বাংলায় পড়ুন
The island of Koh Phangan in Thailand is famous for the Full Moon Party that takes place on or around the Full Moon Night, every month at Haad Rin Beach. The schedule for the same is available here: Full Moon Party
The island has its own Airport, so you can fly here directly. However, we took a flight to Surat Thani from Bangkok and took a ferry in the morning and arrived at the Thong Sala Pier at KP around 3 p.m. in the afternoon. The best and most practical way to get around is by a scooter. Hired cars and even taxis (a bigger version of the Auto Rickshaw) are available to and from the pier to the Hotel.
The Resort was at the Haad Salad area at the North of the island. This is a quieter and less crowded zone where you can relax and rejuvenate to your heart’s content. The water is so clear that we could see tiny schools of fishes even with the naked eye. Lots of visitors were also snorkeling to explore the under-water sea life. We waded in the water, lazed on the sand and had lunch and dinner at the various restaurants lining the beach. The food was good and the rates were reasonable. We also enjoyed a massage right next to the beach; the sound and sight of the sea being a perfect accompaniment to the relaxing retreat.
The next morning, we left early for Malibu beach at the North East side of the island. It is quite a secluded spot and the views are breath taking. The sand is white and the water is a light aquamarine and a deeper blue as you move away from the beach. There are green hills in the distance and small shrubs and trees on the beach that provide the right amount of shade from the Sun.
We then went back to the resort for a quick lunch that consisted of Thai specialties like Som Tam (green Papaya Salad) and Chicken and Egg Noodles. The Thai Green, Red and Yellow curry varieties are absolutely delicious. It suits the Bengali taste buds perfectly because of the coconut milk that is used in the gravy and the rice you have it with, of course.
In the afternoon we headed to two other beaches; the Secret beach and Haad Yao Beach. The Secret beach is another beautiful alcove tucked away somewhere amongst the small hills. It’s very easy to access and there was a beach bar here, where we had some refreshments. Haad Yao beach was alright, like any other typical commercial beach with multiple beach bars lining it.
In the evening we headed to the Full Moon party. The entry is 100 Baht per person and you can enter carrying your own bottles or get small buckets of different types of alcohol with mixers at the venue on the beach where various stalls are set up. There’s no dearth of food if you are hungry and beverages if you are thirsty. There were at least 10 different DJs spread around the venue playing everything from House to Trance to regular chartbusters. The Dress theme is entirely casual and people sport anything from t-shirts and shorts to dresses or bikinis. The atmosphere is alive and buzzing with nightlong revelers who travel from every corner of the planet to participate in this sea-side celebration. With the gentle waves lapping the sand, the full moon glowing in the sky, this is a party like no other!
There are various side entertainments like fire shows where one can attempt to jump a burning rope or a Ring of Fire (don’t try it unless you want to scorch a few hairs off your head!!); stalls where you can get fluorescent body painting done and a lot more…
We had a great time moving from zone to zone jiving to the different DJs music and chitchatting with other party-goers. It is advisable to go as late as you can if you want to witness the Sun-Rise. We had reached early so we could just about manage till 4.30 a.m.! We reached our room and promptly slept off. We checked out of the resort the next morning and took a ferry to the island of Koh Samui. This will be another chapter in my travelogue…
Note for the Full Moon Party: Be responsible with your possessions (don’t carry your passport) and take care of yourself and your friends, and most importantly….Have Fun!!!
