We had an AirAsia flight to catch at 6:50 am and had to be at the airport two hours earlier. I took it upon myself to pull an all-nighter and wake everyone up. Despite the fact that Josh overslept his alarm as usual, the four of us still made our flight to Nakhon Si Thammarat. From there we had a shuttle bus which brought us to the Donsak ferry terminal headed for Koh Pha Ngan.
As opposed to our first Full Moon Party, we decided to stay in Thong Sala rather than the cesspool which was Haad Rin.
Thong Sala is the main town on Koh Pha Ngan and ideally located between Haad Rin and the beautiful north-western beaches.
We finally arrived in Thong Sala as the sun was beginning to set. It was just a short walk until we reached our wonderful French-run guesthouse called 4U (www.4uthailand.com).
We decided to take it easy that night considering the calamity which would be unfolding the following night.
Many people came to Haad Rin for a Christmas to New Years binge and this Full Moon Party would mark the halfway point of this annual, weeklong shit-show.
Prior to the party, the four of us headed to Haad Yao beach for some calm before the impending storm.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
After a day in the sun, we started mentally preparing for that night's bash. Josh and I still had our singlets from the previous Full Moon Party and we advised Amina and Yemina to wear something they wouldn't mind getting dirty.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
We then took a tuk tuk towards Haad Rin and before long it was blatantly apparent how many more people were at this party than the last.
We headed to Om Ganesh hostel to use some of their body paint, but it had already been used up. We bought a consolatory bucket and made our way to sunrise beach.
The constant flow of bros and bimbos was staggering. The four of us stayed close because there were thousands of people even on the streets leading up to the infamous beach.
We had to snake our way through thousands of people gathered around Cactus Bar (the bar we went to during the last Full Moon Party and where the two Thais killed each other), before getting a good view of the actual beach.
If I estimated the last Full Moon Party to host 15 thousand party-goers, this one had triple that number at the very least. Thankfully there were still pockets of less-occupied beach where we could express our joy through the art of dance.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
We spent the rest of the night sharing buckets and dancing the night away.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
The following day, Amina and I went to enjoy a relaxing day at Hat Salad. While this might sound like a bizarre culinary concoction, it is actually one of the nicest beaches on the west coast and is just another 15-minutes north of Haad Yao.
It was fantastic to spend the day together on such a pretty, serene beach.
Pure bliss.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
We now had just a few days before New Years eve and needed to make our way to Krabi, where we would be ringing in the new year.
The four of us took a ferry to Surat Thani and then a bus to Krabi Town. We then got a minibus to Ao Nang, the area of Krabi we would be staying in.
Amina's dad had been so kind as to book her 3 nights at the Holiday Inn as a birthday gift and I got to tag along!
Ao Nang is a reasonably well-established beach-town west of Krabi Town. It comprises mostly mid-range to higher-end hotels and guesthouses and as a consequence lacks the backpacker vibe that we had felt in Koh Pha-Ngan.
Even the beach itself, while nice, was far from anything special and as a consequence, we just hung out by the Holiday Inn's pool.
New Years Eve was now upon us and we wanted to party it up in style. We decided to head to nearby Railey Beach for the evening's festivities.
I donned my best shirt and jeans and Amina wore a lovely dress. When we met up with Josh and Yemina. Josh was wearing shorts and a t-shirt but felt underdressed so he went back to change into jeans.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
Railey is only accessible by boat from Ao Nang. Because of the full moon, the tidal changes were ridiculous and we would have to walk out quite far to reach a waiting boat.
The ground seemed relatively solid, so we started walking out to the boat. A few steps in, my shoe sunk into a soft spot and was now caked in mud. I took off my shoes and rolled up my jeans hoping that the worst was over.
As we neared the boat, the water was deeper and deeper, already above our rolled-up jeans. By the time we were next to the boat, the waves were coming in so high that I had to lift my shirt up so it would avoid being soaked. Good thing Josh changed into jeans!
Amina was struggling to get up the ladder of the boat and I was furious that my jeans and underwear were completely soaked along with my shoes caked in mud, so rather than helping her, I yelled for her to hurry up.
I climbed onto the boat and was absolutely livid that I was beyond soaked even before we started our night!
This would be a long one.
When we arrived at Railey Beach, I had taken off my clothes (except for my underwear) to prevent it from getting any wetter than it already was.
There was a New Years party charging almost 300$ per head going on and I walked right through it wearing nothing but my boxers to the bewilderment of the party's guests and the amusement of Amina and Yemina.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
Josh and I found a shop selling some loose fitting pants and some flip-flops, and we bought pretty much whatever fit.
The nice woman at the front desk let us put our shoes and soaking clothes behind her desk.
Now that I had dry clothes I could finally relax, decrease my fury and start enjoying my night.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
We had a simple dinner and the coffee made by Pinu, a man gifted in the art of barista, but cursed with the laugh of a high-pitched hyena. We then went to Last Bar on Railey's east coast, our venue for the countdown.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
Last Bar had everything we could have asked for for a New Years party: good music, a dance floor, affordable drinks, fire shows, pool tables and shisha.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
Despite the wet beginnings, we all had a fantastic time.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
On our boat ride back to Ao Nang, not only did we not get wet but we were all glad that Josh had not opted to go commando like I did because by the end of the night, his brand new pants were crotch-less.
Definitely a New Years the four of us won't soon forget!
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