As Seen by TV

Chaos.  Mayhem.  Craziness.

I’m slightly at a loss of words to describe the scenes of the full moon party on Haad Rin beach on the island of Koh Phangan.  I will attempt to tell me story as short as possible, because I could easily write volumes.

First of all, we were staying on the north-east side of the island (“A” on the map below), and we, rather adventurously, decided to drive the +60min trip with a 125cc motorbike (!) to the south-west beach where the full moon party was being held (“B” on the map).  I consider myself a pretty decent driver, even on 2 wheels… and this proved to be quite the test.  There is only one “road” from the village we were spending our nights, to the southern, more inhabited area of the island.  25% of the road is not paved… mix that with up to 15% slopes, some rain earlier in the day and the fact that you are in the middle of the jungle… so it’s kinda dark.   Then add in the fact that these motorbikes aren’t quite in the best shape (the headlight decided for itself when it wanted to work, while the back one didn’t work at all), also rather obviously is that because this island is so remote, there are no gas stations, so you have to fill up with fuel that is sold via plastic soda bottles and glass liquor bottles, which is surely watered down (so you’re not getting full power).

Did I also mention that in Thailand they drive on the left?

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What actually proved more difficult were the roads that led up and down (up and down, up and down!) into Haad Rin, although all paved, these carried slopes of over 30%!!!  The 125cc motorbike coudln’t even handle some of them full-throttle, just to give you an idea of how steep they were.  Even going down, the brakes fully pressed-in, could not bring the bike to a halt… so yeah, it was a little scary.  As we got closer the jeep taxis filled with party-goers also proved interesting, especially those driven by the goers themselves.

On the way back I dodged 3 bottles that were thrown out the sides and back of these jeeps (not aimed at us, but just discarded), and those were the only 3 I noticed because they landed right on the street.  Well done, bastards.

Fun fact: the island of Koh Phangan has a population of around 14,000, and the average full-moon crowd is between 10,000-30,000!

The party itself was situated around several clubs spinning all kinds of music right on the beach…while behind the clubs countless back streets with more noise, liquor, and paraphernalia in every direction.

Applying body paint and wearing fluorescent colors were a must, which made for quite the [more] surreal experience.  Also, drinks didn’t come in cups or bottles, but rather you bought a bucket that consisted of a half bottle of liquor accompanied with some mixers, ice and a garnish, and severed in a…… well, in that very bucket of course.

I opted for the vodka + sprite + red bull + lime.

So there ya go… what an experience!  I’m not aware of any list of the top party places in the world, but I’ve definitely marked another one off the list.  I’m also happy to report that we arrived back safely without any injuries or damages… well, besides my feet, which took a mean battering due to sandals + dancing + fine sand.

More information (schedules, tips, etc) about the full moon parties can be found here: http://fullmoonparty-thailand.com/, also keep in mind that in between these monthly parties the island hosts an array of other supposedly crazy party experiences… black moon parties, half moon, blue moon…. the list is endless, but the full moon party is the place to be.

I will most certainly be back… and this time I won’t be driving, or wearing sandals.

We got up super early in Phuket… taking a taxi (15min) to a van (4.5 hours) to a bus (1.5 hours) to a ferry (2 hours) to a jeep (35min) to our bungalow on the beach on the north-eastern coast of Koh Phangan island, in a village called Haad Thong Nai Pan.  Interestingly enough, the most expensive part of the journey was that 15 min taxi ride.

We were on a mission to check out the full-moon party going on in Haad Rin later that night… but Koh Phangan is a seriously beatiful island, much smaller and much much much less crowded than Koh Samui next door.  Well worth a visit.

The final night in Phuket.

These images were captured on a pier in Rawai, and FYI the street that extends straight onto this pier is a go-go bar street.  Filled with about 30+ bars on either side and packed one right next to the other, it boasts an amazingly friendly atmosphere and was great fun for some drinky drinks.  I really couldn’t think of a better [and more unholy] place to spend Christmas Eve!!

Early the next morning saw us take on our first journey of the trip.  An almost full day trip consisting of a taxi / van / bus / ferry / jeep to our remote abode on the northern coast of Koh Phangan.  The island synonymous with the infamous full-moon party.  Which was happening that night.

Motorbike cruisin’ through the hills and beaches of south-eastern Phuket.   Stopping by Rawai beach and Nai Ham, while concluding with a beautiful sunset (sort of) at Phromthep Cape (“God’s Cape”), which was made quite spectacular by in a very brief incoming storm.

Motorbike excursion up the mountain to visit the Big Buddha.  Nuff said.

Well.  After over a decade of hesitation, finally on December 23, 2011 I got my cojones together and decided to visit the #1 country on my list… Thailand.  Something had been holding me back for several years… nasty images of tourist-cluttered beaches and young Thai girls with super-old European men, ah yes… the infamous seedy sex-trade.  Both were expected, but I could only wonder how much.

Yes, some areas were indeed packed with pot-bellied tourists being obnoxious and begging the question, why on earth would you fly severalteen hours to lie down on a crowded beach filled with foreigners like yourself!? (Actually, I could give you a couple reasons… one rhymes with “no-no car”).

Luckily, I’m not into the “beach scene” (or the sex trade for that matter) as many others are, and right off the boat hired a motorbike and ventured off into the unknown.  My hotel wasn’t even located in Patong or Karon, or even Kata… but in Phuket Town, with the locals and far enough away from the loud Germans and Russians (no offense to either nationality, but these two groups were the loudest and outnummbered the rest 5 to 1… either by their sheer numbers or noise pollution alone).
But much more on all of this in the upcoming posts…

Two weeks o’ Thai comin’ right up!  Phuket, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Surat Thani, Pattaya, Bangkok and some hidden gems inbetween… BLAMMO!
Enjoy.

Some daytime shots around Suzhou… a boat trip down the canals and a visit to one of the famous ancient gardens (forgot the name, ha!).  Check out the last pic below to see the fullframe version of the pic above… quite amusing!

ps- Thailand pics coming next!

YO!  Sorry for the hiatus, but I just got back from the Philippines.  Chillin’ hard.

Back to business…. these are some shots from the ancient watertown of Suzhou, China.  From my last post you can see I had to follow a Russian delegation around for a week and half… well, their trip ended in Suzhou, so I got some much needed free time to go out and shoot my own thang.  Holla!