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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“the days of partying all night long were decades behind us, and we had to pace ourselves in order to make it” |
The right place at the right time. Mardi Gras in February. Octoberfest in October. Carnivale in March. For Lenny and I, it was being on Koh Phangan, Thailand during a full moon.
Every month, thousands of party goers move to the beaches of Koh Phangan to
celebrate under the full moon. The party lasts all night until the sun comes up the next morning. Originally, we weren't planning on attending but we were in the neighbourhood at just the right time and couldn't pass up the chance.
The Full Moon Party got started a while back when a few backpackers and guesthouse owner decided to throw a party on Haad Rin beach. The party was a huge success and lasted through the night on the beach. That night happened to be a full moon. So now, the tradition carries on every full moon drawing thousands of party goers from all over the world.
We arrived a few days before the party in order to settle in. Even being a few days early wasn't early enough as most of the good accommodations were already taken. We lucked out and managed to find a small bungalow near the beach. We could see the fellow tourists around us getting into party mode.
The evening sky on April 2nd was clear and the moon was out in full glow. Waves of tourists came off the boats from nearby islands and funneled through the streets in one direction towards Haad Rin beach.
Sadly, the days of partying all night long were decades behind us, and we had to pace ourselves in order to make it to the morning. So we warmed up in our bungalows and didn't leave until 1 am. By this time, some people were already passed out on the streets and sleeping on the beaches. But the crowd on the beach was still going strong with the beachfront clubs pumping deafening trance, techno and reggae music. We walked up and down the beaches checking out the different beach parties and sampling the "occasional" Thai bucket.
By four am or so, Lenny was fading fast. He took off his watch because he didn't want to know what time it was or else he'd fall asleep on the spot if he did. The Red Bull seemed to invigorate him a bit. But not as much as singing along with Top 40 pop songs and busting old school moves at one club.
Then in the horizon we saw the sky lighten up as if somebody had slowly turned on the lights. It was a mesmerizing glow of red and blue, the most beautiful sunrise we have seen (maybe it was the Thai buckets talking). We turned towards the sunrise and started dancing in the ocean along with everybody else.
Watching the sunrise over the beach meant two things. We had survived the entire Full Moon Party and that we still had a couple of good parties left in us.
The moment was well worth the following two days it took us to recover.
Jenn and Lenny
previous travel blog entry
one beer oneder says:
Jen, I challenge you to another drinking contest, this time Thai Bucket style!