Puppies, Jumping Through Fire and Full Moon on Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is known for the infamous full moon party, however after spending a week there it turns out that every night is celebrated like it is full moon. We'll spare you the finer details but here is a montage of our favourite parts:

Upon our arrival we immediately discovered that we were living next to a 24 hour bakery which quickly became our Mecca. The staff there were in awe at our tremendous and ceaseless ability to consume mountains of baked goods at any time of the day or night.

Murph and adorable puppy

Much excitement was caused on our first night out when we discovered a litter of new born puppies residing in one of the beach-side bars. Tay and Murph took it upon themselves to relentlessly harass the puppies and show them off like proud mothers to everyone else in the bar. Many new friends were made.

A major source of entertainment on Koh Phangan is playing with fire. Images of singed eyebrows and burnt hair deterred us however as usual Ryan James Russell felt the need to get involved. Superman eat your heart out.

Ryan James Russell jumping through fire

A usual day on Koh Phangan involved arising at 2pm, heading straight for the bakery, and then spending the entire afternoon bobbing in the sea. However on one particular occasion Murph, Erin, Matt and Sam, for reasons unbeknown to anyone decided it would be a good idea to swim to a 'nearby' beach. After a fairly pleasant but unexpectedly long swim there, the adventurers discovered that the only way to reach the beach was to clamber across razor sharp rocks cutting their feet left right and centre. Upon finally reaching sand they discovered that it was gritty, uncomfortable and impossible to lay down upon. Sam decided to investigate the beach only to be immediately chased back to the rocks by a pack of wild dogs. A quick exit was made and they now found themselves swimming against the tide amidst giant jellyfish. Eventually after a fearsom afternoon, 4 very red sunburnt faces returned home tails between legs.

The arrival of the World Cup played a major part in the Koh Phangan experience. We are fully aware of how controversial this is, but on viewing the first match with our legendary German friend Erik, we went to the dark-side and could be heard from a considerable distance shouting 'Deutschland, Deutschland, Deutschland!'. Things didn't look good for the first England game when a massive storm hit the island half an hour before kickoff and a powercut ensued. Hundreds of frantic English people spent the first half of the match sprinting around Koh Phangan looking for a bar with a generator that was showing the football and not the Thai King's anniversary celebrations. Luckily by the second half the power had returned and we were back on our usual spot on the beach watching the big screen.

The German Legend Erik Bonhorst

Being partial to taking a theme and running away with it, we discovered UV paint early on during our stay. The majority of our nights out were spent doused in the stuff which we have now discovered has ruined many of our already day-glo items. Our favourites included the UV moustache, the Power Rangers sign and our initials brandished across our bodies. We knew we'd gone overboard when on our final departure Murph and Matt boarded the ferry for Krabi still caked in UV paint from the night before.

Erik, James, Murph, Millsy and Matt getting involved with UV

The full moon party turned out to be exactly the same as every other night on Koh Phangan, just with more people. Everyone retired during the early hours however Murph and Erin, the hardcore ravers stayed out well beyond Sunrise to well and truly see in the new day. Tay rose from bed at 7.30am with a second wind and a fresh bucket in hand to join in the daytime beach rave. The girls only admitted defeat when the music finally stopped.

The girls and Sam all slightly inebriated

All in all a good week but definately ready to leave so we headed to chilled-out Krabi for some R&R.

Puppies, Jumping Through Fire and Full Moon on Koh Phangan

Ko Phangan, Thailand