Travel to Asia

If you are in Ko Pha-Ngan for ecstatic nocturnal activities then you won’t be disappointed (unless of course the island police makes one of its infrequent raids and closes the bars prematurely). Hat Rin is bursting at the seams with bars that pound to the sound of trance, techno, hip hop and drum and bass. If you look around you can pick one that focuses on one genre but most peddle a mixture of uplifting floor fillers.

The most obvious place to find yourself on the main strip of beach is the Drop Inn. This place looks like it means business with its monolithic banners extolling its original full moon status (it has been around since 1989). The music policy is generally devoted to energetic trance but we were horrified to hear the original version of ‘Grease Lightening’ get thrown in the mix at one stage. Inside the dance floor has an old fashioned feel (its wooden!) but on the big party nights the beach just outside becomes the place to kick up your heels. The Drop Inn offers some great drink deals on most nights. The Samsung whiskey bucket containing a small bottle, 2 cokes and lashings of ice is a steal at 120 Baht and was great for freeing up the tangled mess that was our uncoordinated torso’s.
Harmony can be found a bit off the beach on a nearby hill. This place is totally dedicated to trance. So you get ‘Trancey Tuesday’ and ‘Trancey Thursday’ as the not so imaginative theme nights. Cactus Bar is to be found near the middle of Sunrise beach and has a more laid back feel to it, hence the assorted seating outside. The drinks deals hear are not as good as the Drop Inn but their daily fire show at midnight is not to be missed.

For a more traditional approach to drinking the Outback bar in Hat Rin Nai (a short walk from the central area) is ideal. With its space age wicker pod seating and old world style decor it makes a perfect escape from the bone crunching effects of persistent heavy beats. There is music most nights of an acoustic persuasion and the happy hour is enticing.
Somewhat like a man who turns into a werewolf, Hat Rin metamorphoses into something completely different come Full Moon. The prices double, the population trebles, the noise decibels quadruple and even sane people it would seem party like its 2999. Full moon parties frequently spill over into the next day and all the excess turns the normally turquoise water quite darker and much smellier.

Full Moon parties are Ko Pha-Ngan’s chief selling point so much so that the entrepreneurial residents have introduced smaller scale half moon and even dark moon parties. These are never on the scale of the original but offer a good way to immerse yourself gently into how these parties operate.

Over the years Hat Rin has transformed from a beach with a few bungalows to a thriving resort. Many of the services that you would expect a modern resort to have are available. Internet resources are ubiquitous (if a little pricey in high season), there are several supermarkets like seven-eleven and numerous travel agents willing to plan your next trip or extend your visa. And it looks like things are going to expand even more as evidenced by the building work we witnessed while there.

Getting to other parts of the island is made easier by the numerous taxi’s (in the shape of a converted pick up trucks called songthaews) and small boats that proliferate. Travelling along the paved road between Hat Rin and the islands main town, Thong Sala is an arduous task. There are many steep hills with little in the way of barriers for safety. This means that renting a motorbike for exploration purposes from Hat Rin is extremely dangerous. Against all the warnings we did just this but after performing one too many evil knivel type manoeuvres we turned back. Fatalities are not uncommon and the number of people with bandages on the beach bears witness to the folly of taking this mode of transport around the island.
Ko Pha-Ngan is an essential stop if you are touring Thailand. Nowhere in the world rivals its party atmosphere at full moon time and the beauty of its beaches is hard to match. The costs of staying on the island may be rising but compared to home these are negligible. You can get by quite easily on about 20 euro per day and this includes accommodation, food and several litres of the local brew!