So, I did my best not to notice the name of our destination for as long as I could. I really didn't realize exactly where we were until we started talking to Susann, a German friend we made onthe ferry ride from Surat Thani. She asked if we planned to go to the Full Moon Party, and sudden;y it clicked.
We were on our way to Ko Samui, an island on the gulf side of Thailand, and we were there to experience the infamous Full Moon Party. I had completely forgotten I said I wanted to go and that it was that night. The party takes place once a month during the full moon on the island of Ko Pha-ngan.
I'm not sure what to say about this party on the beach... First, of all we got there late, as in Midnight, which for the record is only halfway through the length of the party. Boats to the island start around 4pm and go until 7am. I think we would have enjoyed the festivities earlier on, since the later it got the sloppier everyone else became.
After a very choppy speed boat ride over, we pulled up to the docks to see crowds of people waiting to depart. They resembled a Dali painting: a collage of bright colors melting off the dock, emanating a disturbing vibe. We we re not sure if we should turn back around or not...
Since we paid a lot of money to get that far, we decided to go for it. Directly next to the docks and the entrance to the party were tables covered with every type of American late-night grub you could imagine, i.e. pizzas, burgers, fried chicken, more pizza, etc.
The streets were lined with carts selling buckets of liquor drinks, body painting "artists", and shops offering the necessary artillery for the Full Moon Party: neon-colored short shorts, tank tops, and glow sticks. We were surrounded by a sea of tan bodies dipped in neon green, pink, and yellow, glowing in the black lights placed above all the streets.
After getting painted (Susann got a 7-Eleven sign, I got a sunburst, and Ves got a butterfly on his lower back) we made it to the club on the beach. Let me give everyone who may be reading this a disclaimer: the description of this part of the evening should be rated R, but I am going to keep it PG-13.
There were multiple bars on the beach, all blasting different club music, which didn't matter since the whole scene felt like a surreal dream, or nightmare. Bodies were every direction you could see, dancing on the beach, dancing on the bars, laying/passed out on the beach, playing in the Gulf water, or using it as a restroom...Lets just say, you couldn't pay me to go for a swim within a five mile radius of that water!
Amazingly, all of this didn't compare to the fiasco of trying to get off the island. Im going to leave out some details and just say, crowds of drunken people aren't always the most aware, and security officials in certain countries aren't always the most fair or considerate. But after two hours of trying to get on a boat, we finally made it back in time to catch a gorgeous sunrise.
The remainder of our time in Ko Samui was spent riding a moped around the island to see other beaches and temples (Big Buddha), and swimming in our infinity pool that overlooked Chaweng beach and the Gulf of Thailand. Did I mention Ves got us a room at a Baan Hin Sai Resort and Spa? I felt like a queen hopping from the pool to our air-conditioned room with a bathtub. Yay birthday week!
Memorable moment: Having dinner on a deck overlooking the water. The full moon above us, lights twinkling on the other ends of the island, and fishing boats floating by in the glistening water.
