We got up early to get to the boat that would take us to Koh Phangan. After being on Koh Tao and having a good time, we felt it was time to check out the next island, Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is world famous for their Full Moon Party on the Sunrise beach in Hat Rin. During the full moon up 30,000 people from all over the world come to this island to party all night long. Its a giant rave/ concert on the beach with all different kinds of music. Unfortunately for us, we didn't schedule our trip quite right and the full moon party is the day after we leave. We heard there is a half moon party as well. It is located north of Ao Ban Tai a few kilometers or so in the jungle, and is a huge open air rave/ dance party. The books and things we read on the internet said that it was on July 18th. We'll it looks like we missed that too. We arrive at the main pier in Thongsala. It is a busy little town with a bunch of stores and shops. This seems to be the main "real" city on the island. The people are out in full force trying to get us to stay at their hotels and handing us multiple fliers. Koh Phangan is a pretty huge island and there are many different beaches that you can stay at, each with its own specific qualities. Not really knowing any better we choose to go to Hat Rin, because its suppose to be the party place. As luck would have it the Half Moon Party is actually on the 19th, that means its tonight. Alright, we have something to do later. First we need to find a place to stay. Hat Rin is another place packed full of little shops, restaurants, bars, dive shop, tattoo parlors, massage shops, etc. This is probably completely insane during the few days before and after the full moon. Right now its pretty quiet, but I'm not liking it too much. Too congested. The sunrise beach is awesome, lots of nice sand and it looks like lots of stuff to do. We decide to head to the other side of Hat Rin to the Sunset beach which is quieter. The beach isn't nearly as good, but its good to be away from all the congestion of the shops and what not. We hike down the beach and find a bungalow a few feet from the beach with 2 fans for only 300 baht ($8/night). This place is pretty dead, except for Cramer and I. There are two places really close only about 50 yards away that were recommended in the Lonely Planet, but were full: Seaside Resort and Coral Cottages.
We grab some food from the Seaside Resort bar/ restaurant. Cramer is just chilling like Bob Marley living on island time. Now we just hang out and wait for the party tonight. I think I'll take a little nap on the hammock here. After dark we venture down to the place called Coral Cottages. This place seriously is a back packers paradise. If I ever came to Hat Rin again this is the place to stay, especially if you're doing the party thing. It has everything. There are tons of kids here probably from 18-25, it has a definite spring break atmosphere. But everyone is European. The place has a pool, huge menu, cheap drinks, internet, taxi service, cheap massages, trip packages, movies playing on the big screen, and a good staff.
We head down and grab some food at the Coral Cottages. They throw on some classic Simpsons episodes and we're cracking up with some foreigners. I end up playing some intense Jenga with a couple of Germans, an Irishman, and a Brit. After a little while everyone is starting to get ready for the party. Its about 10:30pm and the taxis will start taking people to the party at around midnight. All of a sudden the day glo paint comes out. Everyone is getting decked out in paint. Painting their bodies, their shirts, faces, you name it.
Everyone is putting on the party paint. I have to join in as well and I throw on some war paint on my face, arms, and legs. A little after midnight we arrive at the party. Its a huge open air dance club, with all kinds of black lights, screens, and lights. 1,000s of people are getting down to some techno.
People are loving it, and we're getting down. These one kids kept wanting me in all their pictures. So I had to get one of them with me too. Notice the awesome paint. We hang out partying until about 5am or so. Its fun, but there is only so many beats beats beats you can hear.
After party we get up late and pack our stuff. Its time to move straight north to a place called Chaloklum Bay. On the map above Chaloklum Bay is the bay to the right of Koh Ma. This is suppose to be a little fishing village that has great seafood and is way quieter and more scenic. We hope in a taxi and the guy drops us off at the place, the Chaloklum Bay Resort. This place is like a post card. It used to be a coconut plantation. Large palm trees are everywhere. There is an awesome pool right nex to the beautifully scenic bay surrounded by mountains. We score a deal and get a bungalow for 500 baht ($16/night). Hat Rin was the party scene, especially if your in you 20s, but this is the tranquility I'm looking for.
This is the bungalow we get and the view from the deck near the pool. Its amazing. We rent some motor scooters for about $5/day and cruise into the little village for some dinner. Why is this place so great? Personally any place I've been on this trip where the locals out number the tourists is much more to my liking. The vibe is more laid back and natural. When the tourists out number the locals it has kind of a dumpy, lets make a buck feel to it. And you are always feeling slightly hassled, some places more than others. No hassles here at all. We get dinner right by the dock where the fishermen come in with their catches. Cramer gets some huge prawns and I get a nice bbq piece of fish. The one thing about being on these islands is that some things are pretty cheap, like lodging. But the food prices are almost the same as being at home. Not quite, but it certainly isn't cheap compared to the rooms. Plus we're eating out 3 times a day, food is where they get you. $5/$6 for breakfast and lunch, and then $9/$10 for dinner. Throw in some beers and it can add up quickly.
The next day Cramer and I rent a mask and a snorkel. We take our scooters out to some snorkeling hot spots and to check out some other beaches. We hit up Hat Salad. A great beach with some great coral. This looks like a great place to stay too, some nice places and resorts line the beach. The tide is kind of low in the morning and rises in the afternoon around 5pm. We see some cool fish and ride to the next place. Hat Yao is another awesome beach with some nice looking places and resorts. It looks like there may be some night life too. We finish up after lunch by hitting a place called Koh Ma, a little island connected by a sandbar thats suppose to have the best snorkeling on Koh Phangan. It takes awhile to swim out there, but we're treated to some amazing coral and 1000's of fish. I'm getting more daring and diving down to the near the bottom where the water is cooler and clearer. Its just ridiculous. I really want to learn to scuba now. After a couple of hours we head back to the place. I get my second massage in two days from the resorts massage lady. She has me loose and relaxed with my kundalini energy rising... hahaha. I have to get all the cheap massages I can before I get back. I sure as heck can't pay $60/hour back home, but $10/ hour I can get these every day!
We go back down to the pier for dinner again. We go to a nice little place that is suddenly packed with Europeans. A group of French people are to our right and a big table of Brits are right behind us. Cramer and I are treated to some of the best food of the trip. I order fried fish with garlic and peppers. It's amazing. Cramer gets the red snapper and he cleans it to the bone. We have a few beers and call it a night. Now we have to decide whether to say here for the next few nights or try and go to Koh Samui, which is even bigger than Koh Phangan, and supposedly more expensive.
We got up early to get to the boat that would take us to Koh Phangan. After being on Koh Tao and having a good time, we felt it was time to check out the next island, Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is world famous for their Full Moon Party on the Sunrise beach in Hat Rin. During the full moon up 30,000 people from all over the world come to this island to party all night long. Its a giant rave/ concert on the beach with all different kinds of music. Unfortunately for us, we didn't schedule our trip quite right and the full moon party is the day after we leave. We heard there is a half moon party as well. It is located north of Ao Ban Tai a few kilometers or so in the jungle, and is a huge open air rave/ dance party. The books and things we read on the internet said that it was on July 18th. We'll it looks like we missed that too. We arrive at the main pier in Thongsala. It is a busy little town with a bunch of stores and shops. This seems to be the main "real" city on the island. The people are out in full force trying to get us to stay at their hotels and handing us multiple fliers. Koh Phangan is a pretty huge island and there are many different beaches that you can stay at, each with its own specific qualities. Not really knowing any better we choose to go to Hat Rin, because its suppose to be the party place. As luck would have it the Half Moon Party is actually on the 19th, that means its tonight. Alright, we have something to do later. First we need to find a place to stay. Hat Rin is another place packed full of little shops, restaurants, bars, dive shop, tattoo parlors, massage shops, etc. This is probably completely insane during the few days before and after the full moon. Right now its pretty quiet, but I'm not liking it too much. Too congested. The sunrise beach is awesome, lots of nice sand and it looks like lots of stuff to do. We decide to head to the other side of Hat Rin to the Sunset beach which is quieter. The beach isn't nearly as good, but its good to be away from all the congestion of the shops and what not. We hike down the beach and find a bungalow a few feet from the beach with 2 fans for only 300 baht ($8/night). This place is pretty dead, except for Cramer and I. There are two places really close only about 50 yards away that were recommended in the Lonely Planet, but were full: Seaside Resort and Coral Cottages. 
We grab some food from the Seaside Resort bar/ restaurant. Cramer is just chilling like Bob Marley living on island time. Now we just hang out and wait for the party tonight. I think I'll take a little nap on the hammock here. After dark we venture down to the place called Coral Cottages. This place seriously is a back packers paradise. If I ever came to Hat Rin again this is the place to stay, especially if you're doing the party thing. It has everything. There are tons of kids here probably from 18-25, it has a definite spring break atmosphere. But everyone is European. The place has a pool, huge menu, cheap drinks, internet, taxi service, cheap massages, trip packages, movies playing on the big screen, and a good staff. 
We head down and grab some food at the Coral Cottages. They throw on some classic Simpsons episodes and we're cracking up with some foreigners. I end up playing some intense Jenga with a couple of Germans, an Irishman, and a Brit. After a little while everyone is starting to get ready for the party. Its about 10:30pm and the taxis will start taking people to the party at around midnight. All of a sudden the day glo paint comes out. Everyone is getting decked out in paint. Painting their bodies, their shirts, faces, you name it. 
Everyone is putting on the party paint. I have to join in as well and I throw on some war paint on my face, arms, and legs. A little after midnight we arrive at the party. Its a huge open air dance club, with all kinds of black lights, screens, and lights. 1,000s of people are getting down to some techno. 
People are loving it, and we're getting down. These one kids kept wanting me in all their pictures. So I had to get one of them with me too. Notice the awesome paint. We hang out partying until about 5am or so. Its fun, but there is only so many beats beats beats you can hear. 
After party we get up late and pack our stuff. Its time to move straight north to a place called Chaloklum Bay. On the map above Chaloklum Bay is the bay to the right of Koh Ma. This is suppose to be a little fishing village that has great seafood and is way quieter and more scenic. We hope in a taxi and the guy drops us off at the place, the Chaloklum Bay Resort. This place is like a post card. It used to be a coconut plantation. Large palm trees are everywhere. There is an awesome pool right nex to the beautifully scenic bay surrounded by mountains. We score a deal and get a bungalow for 500 baht ($16/night). Hat Rin was the party scene, especially if your in you 20s, but this is the tranquility I'm looking for. 
This is the bungalow we get and the view from the deck near the pool. Its amazing. We rent some motor scooters for about $5/day and cruise into the little village for some dinner. Why is this place so great? Personally any place I've been on this trip where the locals out number the tourists is much more to my liking. The vibe is more laid back and natural. When the tourists out number the locals it has kind of a dumpy, lets make a buck feel to it. And you are always feeling slightly hassled, some places more than others. No hassles here at all. We get dinner right by the dock where the fishermen come in with their catches. Cramer gets some huge prawns and I get a nice bbq piece of fish. The one thing about being on these islands is that some things are pretty cheap, like lodging. But the food prices are almost the same as being at home. Not quite, but it certainly isn't cheap compared to the rooms. Plus we're eating out 3 times a day, food is where they get you. $5/$6 for breakfast and lunch, and then $9/$10 for dinner. Throw in some beers and it can add up quickly. 
The next day Cramer and I rent a mask and a snorkel. We take our scooters out to some snorkeling hot spots and to check out some other beaches. We hit up Hat Salad. A great beach with some great coral. This looks like a great place to stay too, some nice places and resorts line the beach. The tide is kind of low in the morning and rises in the afternoon around 5pm. We see some cool fish and ride to the next place. Hat Yao is another awesome beach with some nice looking places and resorts. It looks like there may be some night life too. We finish up after lunch by hitting a place called Koh Ma, a little island connected by a sandbar thats suppose to have the best snorkeling on Koh Phangan. It takes awhile to swim out there, but we're treated to some amazing coral and 1000's of fish. I'm getting more daring and diving down to the near the bottom where the water is cooler and clearer. Its just ridiculous. I really want to learn to scuba now. After a couple of hours we head back to the place. I get my second massage in two days from the resorts massage lady. She has me loose and relaxed with my kundalini energy rising... hahaha. I have to get all the cheap massages I can before I get back. I sure as heck can't pay $60/hour back home, but $10/ hour I can get these every day! 
We go back down to the pier for dinner again. We go to a nice little place that is suddenly packed with Europeans. A group of French people are to our right and a big table of Brits are right behind us. Cramer and I are treated to some of the best food of the trip. I order fried fish with garlic and peppers. It's amazing. Cramer gets the red snapper and he cleans it to the bone. We have a few beers and call it a night. Now we have to decide whether to say here for the next few nights or try and go to Koh Samui, which is even bigger than Koh Phangan, and supposedly more expensive. 
looks gorgeous there! Glad you guys are having fun - makes me want to take a trip over there! Happy and safe travels to you boys the rest of the way! :)
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