Full Moon Party

Here in Thailand the island of Koh Pha Ngan is famous for their monthly “Full Moon Party”.  Back in the 80’s this beach party started with about 50 people and since then has grown to over 10,000 people.  The party starts at sunset and continues until sunrise. 

Since the island is only a quick ferry ride from Koh Samui and my friend Sarah’s brother Ben and his friend Eric were going to be there I decided head over to see what all the hype was about. 

A 30-minute ferry ride later I arrived to Koh Pha Ngan.  It was only 4pm but already I could feel the energy in the air.  The streets were crowded with people getting ready for the party, painting their bodies in UV paint, wearing neon colored clothing.  Down on the beach the bars and hotels were setting up their sound systems, dance stages, sectioned off “sleep areas” for those who might want a little nap during this madness, and of course first aid stations (many people end up cutting their feet on broken glass). 

Lined up and down the beach were little stalls selling beer and “buckets” of mixed drinks.  Here if you want a mixed drink they pour a half pint of alcohol and some kind of soda into a plastic bucket and serve it to you with several straws.  One bucket and you are pretty much done.

The people started to flock to the beach around 7pm and by 12am the party was in full motion.  There were so many people crowded on this little strip of beach that you could barely move.  Each bar was blasting a different kind of music and it seemed that everyone had a bucket in hand.

By 4am I was done with the party madness.  Unfortunately our hotel was right where the main party was happening so trying to actually sleep was nearly impossible.  I think it was around 8am when the music finally stopped.  Eric (who took all the pictures I posted) happened to be out and about during that time and said that there were still a few hundred people out dancing and having a great time.

It was definitely an interesting experience but for me once is enough…

Home Sweet Home

After days of endless searching I have just signed a lease on an apartment I will call home for the next 2 months (maybe longer).  There are actually quite a few long term rentals to be had on the island but not many within my price range had my 3 main requirements: air conditioning (a must during the hot season), wireless internet, and a kitchen.

The rentals that were about $300/mo had no air-con and the kitchen consisted of a tiny refrigerator and a microwave.  Acceptable to some but not me.

The rentals in the $400-$500/mo range had my 3 requirements but were far from anything meaning I would have to rent a motorbike in order to get anywhere.  It’s common knowledge that Koh Samui has some of the worst drivers anywhere.

The place I ended up renting is in the $600/mo range which is much more than I wanted to spend.  I actually spent the night rationalizing spending this much when I could spend half that amount (and likely suffer from heat exhaustion).  The next day there was an email from my friend Jimmie (who knows Koh Samui like the back of his hand) and without even asking his advice he said that I should settle down in the Bophut area of Koh Samui which is exactly where this place happens to be (and very close to the beach).  I smiled at that coincidence, contacted the owner, and signed a lease.  I move in on Monday.

Becoming a Night Owl

The hotel I am staying at is really great and is owned by this young Czechoslovakian couple and it seems that every guest (except for me) is from Czechoslovakia.  They're a great bunch of people and they tell me that you don’t typically run across too many Americans here on the island or even in Thailand.  Too far from home I guess. 

For the past few days I’ve been researching places to live for the next month or two which has been great since it’s too hot to do anything during the day but stay in the air conditioning or swim in the pool/ocean.  But even then, the water is just as hot as the air so there’s really no relief (John, you would love it!). 

I've realized I’m going to have to change my normal pattern of going to bed early since night is when the temperature is bearable and everything comes alive.  Maybe I’ll finally be able to train myself to stay awake past 10pm :)  

3 flights and 28 hours later …

I have finally arrived in Koh Samui :)

And it is crazy hot (see below "feels like 113 degrees")!!!

Earlier, while waiting for my connecting flight at the airport in Phuket, Thailand I decided to take local currency out of the ATM.  I approached a row of about 7 ATM machines and feeling a little overwhelmed, chose the one that seemed most respectable - The Bank of Bangkok.  The ATM machine took my card and I asked to withdrawal 3000 baht (about $100) and just as it was making the sound like it was getting ready to give me the cash the electricity in the entire airport went out.  A moment later the power came back on, the ATM machine spit my card out, but right after that the machine stopped working – no money.  I had a feeling that they charged me for the money I never received so I went online to check my bank balance sure enough, there was a debit for $93.65 … On the positive side at least the ATM machine gave me back my card.