Full Moon Party - Hat Rin - Kho Phag Nan

So, last night was the full-moon party. This party is notorious the world over. Some people fly to Thailand just for a few days to go to this party.

I took a boat from Thang Nai Pan at 10 o'clock. It was dark, overcast skies and dripping rain. The boat pulled up to our shore and the people were hunched over (hiding their faces from the rain). One of the British guys getting on the boat with me said it felt like a Burmese refugee, midnight boarding crossing. I thought, "where is Rambo when you need him?"

The boat ride was slow and wet. I opted to take a longboat instead of a speed boat because the Thais overload the speed boats and one capsized a few years ago returning from the full moon party (killing 15 foreigners). However, I'm sure that the sensation is not the same on a big, loud speed boat. When we came around the bend from Hat Yuan and saw Hat Rin (I could actually hear the bass from the house music before I saw it), it was all lit up, fire and flashing lights, fireworks and beach dancing that was a sea mob on the shore. All of the passengers on the longboat sat up, the girls' faces came out from beind their bags and everyone seemed to smile with anticipation. The excitement was palpable.

When the boat hit the shore I was the first one to jump out. I landed in sea water up to my knees and stormed up the beach with my flip flops in hand. A girl was sitting Indian-style doubled over herself - passed out at eleven. Everyone was painted and half-naked. Dancers in the sand, on tables, fire twirlers, and stalls selling cheap booze in plastic buckets covered the entire beach from end to end. Will and Amy, two people staying at the same place as myself on Thang Nai Pan came running up to me. They had just gotten their arms painted and each had a bucket. They wanted to go and have a drink and a dance, but insisted that I get some paint on me first. I went to the stall and asked the man for two geckos on my face (one on each cheek).

From then on, it was all dancing. I saw two Italian men that I met a few days earlier and it was automatic hugs and buckets.

Will and I agreed that all of the music had been sped up a notch. So, it was David Bowie, MGMT, Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night," but all Red Bull remixes. Guys were tackling their friends in the sand and then rolling over laughing uncontrollably. Girls and girls and boys mad kissing and licking faces in sweat and fire flash flesh pandemonium. One girl just had a mass of pink paint on her palm and went around leaving handprints on everyone's chests and arms.

I danced. I danced like I hadn't danced in years. Cathartic.

Got the 4 a.m. boat back to Thand Nai Pan. Woke at 11. Everyone out front having breakfast, telling the same story: buckets, bars, dancing. Jason, the Aussie, never came back. Scott said not to worry (Jason can drink beer for 50 straight hours apparently - nothing unusual).

Threw the football with Ben and took a swim. Talked about Sasha Baron Cohen (Kazakhstan has the best potassium, all other countries' potassium is inferior). Recharged my MP3, listening to The Sounds as I write this.

Got an email from Thomas (already in China). We are on for Cheng Du for September 18th. Gonna need to figure out my China visa. Will head back to Bangkok on Friday or Saturday. Then it is China and Tibet. Should be good.

Photos from full moon party will follow. I bought a plastic disposable camera not to get my brand new one wet or destroyed. Will post.