We arrived in Koh Phangan after a 7-hour bus trip, a 3-hour wait in a building, and then a 3-hour boat to the island of Koh Phangan. The ferry was heaving, everyone was going to the same place, for the same reason, for the “World’s Best Party”.
We booked into our hotel, I had chosen this. It was about 25 minutes away from the main area so it was very quiet and chilled out, probably a bit too chilled really. It cost £6 every night for a round trip into town, which is pretty expensive when you are travelling on a budget.
Thailand is a lot more expensive than the other areas in South East Asia and dearer than last year when I came. Our hotel cost us £30 per night, which is pretty expensive in Asia.
We chilled out for a few days ready for the Full Moon Party. The day came and I did not really know what to expect, after going to Magaluf, Kavos but this was just unbelievable.
Everyone gets dressed up in dayglow tops, shorts, headbands, etc so they look as bright as possible. 20,000 – 30,000 people go to each one and this one was rammed. The Full Moon Party is on the beach, with about 20 bars all playing different music, and different DJs. There are slides, fire throwers, and fire ropes that people were trying to skip over. The place was mental.
One thing I did notice, not just that night but every night I have been out, is there is no trouble, no fighting, and no atmosphere like it is going to kick off. Everyone is happy and all want to have a good time. It may sound daunting with so many people in a small place, but it was brilliant, easily the best party night that I have ever had.
On the beach and all the Soi’s sell buckets, basically a bottle of whisky or vodka with red bull and Coke, sprite, etc all for £2.00. One of these is all you need for a good night.
This place is a party island, there are pre-moon parties, after-parties, warm-up parties, and pool parties. The list goes on
Well, we went to find some friends we had made in Laos and were not very hopeful of finding them with so many people about. When we got out of our taxi Heather was standing there by total coincidence so that was easy than expected. Her boyfriend had gone to 7-11 for some booze to get it even cheaper. We all then followed them to meet some of their friends, and we all then drank at the hotel.
After a few hours, we headed to the beach. Everyone was getting dayglow tattoos, and drawings on them. I went for a full moon logo on my arm.
We bought some buckets and headed down to the beach. After an hour or so Greg said to me that his bucket was shit and had no alcohol in it, he was moaning he had been ripped off. Then, about 30 minutes later he suddenly just said “I AM F**KED UP!!!” His eyes had gone and looked high as a kite, god knows what was in that bucket he was loving this party even more.
As we wandered down the beach we soon realised we would not last long together as none of us had dayglow paint or shirts on. So we made an emergency stop at a beach seller and we all bought dayglow headbands and we all looked like a really shit boyband.
I lasted until about 4 am and had to call it a night, my legs had gone, and I just wanted my bed. I headed for a taxi and managed to get one for 150 baht.
I sat opposite a girl and her accent sounded familiar, she was from Preston so I decided to chit-chat for 20 minutes while the taxi was dropping everyone off which was taking forever. I wish I had not opened my mouth, little did I know she was coming back from the party as she and her sister had fallen out and she then told me all about it, moaning about it. “I can’t believe we have fallen out” “we never fall out” “she says I am too slow to understand this and that..”. It was a painful ride back to my hotel.
I did not hear Joe and Simon get in, they apparently got in at 9 am. When we all woke we realised that Shaun was missing. At 11:30 am I saw him outside the room, staggering around, laughing his head off to himself trying to focus his eyes to see us, he was a proper mess!
How he found the place I will never know. He actually did not even make it to his bed, he fell asleep on the stairs. Simon and I had to roll him onto my bed. I then went into his room to catch up on sleep.
That party was our final goodbye. Simon, Joe, and Shaun headed to Phi Phi then on to Oz, and Greg was going to Bali then heading to Hong Kong and China and I was pretty gutted as I loved spending time with them all and so glad I met them all.
I decided to get a bungalow in the middle of town so I was closer to everything. It was £10 per night.
I was so bored during the four days I had to wait around for my boat back to Bangko. I had spent 5 weeks with them and we had all got on really well, I was gutted it had all ended, but I was also excited knowing I would be seeing Holly in a few days. I can’t wait!
I went into the town every night for tea, you know when you are in a place too long when the waiter shakes your hand, takes you to your seat before you ask where to sit and I was even able to order without opening the menu. I gained a stalker at this restaurant too.
I was watching football and she appeared from nowhere. She got her invoice book and ripped a piece of paper off and gave me a pen and said, “Name on here”. I panicked and gave her Simon’s details. Little did I know she had her blackberry on her and then started to try and add me. Thankfully Simon’s profile picture had me in it.
She kept coming and sitting with me when I came in, the food was so good, hence why I kept going back. Each time, she would just stare at me. One time, she carried my apple juice over to me and fell over a step as she was too busy staring at me instead of looking where she was going. Another night I ordered a chocolate milkshake but it was too sickly so sent it back. Two minutes later, guess who appears. Carrying the milkshake, she says “You do not like my milkshake?”. I explained there was too much chocolate in it and then says, “Where is your girlfriend, you break my heart.”. She took the milkshake away.
I went for a massage every night to pass the time. One night I decided to get an Aloe Vera massage, it was a bit more expensive but I knew it would help my tan. I got the massage it was awesome. When I went to pay at the front of the spa/salon there were about 6 of them just sitting around. They all talked in Thai and then one made me pull my shirt up (this had never happened before). Then she decided to rub more in my chest and back, whilst the others were speaking, giggling, and saying “Ohhhh”. It was pretty weird.
I then sat outside reading my messages and two of them came up to me and asked what I was doing. I just said, “I am just messaging my girlfriend”. They then wanted to know how many I had and wanted to see a picture of her!
On my last night in Koh Phangan, my hotel decided to have one of their “world-famous pool parties”. One night I needed a good sleep and I had every knobhead running around wet, pissed up making loads of noise as I was trying to get to sleep.
The following day I got on the boat to Bangkok so I could meet up with Holly, the 3rd time I had been here on this trip. We got dumped off the bus in the middle of nowhere, some German woman went crazy that it was not Khaosan Road. In the end, the driver got 10 of us in the back of a pickup truck and drove us to Khaosan Road.
Well, I got out of the pickup truck, and at first, I did not quite understand what was going on. I soon realised. I was in the middle of the opening night of Songkran. The most mental thing I have ever seen in my life!
The whole road was full of Thais and backpackers armed with super soakers, buckets, and hose pipes and they seem to love to get me. The idiot carrying a backpack in the middle of a water fight. It was so obvious that I had just arrived. I could not get to the £4 a-night hostel I was wanting to get to, so had to jump in a hotel, costing £16 per night 🙁
Songkran is amazing but it’s also mental. It goes on for 3 days with people just squirting each other, throwing water and this gunk stuff on each other. It is great to see, but after a while, the fun soon wears off.
So far I have walked 10 metres and each time turned around soaking wet. It’s crazy. There are people in the world on a hose pipe ban and you get all these Thais just throwing the shit around needlessly.
Holly arrives tomorrow, after 54 days away it has been one of the hardest things I have done. She has been amazing. I have to say that without her at times on this trip, I would have lost the plot, homesickness, stress, etc, she has helped me with it all. The last time I went to Thailand for a month, my ex Katie made my life hell and ruined my trip. Holly this time has made my trip. I am just gutted that she has not been with me from Day One!