After returning from el Maghreb el Aqsa, or Morocco in plain English, I returned to Lowlands Country for a couple of days to make the last arrangements for my trip to the East. I would also be meeting up with an old friend, who I have known since my early teens. I hadn’t seen her in at least 18 years, but we had reconnected via FayzBook a few summers ago and we had finally agreed to meet in person. An awful lot has happened in the years that past; marriage, steady career journey, four kids and a recent divorce for her. Migration, travel and an unconventional career path for me. The beauty of these old friendships is, that you instantly find each other’s wave length, just like you did in the good old days and I am very grateful for the reconnection.
The East Calling
There were sub-zero temperatures on the weather menu in the country, where they speak my mother tongue. As I had been out of practice in terms of wintry weather for several year, it was a high time to set off yet again to warmer climes. During my time at Hridaya, the yoga centre in Mazunte Mexico, where I developed my practice last summer, I had planned to do a course at their sister school Agama, which has its headquarters in Koh Pha-ngan, Thailand. As affordable flights were already thin on the ground back then for the period I wanted to go, March 2018, I decided to buy a ticket, so the trip would be ‘certain’. I can’t remember to have ever made a booking that far in advance and I felt rather grown up and excited about my plans.
To the Land of Siam
After a 13-hour journey I arrived in Bangkok in the early afternoon. Initially the idea was to travel to Koh Pha -ngan straight away, but on the day of my departure I reasoned I could do with a place to crash after a 13-hour trip. This turned out to be a wise decision as, embarking on another 19- hour train-bus-and-ferry trip with a jet-lagged arse to reach the island, about 760 km from the capital, would’ve been madness. As I’m not exactly 18 anymore, that shit would have seriously fucked me up.
On my first night in Thailand I had no trouble falling asleep, but woke up in the middle of the night to lie awake for several hours. After almost two weeks in Thailand, my body still doesn’t seem completely adjusted, but as I’m hanging at my bamboo bungalow not far from the beach, with fabulous, inexpensive food at my disposal and it’s about 30 degrees, I sure ain’t complaining.
Koh Pha-ngan, is one of the country’s main tourist destination and attracts a mixed crowd of young party-goers, pensioners, and bohemians and spiritual seekers of all ages. The island is (in)famous for its full moon party, that started out has someone’s birthday celebration on Haad Rin beach sometime in the 1980s. It’s a busy time of the month , as trains, buses and ferries to the island are full and accommodation on Koh Pha-ngan is more expensive than during other stages of the lunar cycle. The concept of parties linked to the stages of the moon is being milked to the full, as the island also knows half-moon and black moon parties, so whatever time of the month you visit, you can get your party-fix (sort of).
My arrival coincided with the full moon party, which I hadn’t planned to attend, as I expected it to be a busy beach gathering full of kids pissed out of their mind. I was lucky to stay at a fabulous guesthouse in the north of the island, that is considerably quieter and houses a more mature crowd than southern parts. I met some lovely peeps and decided to go to the famous gathering, as I was there anyway.
What’s in a full Moon
Koh Pha-ngan’s full moon party is not just a famous party; it’s an industry. Once you enter the region of Haad Rin on the night, you enter a festival atmosphere; all shop, bars and restaurants are open and plenty of stalls sell buckets of alcohol. That’s no joke. You buy a bucket, with a content of about three quarters of a litre, with a can of cola or another soft drink and a small bottle of spirits for a ridiculously cheap price. At plenty of places you can get fluorescent paint and get a beautiful drawing on whichever part of your body- I’m sure there are limits to this- or get creative yourself. Besides paint, there are plenty of other fluorescent accessories you can buy and, of course, heaps of full-moon-party merchandise. As this is Asia, there is plenty of food, but very much geared towards bad western taste, as the kids could complement their drunkenness with overpriced slices of pizza, kebab and other grub of dubious quality. The actual party is on the beach and for a €2.50 entrance fee you get a colourful wristband, that makes a cute souvenir. The party was, luckily, not as busy as I expected and there were plenty of people considerably older than 18. There were about eight sound systems lined up, at least one playing so-called urban music and the others predominately techno. Neither music type would feature on my ideal party. I had a really nice time, though, as I was with cool and entertaining people. Yet, if you’ve ever attended a fab festival or party or two, you know the Koh Pha-ngan full moon party is not one of those. It might have been an edgy and more original event once, but after three decades, I guess it got pretty tired.
Dark Fairy Adventures 
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