Traveling to Thailand Part 3: Koh Phangan Island and the Full Moon Party

Sunrise at Thailand Ferry Port

A beach with palm trees in Koh Phangan, Thailand

Full Moon Party Thailand Sunrise

My eyes burned, as I stared at the clock at the front of the bus at 4 o’clock in the morning. The bus rumbled over potholes. The travelers beside me slept in their reclined chairs. In the eight hours since the bus had left, I still hadn’t fallen asleep. Apparently jet lag can also, contrary to popular opinion, make it impossible to sleep. As the bus continued down the Thai roadway, I closed my eyes, readjusted my travel pillow, and reclined the chair further. The bus’s engine revved. My eyes opened. The clock read 4:10 am. I sighed, closed my eyes and pressed my neck back into my travel pillow.At around 7 in the morning, the bus pulled into the ferry terminal. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and peered out the window. The morning dusk covered the ferry lot. Coach buses lined the parking spaces beside the pier. The bus’s doors opened, everyone in our group started to rise, and we all grabbed our carry-on bags and backpacks. I turned towards Greg, as he rolled up his travel pillow, shoved it into his backpack and stretched his arms behind his neck.“How’d you sleep?” I asked him.“Amazingly,” he said, “you?”“I don’t think I slept at all. I’m pretty sure I was awake for that entire drive.”Greg frowned. He lowered his hands.“Are you serious?”“Yeah man, I think I’ve got reverse jet lag.”Greg grinned.“It’s going to be a long day.”“Yeah, hopefully I can sleep on this ferry ride.”We exited the bus. A white amenity building with a rusted, slanted roof stood at the back of the parking lot. Myself, and a traveler named Rich, walked inside. The building contained a resting area with tables and chairs that overlooked the ferry terminal, washrooms and a convenient store. I bought a container of pork and noodles (similar to Mr. Noodles), poured hot water in it, and walked back outside. My stomach churned. My eyes burned.A group of travelers from our tour (Life Before Work) stood on the edge of the pier. Greg stood with them. I joined them, stirred my noodle mix and gazed across the water. A faint outline of mountains jutted across the water’s surface. The mountain’s peaks curved and weaved and slid across the dark blue skyline.After a few minutes, pink, yellow and orange streaks streamed across the water. The top of the sun slipped over one of the mountain peaks. Everyone on the pier pulled out their phones, held them towards the sun and snapped photos. I set my noodle bowl down, pulled out my Sony a6000, and held the lens out towards the rising sun. As we snapped photos, the sun continued to ascend above the curved peaks.After a few minutes, the sky started to turn bright blue. The sunlight washed out onto the pier. Our group leaders gathered us together into the parking lot, handed us a ticket for the ferry and guided us toward the port.A large ferry churned, revved and roared at the end of the pier. A line of cars rolled up a ramp onto the back of the ferry. Water tumbled between the rotors. We walked up a metal, grated ramp beside the cars, handed our tickets to a ferry attendant and stepped onto the ferry.The ferry contained a large exterior deck to watch the turquoise water and mountains, an interior cabin filled with reclining beige seats, and a small washroom. Greg and I stood on the exterior deck, decided to head inside to try and sleep more, and then found two empty seats towards the front of the boat. Voices muffled from the exterior deck. Sun seeped through the dust and water-marked windows. I pulled out my travel pillow, reclined my chair and closed my eyes. The engine churned. The boat pulled away from the pier.As the boat thundered across the water, travelers on the exterior deck screamed. I opened my eyes, sat up and gazed through one of the windows. A line of travelers leaned over the railing. Their backs heaved. Vomit spewed down the side of the boat. I frowned, lay down across the seat beside me, closed my eyes again, shifted, sat up, opened my eyes, closed my eyes a third time, and then sighed. Greg snored beside me.After about three hours, the ferry drifted into the Koh Phangan ferry port. Koh Phangan is one of the largest islands on Thailand’s east coast. Along with its beautiful beaches, Koh Phangan is known for its famous Full Moon party, which is located on a beach, starts at sunset and ends at sunrise the next day. We pulled our backpacks out from under the seats, located the rest of the group, and filed down the ramp and off the ferry. Humidity clung to the air. Palm trees and travelers carrying backpacks and pickup trucks covered the street. Our guides ushered us towards an empty pickup truck. A Thai man stood beside it.“Ok everyone,” our tour guide said, “hand your luggage to this lovely gentleman and make your way over to the taxi over there.”Our guide pointed at a row of pickup trucks a little further down the street. Mopeds weaved between the pickups and travelers. The Thai man beside our pickup truck extended his hand. As we handed our bags to him, he tossed them into the back of his pickup. Two other Thai men hopped into the back of the pickup, grabbed the bags from the first Thai man and stacked the luggage. Greg and I handed them our backpacks. I gazed at flip flops dangling from my bag, as it disappeared inside the pickup truck bed. I frowned.We walked through the other travelers, located Chloe and stood with the rest of our group. Chloe stood in front of a pickup truck. The pickup truck carried two benches in the bed.“All right, let’s get as many people as we can into this one. We’ve got another one coming for us shortly,” she said.Greg and I studied the pickup truck “taxi.” Sweat beaded on our necks. We shrugged, propped ourselves up on the back of the truck bed and sat on a bench. Other members of our group shoved onto the bus. Our bodies crammed together. My lower back pressed against the truck’s metal lining.When our truck was full, our driver shut the back hatch, started the engine and weaved through the crowd of travelers into Koh Phangan. The truck rumbled, thumped and bumped along the cracked and curved roads.After a while, the pickup truck taxi turned into an alley between two houses, pulled into the round about at the end of the driveway and stopped the truck. The other pickup truck taxis halted behind us. I peered past the shoulders of the other travelers sitting on the bench across from me.  A golden retriever lay on the gravel and dry-grass-covered driveway, palm trees shifted in the humid breeze, and an orange-stuccoed hotel rested in front of the trucks. After a moment, one of our guides ushered us out of the truck. We all stepped onto the gravel driveway, sipped from out water bottles, as the sun and humidity swept across our bodies, and followed our guides towards the orange-stuccoed hotel.The hotel's outdoor courtyard contained a bar/restaurant, a small standing pool, and a deck area. The two-storey hotel blocked the pool and deck space from the driveway. Large palm trees and jungle bushes shaded the stone-covered courtyard. Our guides handed us our room keys over the next ten minutes. Greg and I roomed with our new friend, Jordan. Once the three of us received our key, we walked to the side of the hotel, lugged our backpacking backpacks up the white, concrete steps, and then walked down the exterior walkway towards our room.Once we were inside our room, we shoved our key card into the power slot. The air conditioning rumbled to life. Jordan flipped on the light switches. Two beds and a cot sat on the orange-tiled floors. I studied the beds. My eyes burned. I still hadn't slept since that first drunken night in Bangkok. We decided that, for the three days we were staying here, we would all sleep on the cot one of the nights. Jordan volunteered to sleep on it the first night.After we threw our luggage in our "designated" corners in the room, Greg grabbed his portable, waterproof speaker, opened the balcony door and hopped out onto it. I followed him. The balcony looked over the palm trees, the adjacent, two-storey hotel building, and the pool. A few of our tour mates splashed in the pool, drank beers and waved at us. Greg cranked the volume on his portable speaker, held it in the air, and then threw it in the pool. The speaker splashed. The music echoed across the deck. The partiers in the pool cheered."Well," Greg said, "should we get down there?"I stared back at the bed, rubbed my eyes, cheeks and chin, and sighed."Yeah, we might as well. It's mid day and it's beautiful outside."We changed into our bathing suits, applied sunscreen, strolled down to the courtyard area, ordered a few Chang beers from the bar, and lounged by the pool. For the rest of the afternoon, we partied beside the pool, as more members of our tour group joined us, threw a football in the pool, lounged on the deck and ate Pad Thai from the restaurant.As the sun started to set, our guides informed us of a pool party down the road that we were supposed to attend. Greg and I peered at each other. My gloss-covered eyes burned. Greg gaped."I don't know if I can handle a pool party right now," I said.Greg nodded."Agreed. I say we stay here, have a few more drinks by the pool, and recover for tomorrow."As the group left Greg and I ate dinner at the hotel's outdoor restaurant, sat by the pool for a short while longer, and then headed to bed. I stared at the bed, pulled back the sheets and hoped I'd be able to sleep. Greg turned off the lights. I pulled back the sheets, slid into bed and closed my eyes. A few hotel guests laughed and splashed and clanked beer bottles in the pool. The moon flickered behind the shifting palm trees.I opened my eyes, as the sun gleamed across the tile floor. I'd done it. I'd beaten this weird reverse jet lag. I hopped out of bed, sprinted down the exterior corridor and stairway into the courtyard, and ate bacon and eggs and toast at the hotel's restaurant. Greg joined me shortly afterwards. As the sun rose higher and higher above the palm trees, and the humidity thickened around the restaurant and pool deck, travelers wandered out of their rooms, down the steps and into the restaurant. Their gloss-covered, black-rimmed eyes studied the restaurant's menu. A group of girls rested their palms against their heads, ordered water and gazed out at the pool. I peered at Greg."Must have been an intense party," I said, "kind of wish we'd gone."Greg shook his head, as he sipped his coffee."Nah dude. We needed the rest. We'll party tonight."Everyone ate breakfast, drank water and chatted about the pool party until around 11 or so in the morning. Our guides appeared towards the end of breakfast. They told us they were taking us to a beach club down the road for drinks. Greg and I, and our hungover group members, grabbed our sunscreen, towels and sunglasses, assembled at the courtyard's entranceway and followed our guides out into the gravel and grass-covered alleyway.At the end of the alleyway, we walked down the side of one of Koh Phangan's roads. Helmet-less moped riders raced by us. Their t-shirts and shorts rattled in the breeze. Their flip-flopped feet changed gears. As we walked past the shops, outdoor movie theatres and street markets, sweat formed on my brow.After a while, we veered down a side street. Palm trees shaded the asphalt. We approached a property filled with white cabins with lime green roofs, doors and window frames. Our guides led us through the sand-covered property. Sand slipped over my feet, slithered between my toes, and sucked my sandals towards the earth. A large outdoor restaurant / hut, painted white and lime green, appeared. A beach overlooked the turquoise water and palm trees and distant mountains. We ate Pad Thai and Thai Curry, drank beers and cocktails on the beach, and swam in the turquoise water for the next few hours. As my skin started to burn and as the sun started to lower towards the ocean-side mountains, we headed back to the hotel.That night we all ate and drank at our hotel's restaurant, crowded into the back of a few pickup truck taxis, and drove about forty five minutes towards Haad Rin Beach, which is the home of Koh Phangan's famous Full Moon party. The pickup trucks stopped beside a river. A group of small buildings lined the other side of the river. A kick boxing arena (which was pretty much just an old warehouse space) rested beside us. I peered through a crack in the arena's door, as two kick boxers hopped around the ring, glared at each other, and started to throw kicks. Our guides pointed toward the buildings, explained that all of the shops sell gear for the Full Moon Party, and told us to be back at this spot in a couple of hours. As we approached the shops, bright blue muscle shirts, splatter-painted shorts and neon pink hats lined the shop windows. Neon lights hung from door frames. Stores displayed body paint on their walls. I peered around the shops, bars and near-empty streets."How the hell does this place turn into one of the craziest spots in the world?" I thought, "there aren't that many people walking around the streets."For the next few hours, we purchased our party gear, walked around the various pedestrian walkways, and ate dinner at a packed outdoor restaurant that lacked air conditioning. A few members of our group stayed in the area and attended a jungle rave; the other members (including myself and Greg) hopped in a pickup truck taxi back towards the hotel.The next day, which was now New Years Eve, we all walked back to the beach club from the day before, started drinking around noon, staggered back to the hotel, covered each other in neon body paint, drank some more, and partied around the hotel's pool deck. Everyone wore their neon and paint-splattered hats and shirts and shorts. A few other tour groups with Life Before Work partied with us at our hotel as well. At around 9 o'clock, we all pounded our drinks, hopped into the pickup truck taxis, and headed back towards Haad Rin.When we reached Hadd Rin forty five minutes later, thousands (and I mean thousands) of people crowded the walkways and shops and bars. Greg and I stared at the crowd."Shit," he said.We all stumbled out of the pickup trucks' beds. Our combined Life Before Work tour groups huddled together for a group photo, and then we all (practically) ran through the walkways, past the shops and towards Haad Rin Beach.Clubs and bars framed the 2 kilometer beach. About 60,000 people drank and danced and hopped through fire rings and waved glowsticks along the sand, as music thumped out towards the sea. A sign, with each letter lit on fire, read "Koh Phangan Full Moon Party 2017." Fireworks exploded in Koh Phangan's night sky. Our guides huddled us together, told us that we'd party on the west side of the beach until just after midnight, then we'd move to the middle section until around 3:30 in the morning, and then we'd move over to the far east end and party there until sunrise. I checked my phone. 10:00 PM. I studied the massive beach, peered towards Greg, and smirked."We're making it to sunrise," I said.For the next nine or ten hours, we partied on the beach, drank Chang beers and alcohol buckets, and I may have even jumped through the fire ring once or twice. I don't think I've ever drank that much in my life, or drank for such a long amount of time in my life, but, as the sun started to rise over the sea that morning, I will say that it was probably one of the most epic moments of the trip. Sure, I was still buzzed, exhausted and probably covered in alcohol, but it was worth it.So, if you're a huge party animal, this is the party for you. If staying up to the literal crack of dawn isn't your thing, it's still cool to experience such a large party and spectacle, if only for a little bit. We went to the New Years Eve Full Moon party, but, from what I understand, they hold one every month. So, if you're going to be in the Koh Phanghan area on your trip to Thailand, check and see if your dates align with one of these insane parties.The day after the Full Moon Party, I slept from 8 AM until around 6 PM, woke up, ate lunch and dinner within the span of three hours, and then slept another eight hours. The next day, we packed. A few pickup truck taxis parked in the alleyway beside our hotel. We all threw our luggage in the back of one of them, shuffled ourselves into the other ones, and headed towards the ferry port.For more articles about Thailand, check out Traveling to Thailand Part 1: Arriving in Bangkok and Traveling to Thailand Part 2: Bangkok's Temples.For more content like this, follow us here.