Ko Pha Ngan

Trip Start Sep 02, 2006
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27
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Trip End Ongoing


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Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Ko Pha-Ngan is home to the famed "Full Moon Party" every month on one of its beaches.  We arrive on the island a few nights before the full moon, and get a beautiful bungalow on a hill overlooking the ocean.  Following a wooden walkway around the nearby cliff takes us to a gorgeous white sand beach with calm clear waters.  One day we come around a corner on the walkway to find a man, sprawled out "in all his glory" so to speak.  I generally like surprises, but I could have done without that one.  The tourists here are different than the more mellow ones we've encountered elsewhere in Thailand.  They're here for the party. 

We see a flyer for a "Reggae Magic Boat Trip" and decide to go on it.  The day we go, it's very windy, the waves are choppy and the snorkelling is disappointing.  But there are two great guys in charge of the operation, Tuk-tuk and Peter Pan, who we hang out with at their mellow reggae bar.  Pan is into beadwork, and he shows me a gorgeous necklace he's made out of antique beads he dug up.  Tuk-tuk is a genius at Connect Four.  He also manages to scare the crap out of a girl during the boat trip.  During a hike to a waterfall, he climbs up a tree, unbeknownst to the group.  When the girl passes underneath, he hurls a rubber snake at her.  She bursts into tears and shakes.  Personally, I think it's hilarious, but I don't tell her so.

The night of the party arrives.  There's a lot of anticipation in the air, and plenty of painted bodies wandering around.  There are fire dancers, talented and nimble.  There is a lot of alcohol.  It becomes like the biggest frat party I've ever seen.  I'm not enjoying it, especially when I see how much garbage and glass bottles are being hurled into the sand and ocean.  It's awful.  It also happens to be Loi Krathong, a special day for Thais, during which they launch tiny boats with candles into the water and ask for forgiveness and blessings.  Pan gives us two boats.  At midnight, we take them to the ocean and let them go.  Later Tuk-tuk brings out a large paper balloon, lights it and sends it sailing into the sky.  It looks beautiful drifting overhead and we watch it until it disappears.
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