We arrived in Koh Phanagan a few days before the full moon party and had booked a really nice AirBnB for this period. Our host, Alexander, picked us at the pier and whisked us a way to his villa a few kilometers north of the town. It was a quiet refuge from the town and its increased activity that happens in the days surrounding the full moon. Below is some of the things that we did during our stay.
Exploring the island with the David Suzuki (and David Suzuki II)
Koh Phanagan is a big island and we had wanted to rent scooters to explore it. However, none of us had ever driven one and Alexander convinced us that this was not the place to learn. Instead we decided it was the perfect place for me to learn to drive on the other side of the road.
Car rentals in Koh Phanagan are interesting. Insurance? They don’t offer it. Driver license? They don’t want to see it. All they really want is someone to surrender a passport so they have leverage if something goes wrong. After some deliberation, and searching, we found one that would let us pay with Visa, which fortunately mine provides rental insurance. Camille surrendered her passport and after a less than rigorous inspection we were off in our Suzuki Jeep, which we christened the David Suzuki.
We made our way to the north end of the island driving thru giant puddles and up and down hills, finally reaching some beautiful beaches. If the weather had been a bit better would have made for some excellent snorkeling places, but none-the-less they were a great place to stop and have a drink.
On our way back the David Suzuki started to smoke and we pulled over to investigate, only to find that we could not get it started again. After waiting for a while, no idea what was wrong, and some not so helpful instructions from the car dealership ( You bring it to the store), we managed to get it started and slowly made our way back. As we made a turn a couple blocks from the dealership it died and could not be resurrected, and so we pushed it into the parking lot of a 7-11. With the aid of Google Translates we were able to explain the situation, and after inspecting the vehicle and coming to the same conclusion as us, the owner gave us another jeep – the David Suzuki II. Luckily this jeep didn’t have any problems and when we returned it a couple of days later Camille was fortunate enough to be reunited with her passport and wouldn’t be left to become a muay thai fighter in Thailand.
Exploring the island by Jeep
Loi Krathong
The 12th full moon of the Thai calendar corresponds with the Loi Krathong Festival. In this festival lantern boats, usually made out of biodegradable materials like banana leaves and containing candles, flowers and incense, are released into the water. This is to represent letting go of all your hatred and anger and you’re supposed to make a wish for the upcoming year.
Prior to the lantern release a large night market was set up near the harbour. Here the streets were packed with locals and a number of curious tourists, shopping, playing arcade games, or eating street foods – including a number of cooked bugs! Two-thirds of us tried them (I’ll let you guess who didn’t based on the pics) – surprisingly good!
What’s for dinner – bugs!
After eating we lit and released our lanterns into the harbor. It was a bit difficult considering the wind, and descended into a bit of a every man for himself – which is probably not in the spirit of the festival…
Releasing lanterns into the ocean at Loi Krathong Festival
Following our participation in one festival we left and got ready for another full moon event.
Full Moon Party
When you read about Full Moon Parties you come across two big things. First it is this crazy night long dance party of tens-of-thousands of people in brightly fluorescent clothing. Second, there is a lot of shady things that happen, a lack of security rampart with druggings, muggings, and other not great things, including the fact that there is usually at least one death per party. I’ll admit these things scared me and if weren’t for the fact that I was with people who I trusted I would not of have gone.
We took precautions, went with a bare minimum of things, and wore closed toe shoes and with some trepidation we boarded the songthaew and made our way to Haad Rin beach. You arrive a few hundred meters from the beach and make your way thru a maze of shops, restaurants and kiosks. The first thing that we noticed as we made our way to the beach was that it was not as dangerous looking as it had been made out to be. First every kiosk selling alcohol had closed bottles that the mixed in front of you. Second, there was a noticeable security presence. We decorated our faces with paint, purchased a bucket of Sam Song and coke (mixed in front of us) and entered the party.
Full moon party is a bit of a misnomer. It’s actually a series of smaller parties, each focused around a bar playing a different genera of music. Some have DJs, some have fire dancers, but all have drunk people dancing. We wandered from party to party for a while, occasionally stopping to get another bucket, before eventually finding a spot to sit and take in the full moon.
Full Moon Party
We had intended on being at the full moon party until the sun came up the next morning. But by 4AM we were hungry and made our up from the beach. After we finished our food we decided that we were done and made our way home. Along the way a drunken Argentinian decided that he would “re-marry” C+L. After arriving back at the AirBnB, and before going to sleep, I had a shower to remove all the paint. I’d still be finding paint for days to come…
I will say having gone, was it fun, sure but would I go again, or recommend you go out of your way to attend one? Probably not, but maybe I’m just too old for them (haha).
Thai Cooking Class
We had intended on taking a Thai Cooking Class in Chiang Mai, but with the Kings funeral happening while we were there we were unable to.
We choose a really good one, if you’re ever in Koh Phanagan I’d recommend the Phanagan Thai Cooking Class. Our chef was great and had trained in one of the best cooking schools in Thailand and had worked in Australia and the Netherlands for a few years before returning home.
The class ended up just being the three of us (too many hung over full moon partiers) and following a trip to the nearby markets where we got to find some alternatives
We all learned how to make spring rolls, don’t ask me to make them for you because I doubt I can get the oil just right. Then depending on your choice you could make a couple of different dishes including Pad Thai (of course), pad-ew-mew, curries, papaya salad, and Tom Yum.
Working on our first Michelan star
Following our feast, and loaded with leftovers that could have sustained us for a week, we wandered the nearby night market before making our way back to the AirBnB, narrowly missing the rain.
The next morning Alexander dropped us off at the pier. I said my goodbyes to C+L, who were on their way to Bangkok and then Japan, while I was about to set out on my own and head to Khao Sok.
Riding off into the sunset on a tiger
The Travelling Scientist 
One thought on “Koh Phanagan – A Tale of Two Full Moons”