Full Moon Party

Every month, around the 9th-12th"ish", backpackers all over South East Asia start making their way to the island of Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Beach! In fact, most people plan their entire route/iteneraries around making sure to fit one in! Just like the "when/if you've been tubing yet," "What Full Moon Party are you going to?" is a common topic of conversation amongst travelers! I had originally planned on going to the November Party but decided to do it in October because of how many friends I had met along the way that were going to be there!

So after our 4 days on Phi Phi island, the English boys and I began the full day journey that included a boat, mini van, coach bus, another boat and finally another mini van! We had heard that the nights before and after the party were actually more fun. We made it in just in time to shower, change clothes and head to the beach area to be reunited with Ryan and Jo, who had just done a quick 3 day trip through Cambodia and a 6 day stint on Koh Tao island where they got their Scuba certifications. We were so excited to see them again, and I was pumped to have my bucket partner back!!

The next day was spent mostly sleeping and preparing for the night's festivities! I'm all about looking the part wherever I am or whatever I am doing. So, I headed out and bought a fancy new hand-painted tank top and a couple neon bracelets for Elliot and I, and then we headed over to meet up with the rest of the group and begin the painting process! One thing I new about the Full Moon Party was that the more neon paint you could get on your body the better! So we got after it, adding velcro monkeys and flashing rings somewhere along the way!

 

 

We then paid 300 Baht, about $4, each to get a ride in the bed of a truck across the island to Haad Rin beach to join the 20,000 other people ready for the night's festivities! Lots of buckets, dancing, and fire shows entertained us for the rest of the night! I had planned on dancing my way to sunrise as most people on the beach do, but apparently I had too much fun on Phi Phi island and crashed out at a weak 2AM! That was still plenty of time to soak in all the outrageousness that is Full Moon Party!

The next night I took in a traditional Muay Thai Boxing match with the boys. And, of course, got talked into going back down to Haad Riin for one more night of buckets, staright arms, monkeys, and dancing!

 

 

 

 

We joined the masses of exhausted and dehydrated backpackers the next day on a ferry bound for Koh Samui. It was time to part ways: Elliot and some of the English boys were on their way to Australia in the next week, and Jo and the rest of them were headed back to the UK and their jobs. That left Ryan and I all alone to figure out where to go and what to do next. Our decision...Koh Tao, Recouperation and Scuba Diving!!!

Koh Phi Phi: Round 1

Koh Phi Phi is an island on the West Coast of Thailand located in the Andaman Sea. It has been made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach" and the 2004 Tsunami that devastated the island. It would be my first of many Thai Islands! In total, I visited the island of Phi Phi 3 times during my entire stay in Thailand...it's that good! My first time there was with Elliot. We had jumped on an overnight bus from Bangkok to Krabi and then took the one and a half hour ferry to the island! It was everything I expected...Paradise!

This is where we met a group of 7 English guys: Sam, John, Will, Dan, John, Marshall, and Adam ,out on "Holiday" who we quickly made our new best friends! The next three days consisted of Beach Time...

Sunsets...

Chang...

Elliot in a dress...

\

Mic Jagger and Mr. Bean Dancing...

Many "Straight Arms"...

and lots of time spent at Slinky Bar!

We only had a few days in Phi Phi before it was time to load up and head east to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party!!

Kanchanaburi: Erawan Waterfalls

Our other day in Kanchanaburi was spent out at the Erawan Waterfalls, a series of 7 waterfalls about an hour and a half outside the city. Elliot and I got back on the motorbikes and headed out there for the day with two guys we had met at the hostel. The waterfalls are all staggered on the way to the top of a mountain and there are trails that you can hike to each one all the way to the top. Most tourists only see the first 2 levels because they are brought there on a day tour and only have time for those, which is why we decided to go at it on our own. There are tons of monkeys hanging around the area of the first waterfall ready to steal any food or belongings left unguarded!

We spent the day slowly making our way up the mountain...stopping to swim and climb along the way...

All the way to the top!

Made it to the top...snake count: 0...injury count:0

Great Success

Kanchanaburi: Tiger Temple

Leaving Pai, everyone sadly had to start going separate ways...Ryan and Jo were off for a fast trip through Cambodia, with plans of meeting back up in the Thai Islands. Monica and Leah were off to Singapore where Leah would continue on to Brazil and Monica to India. That just left Elliot and I...We were both planning on heading south towards the islands. With a little peer pressure, I talked him into not booking a flight and heading down by land with me, making a stop in a little town called Kanchanaburi. It's about 3hrs West of Bangkok and is best known for the film "Bridge on the River Kwai," which is based on the prisoners of Japan during WWII who were forced to work on the "death railway." We had gone on recommendations from some people we met at Spicy Pai and were there for two things: to see some Tigers and climb some Waterfalls!

In Chiang Mai there is a place where tourists can pay to go and feed tiger cubs and pose with adult tigers. I really wanted to do it, but decided not to after talking with some people that had gone. They said the tigers were drugged to allow tourists so close and not treated very well. So I decided to pass on it, until...a girl in Pai told me about Tiger Temple down in Kanchanaburi. She had been and highly recommended it, saying that the tigers were really well taken care of and not drugged at all. So we decided to go! Its a huge complex with a section for black bears, tiger cubs, adult tigers and monks walking around, cigarettes in mouth, taking care of them. We spent some time posing with and watching some of the tiger cubs in action...

It was then off to Tiger Canyon...Where they kept the big guys! Each person is escorted by two staff members, one to hold your hand and guide you to each tiger and another to follow you taking pictures.

We decided to pay an extra 500 Baht to get to stay after and see the evening exercises. First we got to "walk" the biggest tiger for all of 5 seconds...

Then they built a not so sturdy cage around us and let the tigers loose. It took them a little bit to get going but will a little encouragement from the trainers with plastic bags tied to sticks they woke right up. We spent about 30 mins watching them chasing the toys, jumping into the water, and wrestling with each other. It was pretty obvious after seeing them in action that these tigers were definitely not drugged!

Being that close to such amazing animals was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done!