LOVE IN THAILAND

Arnab Nandy

No parents, no priests, no rules, no authorities, no police. No curbs, whatsoever!

Welcome to Thailand's infamous Full Moon parties, where a (mini) bucket of hard alcohol with red bull and drugs of all kinds are bought over the counter at bars. Every month, thousands of tourists descend on the island of Koh Phangan for each full moon since 1985. It's a cash-cow for the Thai government, drawing about 30,000 revellers during peak seasons and around 10,000 to 20,000 others on any given month. And now more than ever, Australians are joining the party.

"I guarantee that you will sleep on the beach if you don't book a hotel room before. It's the time of the Full Moon party and everything is booked on Koh Phangan," my travel agent in Bangkok warned me. 

Still I didn't book a room. Marzia, of Couch-surfing club, assured me I could stay with her. I was visiting Thailand on a shoe-string budget. Seventeen hours after leaving Bangkok, tired after an overnight bus journey and a three-hour boat ride, I stepped on Koh Phangan, a hilly island in the Gulf of Thailand (Koh means island in Thai). It is 70 km from the mainland and is part of the Samui Archipelago, which includes more than 40 islands. This island hosts the world-famous Full Moon party and the venue, the beach of Haad Rin.

I met my host in front of a departmental store in Srithanu, a hamlet in the north of the island, where my host stayed. Marzia is from Italy, staying there for the last six months doing a yoga course. She had rented a beautiful blue cottage amidst a lot of greenery. Jonas, another couch-surfer, is from Germany, sharing the same cottage. Sandra, another friend of hers, is expected shortly. Which means Jonas and me will have to sleep on the floor. 

"No problem. I have my sleeping bag," I said. After a quick shower and lunch, I rented a motorcycle for a bit of exploration. The beach was getting ready for the once-in-a-full moon event. A football tournament was under way on the beach and a DJ playing English and Thai numbers. Some were strolling along the sand, some dancing, some dipping in the water while others raced on water scooters. 

I came back to Marzia’s around 8.30 at night to find she and her five friends had cooked lots of dishes for dinner. We had a great time sharing travel stories and dancing while the near full moon was shining on us. Everyone fell in love with some one or the other.  

The next morning, Jonas and I went to Marzia’s school for a free yoga session. I realised yoga was not my cup of tea. At the end of the session, they asked us to meditate for 20 minutes and the two of us dozed off. Then we decided to check out a waterfall on the island and Dana and Chorita came along with us. The Phaeng waterfall had very little water but the hike to it was fun.

On the day of the party, we went to check out the venue. Temporary structures had been built along the beach for DJs to set up their consoles. Temporary dance floors, chairs and tables were being set up. A lot of people were sun-bathing and swimming and everyone talked about the night’s party. 

We were back to Haad Rin at 8.30pm. We bought 100-baht tickets (actually an orange wrist band) and entered the beach. I was surprised to find the event so well organized, despite everything around that could turn it into a chaos. There were security personnel everywhere, and lifeguards keeping vigil to ensure drunk people did not drown in the sea and there was a fenced area right on the beach set up by an NGO where completely drunk-and-out people could just plonk down and sleep. 

The entire beach had five or six DJs playing different tunes, and make-shift shops selling ‘buckets’ for around 200 baht. The buckets had a cocktail of whatever drinks you prefer, vodka, Red Bull, and so on. Some were selling drugs, who would walk up to you whispering: ‘Pills?’  

Many people had their bodies painted with florescent colours. Some had just prints of someone’s palm on their bodies, some men had messages like: ‘Body on rent for 20 baht’. 

Then there were fire games: two persons would swing a long rope on fire and the party-goers had to jump into the middle of the circle. Now and then, someone got entangled with the rope; since they are drunk, they don’t realise the burns till the next morning.  

I hung out with Jonas, Dana, Chorita, — Dana from South Korea and Chorita from Bangkok – and we joined a group of three girls and a guy. We had a lot of fun. Then the guy got so drunk he couldn’t walk, and we had to carry him out. Two of the girls went to get a motorcycle to take him to his hotel but never returned. Later I came to know they got lost. No wonder, they were so drunk! So I got him and his girlfriend a taxi and returned to the beach. I hung out with an Italian girl I had met that evening. It was around 3 am and I had to catch a boat at seven that morning.  

It’s easy to make friends at the full-moon party because everyone is in a good mood and everyone wants some new experience. It’s wise not to get totally drunk; then you miss out everything you wished to enjoy. Go with the flow and don’t confine yourself to one group.  

When I was leaving, there were drunk-and-out people snoring on the beach, men and women peeing into the gulf of Thailand and some making out in the sea. You may love it or hate it, but at the full moon party, there are no restrictions.   

The tales of debauchery are endless. Every year, reports of thefts, fights, sexual assaults and even death start pouring in as the party comes to a finale. On January 21, a promising Sydney rugby player, Joe Welch, died at a Full Moon Party. Despite his strong and fit physique, the 19-year-old was pulled unconscious from unfamiliar waters, spending two weeks in a coma from which he never recovered.

"After I burnt myself, I saw another guy's hair catch on fire," said an office assistant. "It hit me and I went down on top of it. Even though I got burned, I loved it. I loved the atmosphere," she added