I
had regrets about not going to the full moon party.
But those regrets didn't last long. I had already
been to the party twice already and I was older
now, the novelty had worn off.
I
did go to Koh Phangan, however, but stayed in my
bungalow relaxing on a secluded beach. My beach,
Hat Tien, was ensconced with choppy turbulent ocean
waves and the long tail boats that navigate between
the beaches only come every few hours (there are
no roads).
The
morning after the party I had to pass through Had
Rin to catch the ferry back to the main island.
Waiting for the ferry, I met the human remnants
of the full moon party and my any residual doubts
about not attending were quickly obliterated.
Like
refuse being washed out to sea by a powerful riptide,
the ferry carried the bizarre and pathetic human
trash of the full moon party back out to sea.
The
ferry left at 9.30 am and many of the revelers clearly
had not bathed nor slept the entire night. This
is the cast of characters that offended the early
morning sunlight on the night after. There were
Israelis stumbling drunkenly, fresh from army service,
their bodies covered with fluorescent paint. One
had a black eye and was visibly bleeding in several
spots. There was a spaced-out looking girl accompanied
by a Thai nurse in a white uniform and with a portable
IV unit. There were some British skinheads with
gold chains hanging on bull-like necks, their thick
arms covered with tribal tattoos. There were assorted
junkies and alcoholics. One guy kept beating his
friend with a stick, encouraging him to wake up.
The friend sleeping on the floor seemed oblivious
to the blows and continues his drunken slumber.
Although Thailand is famous for some of the most
beautiful transvestites in the world, none made
an appearance on the ferry leaving Had Rin. There
were instead several extremely un-passable Thai
ladyboys who looked as if they made the conversion
last week and in their previous lives, they were
either prizefighters or truck drivers or perhaps
boxers before the change. Right in front of me was
a woman vomiting copiously into a plastic bag.
A
Secluded Hat Tien
Had
Tien is a secluded cove with a rocky beach whose
main fame to claim is the alternative Spa and Resort
with a sort of eastern mysticism theme called the
"Sanctuary". Many people have strong reactions
to the Sanctuary; it's the kind of place you either
hate or you love. What I like about it is a great
open-air lobby with hammocks facing the beach, a
free library, a good restaurant and most importantly,
a healthy music mix focused on jazz and blues. I
get really sick of techno monotony so this is refreshing.
Some of the other good aspects of the Sanctuary
are (1) the dorm was only 70 baht and they clean
the sheets every day; (2) They have a meditation
hall and a yoga hall that you can use if there are
no classes (I worked out in the yoga hall); and
(3) The herbal steam is superb, if you like that
kind of thing.
More
about the herbal steam: This is the best herbal
steam I have found in Thailand. The room is constructed
of boulders and concrete and looks like a Flintstones
wigwam. There is stained glass on the ceiling that
allows natural light to shine in. The place is asymmetrical
with natural curves and large boulders so it feels
like some aboriginal ceremonial ground and the steam
is quite nice. The precise mixture of herbs to be
combined and the temperature at which they best
vaporize is a subject of intense debate, but this
combination was better than many others I have encountered.
