Haad Rin Beach Koh Pha Ngan Full Moon Party 101

1:00:00 PM Pinoy Boy Journals 4 Comments

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ALL-TIME FAVORITE POST FROM 2010 RE-BLOGGED: Now that you've successfully arrived in Haad rin beach, home of the Original Full Moon Party, i say Congratulations for you will have the best time of your life partying in this awesome event. You tap yourself in the back. Now, relax, for the best is yet to come. With more than enough reason to remember, and come back to this island, this night is the night.

Here's a few reminders for you to enjoy the party to the maximum level. From my experience and a couple more tips from the people i met while traveling here are the Full Moon Party Essential Reminders:

1. Do Come Early.

Do come earlier than the said date of the Full Moon Party. Numerous bars and clubs along Haad Rin have started the parties two to three days before the actual event. The echoes of the blastin' music you can hear everywhere are phenomenal. As you go nearer to the beach where the parties are at, you can feel your blood pumping and as your heart beat faster, the night lives on. They say the best is just before the Full Moon where people are eagerly excited and waiting for the climax to arrive, that is the night of the full moon.

2. Find a good place to stay.

Do book your room ahead. I am a fan of just showing up, as all backpackers do scout for rooms the minute they arrive. But it doesn't work here. Some stay far from the party in Haad Rin, they want a peaceful quiet place to go to after the party so they stay on the other side of the beach. For lazy people like me, i stay right where the action is. There are a couple of places to stay. The problem is, are they vacant? On my last trip. I happened to find, yes a very cheap room at 400 baht for a room with no ceiling and dysfunctional door knob. Some guest houses and shacks offer a discount rate via internet, and will give you a free day if you book for 3-4 days. I am sorry i cannot fully recommend the place where i stayed.

3. Lock in your valuables.

Remember to bring your own padlock. Some hotels offer lockers so you can store your valuables some for free, others for a minimal cost. If you don't have one, you might just experience one of the worst rip-offs in the world. Padlocks are being sold around Haad Rin for about 100 baht. Do keep safe all your personal belongings before heading to the party: wallet, passport, jewelry, handy phone.

4. Three things to bring.

Do bring only these items: 1000 baht is more than enough for the night, a photocopy of your passport and maybe your digital camera to take photos. That's it. It's best if you have a very small sling bag that you can carry with you to store these items. Just make sure you can see the front of the bag. Keep it away from possible people passing by.

5. Get Ready.

Eat before you go out. Sometimes after happy hour, people continue drinking on to the party. Eat something so you won't have an upset stomach for a night of just drinking toxic. Also don't drink early. One of the worst things you can do at the full moon party is be drunk just before the party is at its best. Pace yourself. Drink a few beers/ sips in your buckets here and there but not too much. Some bars are good key points to start your Changs and your fuck buckets.

6. Walk Around.

Walk around Haad Rin beach. Bars/Clubs, however you call it, are literally right next to each other. With very different themes/genres of music/crowd and even ambiance, feel free to find a spot you like - from the other side, till you reach Paradise Bungalows and the rock. There's heaps of bars playing trance, jungle, drum n bass, alternative, cowboy (yes), pop, eclectic, even bossa. Name it.

7. Party! Party! Party!

Relax, and have fun! Don't think the guy beside you is trying to make a move on you, or don't think the girl beside you is looking at you differently. Not that it poses a problem right? Whether you're traveling alone or with your friends, it's best to just relax and party away. As i like to say, down yer buckets, dance non-stop and hook up with someone. The full moon party is made for the young people who are not necessarily wild but very fun. Mingle with the people around you. Smalls Talks. Intimate talks. Share a bucket. Win a friend. Dance in the wooden stage. And party till the sun is up.

The Buckets

These little guys are the king of the Full Moon Party. Apart from the rhums, singhas and changs, the buckets are the most popular choice of drink. Little buckets are filled with ice. You can opt for a hard drink you like, mostly Sang Som Rhum, some other choices include Jack Daniels and Absolut Vodka. Pour a can of Coca-Cola and a bottle of Red Bull syrup. Throw in a couple of straws. Voila. You're ready to party.

Full Moon party is at its wildest just after midnight and the party lasts till, uhmmm, there's people still dancing. My last full moon party, i went back home around 9AM and there still people around. The thing is after the full moon party the next day, there's an after party in some of the bars where you can chill-ax and drink some more. So as i say, the party never ends. More or less its... can you keep up?

8. Don't take drugs.

It's your choice, it's your life! Drugs, to be honest are not hard to find during the full moon party. But after seeing to many banged up abroad and stories that Thai policemen wearing civilian clothes are known to frequent the night of the party, you might want to think twice before popping that pill or smoking that joint or sniffing that set.

But the funny thing is what happened to me last time. As i was heading back home, i smelled marijuana. Then, a car passes by with Thai policemen patrolling doing the rounds. Ok. What am i saying? I knew it was them.

9. Don't swim on the beach.

Sorry i am using a disposable camera and all my photos are black and grey. But this is taken around quarter past 7AM.

Even if it calls you after a night of sweat, buckets and glow in the dark paints, remember this. The beach is awfully dirty. Men and women pee in the beach. The tides are usually high, and the currents very dangerous. There have been reports of drowning during the event because men and women still swim in the middle of the night.

As i look back i am guilty of this. I was with someone, and at that time, it seemed like a very good idea, and very sexy at that but now as i remember it, it was one of those stupid things you do. I swear never to swim again. Go find a place somewhere else.

10. Awareness.

The Full Moon Party is where you will lose everything. Apart from losing your sanity from the party, there's a great chance of losing your stuff. With too many people in the beach, always keep an aye on your belongings. Last time i was there, the only thing i didn't lose was my underpants. I lost my shirt. I lost my flip-flops. Heck, i carefully placed them near a flower pot so people won't see it, but of course someone still saw it. I remember looking for my sling bag after a swim in the water, it was with the bartender. Really stupid to leave your bag to someone you don't know.

The shore is as dirty as it can get. Cigarette butts all over, excess buckets, beer bottles and sometimes broken glass so be aware of where you're walking. Don't walk barefoot. It's best advised to wear your flip-flops or sandals all the time.

As in any other place with too many drunk people, one word... Caution.

11. Sunrise.

For me, the best part of the party is right when the sun is coming up. You have a very strong urge to stay sane and wait till the sun peeks to its might. The sun becomes your best friend now. And the idea that you are literally partying till sunrise is always a feat. The party doesn't end when the sun is up. Funny, but there are people coming to the party just as when the sun is up. So, enjoy till the last few hours of the party.

Alcohol is served 24 hours during the party, and as i mentioned earlier, you can go to one of the many bars that has after party where you can enjoy a cocktail or two just to down the adrenaline.

If you're based in Koh Samui or its neighboring islands, better to wait for the morning so you can go back straight to the islands as ferries and speed boats are now officially waiting for drunk, tired full moon party goers.

12. Go to sleep!

Sleep is really, really good now. Count 1-2-3 chances are you're so tired to even notice you already passed out.

13. Detox.

The next day, you will see the crowd last night just chillin' by the beach, sipping a cup of coffee or maybe tea. They swim at sometime, mostly just lounging around. Although Haad Rin beach more or less looks like a dump now, people still go here to relax. I highly suggest getting a deep soothing massage, most especially after a night of constant dancing. So, the next day after the party think less of those buckets, and more of some herb refreshments. But then...

14. Party again!

Actually Koh Pha Ngan invents parties to draw crowd. After the Full Moon Party, there's a half moon party, black moon party, blue moon party, no moon party. The chances are there's still some party goers who just can't get enough, and i am pretty sure you will too.

REALIZATIONS: I took a nap after dinner the day after the full moon party, i woke up to a really mean set of house music. As i walk up to the beach again, i couldn't hide my excitement to still see so many people partying. What did i do? You guessed it right. And the next few days were like that as well..

So you go out there, and make yourself proud. Party like you've never partied before and after, share them stories here. Enjoy Koh Pha Ngan!!!

4 Comments:

l3utterfish said...

I will follow your guidelines!

Im going this year and cant wait.

One of the best partys ever!

If you want to have a good souvenir, dont forget you can BUY online the Full Moon Party T-shirts Koh Phangan Thailand , for men with style, sexy girls and party people.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 7:46:00 PM GMT+8