Koh Pha Ngan

Koh Pha Ngan is an interesting place, or at least this little part of it is.

Haadrin, the town we're in, is pretty much a backpacker's paradise. Every restaurant shows episodes of "Friends," "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and the latest hit movies throughout the night; the shops stay open selling flip flops, jewelry and liquor until at least midnight; and every other store is an Internet/travel cafe. This town was built for people between the ages of 18 and 30.

The peninsula of Haadrin has a sunset side and a sunrise side, and the sunrise side is where the world-famous Full Moon party take place once a month. People from all over the world come to this little island for an all-night rave on the beach. Although a bit tempted to see the spectacle, Amy and I aren't huge rave people and just didn't have the energy to rush down in time for the party, so we arrived a couple of days later, just in time to witness the town's recovery.

We arrived at about noon, and the streets were just beginning to wake up and fill with tan young people. In the space of about an hour we saw at least half a dozen people limping along with bandages on their feet from stepping on glass or getting burned on a motor scooter. Everyone we saw was groggily ordering banana pancakes or a mango shake, and we soon joined the trend.

By early afternoon the picture-perfect tropical beach becomes crowded with girls in bikinis and guys playing frisbee, all trying to avoid their feet becoming a casualty to the parties the night before. About every half an hour, the heat becomes unbearable and it's necessary to jump into the warm salty water and and float around for awhile, washing off the sweat and sand that's accumulated before settling back down on a beach towel.

After a couple of hours watching their skin darken, the sun begins to sink behind the bars lining the beach and most people migrate to a restaurant showing the movie of their choice and all types of food - Thai, Israeli, Italian, Chinese, American. Eventually it's late enough to head back to the beach where the bars have cranked up the music, turned on the twinkle lights and set out the beach mats and reclining chairs. After another night of watching fire dancers throw flames in front of the crashing waves and dancing into the early hours of the morning in front of the neon Kph Pha Ngan sign on the hillside, everyone eventually makes it back to their fan-cooled bungalows to sleep a few hours before starting all over again. Except tomorrow they might be able to fit in a massage or a quick snorkeling trip before the party starts.

While this is a beautiful place filled with people our own age, Amy and I have had enough of the "party island" and are ready to see a little bit more of Thailand. So tomorrow we'll probably head over to Koh Phi Phi to see the Indian Ocean and the island that is, according to the Lonely Planet, "so beautiful it will make you cry," (or something to that affect.)