The Full Moon Party began in the 1980s when a group of people came together on the beautiful Hat Rin Beach on the island of Ko Pha-ngan and partied under a full moon. Over time, it became a regular event where once a month, on a full moon, hundreds, and now thousands, of people from all over the world meet on Ko Pha-ngan for one big party.
Our hotel organised a van to drive us about 30 minutes to a boat on a random beach, which took us another 30 minutes to Ko Pha-ngan. It was a bumpy boat ride with some major splashes, and by the time we arrived, I felt and looked like I’d just been for a swim!
The roads in the town were lined with UV body paint spots and shops selling neon clothes and LED flashing hats/glasses/jewellery. It was tempting to spend silly money on all of these things but sensible Anna thought the better of it, mostly because it seemed like something I’d forget to wash off before I got into bed, but also because more money for beersies and buckets.
Buckets are a thing here. For 300-500 baht ($15-25 ish) you can get a cocktail in a bucket. A bit sketchy and I’m not convinced it was always what they said it was. I made Jonny watch the guy make mine to be safe, but we had to get a couple of them, right? When in Rome.
As the evening went on, the beach got more and more packed. Every beach bar had a DJ blaring something different, and there were fire and light displays in every direction. It was actually a lot of fun and it paid to just become one with the chaos.
The average age was probably 25, but there were all ages from children to 70s, so I didn’t feel too old. It was a very well organised event for the most part, rubbish bins plentiful, heaps of food stalls, and even a safe sleep zone for those who needed it.
The earliest return boat was 1am, which we managed to miss. So back on the 2am boat and in bed by 3am. Not bad for this Nana.
The next day was a bit of a slow start, but I’m stoked to feel mostly alive. Most of my day was spent swimming, reading, napping and enjoying cocktails by the pool. A perfect final day in Thailand.
A Small Adventure 