It takes a long time before the reality of long term travel sets in. Usually weeks unfortunately for those suffering under the tyranny of standard American vacation time. Sometimes it is a slow process of letting the stress and responsibility of the real world roll off as you realize they no longer hold sway over your affairs. Sometimes it happens all at once, sitting in a hammock realizing you have nothing, absolutely nothing, that you have to do for the foreseeable future. Sometimes it happens when you arrive in Koh Pha Ngan¹ just in time to attend the legendary Full Moon Party.

The genesis of this entire trip stemmed from Megan answering Thailand to the question of where she most wanted to go in the world. From there it evolved and shifted until it took it’s current form: a two or more month trip across Southeast Asia. Initially the plan was to start in Thailand and make our way to Vietnam, passing through Laos and Cambodia along the way, and from Vietnam to wherever the cheapest flight took us. That plan began to change when I maneuvered our flights into a ten day stop in the Philippines before heading to mainland Southeast Asia. From there I convinced Megan that the most efficient route was to head to Singapore and work our worth North up the Malay peninsula and enter Thailand from the South. She agreed, and so our itinerary was set. And by itinerary I mean starting point and the cardinal direction we would head. This new plan did add one new potential danger, what if we didn’t make it to Thailand?

The thing about budget travel is that once the budget runs out the travel ends. And while one can save a proper amount and keep a rough daily budget, unforeseen costs always creep in. Sickness and injury bring additional costs in both treatment and stalling at stops longer than necessary. Missed buses and trains might lead to paying for two beds in one night. And getting a little too drunk at the hostel can lead to agreeing to go drink more at a bar or club, a dangerously expensive activity. Add to that the propensity to spend too much early in a travel because the bank account is just so big it can’t possibly go empty and the risk of failing to reach Thailand becomes a much more likely scenario. So it was with great relief that on the 14^th of June we crossed the border into Thailand and the stress of the world melted away from my shoulders, only to return a few hours later.

Our first stop across the border was Hat Yai to change buses. And it was here that disaster struck. In the rush to get Thai money before our next bus left I ran off with my debit card sitting inside the ATM. It was only upon arrival in at our destination in Krabi several hours that I realized my blunder. The stress of the world was out for vengeance.

We luckily had enough money to get us through the next few days until we came up with a solution. In the meantime we made for Koh Pha Ngan. We had been in Malaysia when someone had first brought up the Full Moon Party and the idea of attending one first began to percolate. We were of course vaguely aware of the famous and infamous Full Moon Party. Began some 30 or so years ago by a bunch of backpackers looking to celebrate a friend’s birthday, it has since evolved into massive dusk until dawn until noon beach party attended by up to 30,000 people. The tales of debauchery, insanity, and potential physical, spiritual, and legal harm were enough of a siren’s call for us to ignore our age and change our course. We adjusted our time in Malaysia, leaving Penang early and bypassing most of Southern Thailand with only a 12 hour stop for sleep in Krabi to make it in time for the June 17^th party. We arrived two days early, giving us time to settle in, solve our bank issues, and meet some fellow travelers to attend the party with. Safety in numbers. And then came the party.

It feels unfair to say the Full Moon Party disappointed me. There were literal buckets of alcohol and glowing paint and thousands of people. We drink too much, peed in the ocean, had our group fall apart in chaos, and watched one member burn their leg via a fiery jump rope. But the full on debauchery never really materialized. I may be too old to participate fully, but I can still observe and enjoy the spectacle, but there wasn’t enough spectacle to keep me entertained, or at least awake. Maybe we left too early, but it was 4 AM and we were tired. So we returned to the hostel, drunk but not wasted, sweaty but not disgusting, somehow lacking in sin and regret.

Before we left Koh Pha Ngan we spent a day exploring the island. The Full Moon Party is a bit of a curse for the island because it really is beautiful and has a ton to do. We visited only one of the islands many waterfalls and did some light hiking before heading for a different beach to swim and relax. We had great food, especially at a place called The Chef where the insanely friendly owner talked to us about the different pasta preferences between Westerners and Thai people and thanked us for visiting even though we were the ones who felt blessed to have stumbled upon the place. And the island was much cheaper and far less developed, commercial, and touristy than its more popular neighbor Koh Samui. My advice is to look up when the Full Moon Party is, and visit the island one week later.

It was in fact to Koh Samui that we headed next, not yet tired of island life but feeling a need to change the background scenery of our beaches. We checked into US Hostel, a little more upscale of a spot than I usually prefer but it’s location away from the beach made it cheaper and it featured a bar, a pool, and many cats. Koh Samui has lots to see, but no must sees, making it the perfect place to just chill out. We checked out most of the sites in one half day tour that highlighted a big Buddha statue, a mummified monk, and a waterfall. The rest of our time was spent lying on the beach or by the hostel pool, doing nothing and loving it. The hostel staff was super friendly, fellow travelers equally sedate, and did I mention the cats. It was here, that my moment finally set in. All goals had been accomplished. We had made it to the Full Moon Party, we had crossed four countries off the map, we had booked a day at an elephant sanctuary, and most importantly we had made it to Thailand. Everything and anything else we saw or did was bonus content. Megan would get her elephants, I got to have my moment of zen. Life was good.

We took a day break from Koh Samui to visit the Ang Thong National Marine Park. A collection of islands West of Koh Samui, the park had a bungalow with very basic accommodation that seemed the perfect private adventure after all of the hostels and parties and public buses. We joined a tour for transport to our stop, a tiny cottage with no air conditioning, no hot water, no wifi, and power only part of the day. Before checking in we visited an emerald lake hidden inside an island, apparently the inspiration for the novel The Beach.² After around 5 o’clock all of the day trippers left and for only the second time in my life I was the denizen of a private beach. We wandered the park alone, ate with park employees at the only restaurant for dinner, watched monkeys, and sat and talked under the stars. The next day we departed in a vicious downpour, the world trying to in vain to warn us off leaving.

After a few more days relaxing in Koh Samui we made our return to the mainland and to Krabi. We took a kayak tour of the mangrove forest and ate twice at the same delicious Thai restaurant. I had a miniature waffle and a mystery sausage at a night market and Megan finally had a banana pancake. Then we booked cheap flights to our next destination. Bangkok. It was time to head North.