The island has reminants of koh Samui. At the pier there was lots of places offering European food, many tourists and Thai people offering taxis everywhere. Our hostel was a 5 minute walk from haad rin beach where the full moon party was being held. Our room was a bungalow with a terrace and hammock. To our surprise there was a pool by the beach for us to use. It was the perfect accommodation for us while we stayed. On our first day we explored the area, mainly restaurants and stalls, the beach was lovely but again dominated by restaurants and bars. It was as packed as the koh Samui beach but had a completely different vibe, everyone there was much younger and there were lots of guys on lads holidays. The beach felt like a destination for a uni spring break.
That night we went back to the beach where a one of the bars had set up big speakers and a stage for people to dance on. People were already drinking buckets and many were watching the fire show being held. Not only were Thai people performing but they were getting the audience involved. The challenge was to breath fire and get a large wooden stick to set alight at the top. Many people tried and failed, some more so than others with fire reaching their lips as they spat some kind of gasoline out of their mouths.
After much deliberating we decided to go to the jungle party despite costing us a hefty 600 baht and requiring us to travel half an hour into the jungle by taxi. We made friends on the beach and got in the taxi with them to the event. The jungle party was like a festival, coupons were used instead of money and there bars and food stalls dotted around the area. The stage was shaped like a lions head and had dancers up high either side of it. The atmosphere was really lively and everyone was up dancing and chatting to eachother, we didn't even mind that the only music was techno. We bumped into a few people we had met travelling before and the night went so quickly. We didn't leave til about 4.30/5. In the taxi home, we got chatting to a couple of Welsh guys. One currently lives in Australia and is thriving off the chilled lifestyle. More and more people I have met travelling incorporated working in Australia to their travels. I'm starting to consider extending my trip so that I can earn some money in Australia and have longer out there.
The next day we woke up at midday and went straight out for lunch. It was morning in England and it was a level results day. Immy and I were both on wifi waiting to hear our sisters results. My sister smashed her a levels and got into the uni she wanted to so I was straight onto FaceTime - astonished by the news. It was the first time I had actually wanted to be home as I was missing out on congratulating her and celebrating with her.
Feeling quite rough still that afternoon, Lexi and I decided to go on a run and use it as a way to see more of the beach right next to our bungalow. Luckily is was a bit cloudy by this time and the heat wasn't too intense. At the end of the beach we found a huge rock with a great view of the sea both ways.
That evening we went for dinner late and watched as the crowds picked up with so many people heading to the beach. We were already prepped and ready to go out in our full moon t shirts and decorated with neon paint. On the way to the beach we were sure to stop by our favourite bucket selling stall. Lexi and I had been there the night before and ended up arguing about which bucket to get as the G&T one I wanted was more expensive. Our argument led to the guy behind the stall giving us a really good price for one. Since then we kept going back for the same deal. The beach was already busy when arrived and compared to the last night there were many more bars and stages. Each bar blasted out its own music and there were even some DJ stages set up. Stages were lining the beach for people to dance on. Amidst the music and dancing there was the occasional break in the crowd with someone performing with fire. The worst we saw was a fire skipping rope which attracted the drunkest travellers who were throwing themselves at the rope. Many times the rope caught their feet and the Thai performers had to life the rope high above their heads to get it out the way. We even saw a young boy - perhaps 10/11 years old - who was performing with fire balls on the end of rope. However it was a great atmosphere, our favourite spot was on one of the higher level stages where you got more air and could look out over the crowd. You could also see behind you across the ocean. The party was extremely social with people just walking up to you and wanting to have a conversation. There was other sides to it though like inappropriate groping as people walked past. We also also saw a few girls who were very drunk wondering around on their own - not looking in a good way. But after all the things we had heard to be aware of and be cautious of we were quite comfortable there and happy the whole night. In a crowd that size we were surprised at the number of people we bumped into that we knew: two French people from the hostel in koh tao, two Dutch guys from the same hostel, the two Welsh guys from the taxi ride the night before and then I saw a guy I recognised from Putney back home. I actually ended up staying with him and his group as Lexi and Immy left earlier. They were a really fun group of guys - 8 of them travelling together. They seemed to manage being in such a big group well and mainly kept together the whole night. I was out dancing with them until 6/7 in the morning and we watched the sun come up on the beach. It was such a different experience that you wouldn't find in many other places.
I didn't feel that great the next day after two big nights out. But it was our last day on the islands so we got up at midday and decided to find a new beach to explore. We got a taxi driver to take us to a good beach - we went to a small one called 'secret beach'. It was just what we wanted - it only has one restaurant and not too many people. We were able to relax and enjoy the beach without an overload of tourists. We were pleased to get out of the full moon area and see a different part of the island. It was a good half an hour away so it was nice to drive through some different parts of the island. There were many hostels along the way, we had met people who stayed very far out from where we were and had travelled to the full moon party for the night.
That evening we went back to haad rin beach which we were surprised to find completely cleared up with restaurants set out along the beach. It seemed like a completely different place with nice restaurants offering seats on the sand and cool lighting around the tables. The sea in front of our restaurant was completely clear of boats and we enjoyed a nice view of the full moon over the sea. The food was really good which added to the evening. We had an early night and prepared ourselves for the long journey the next day.