi....yea that sounds good.


-a loose interpretation based on a true story seen through the eyes of Miguel