Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand

Finally… the Thai beach we were dreaming of! After almost two months of travel, it was finally time to dip our toes in the warm Gulf of Thailand (and wash the sleaze of Bangkok off). Ko Pha Ngan is a backpackers’ favorite and most popular for its Full Moon parties when over 20,000 crazy kids wreak havoc on the beach for an all-night dance party. But aside from that, there are beautiful beaches all over the island scattered with relaxing bars and restaurants.

We had a lovely room set high in the hills with a great view of the ocean. It was a sweaty hike up the steep hill to the room, but the cold beer and hammock waiting at the top made it more manageable.

Glamour shot of Joe and his newly shaved head. We’re putting this one in his Barbizon modeling portfolio.

Haad Yao beach in front of our hotel. Did lots of chilling here.

Giving our beach blanket a good shaking.


One of the many beachfront locales for grabbing drinks or dinner.


Joe in his happy place

You can’t visit Thailand without having a massage. Thai massage is known for being a bit painful, since those tiny (but strong!) Thai women pretty much walk all over you. But boy oh boy, does it do a body good!

Shaq stretching it out pre-massage.  It's a good thing Joe isn't as big as the real Shaquille because his masseuse seemed to be pushing her limit when she lifted him up in the air on her knees.


We found a great spot that we went back to a few times. Here’s Ashley taking a knee to the lower back.

After everyone and their mother (and our mothers) warned us NOT to rent a motorbike in Ko Pha Ngan, what did we do? We rented a motorbike. The roads are very hilly, but the biggest problem is the hoard of drunk gap year kids who ride around steep hills and blind curves like they’re on karts in the self-serve warehouse at IKEA. Lucky for us we were between Full Moon parties, so most of those hooligans weren’t on the island. Still, Ashley held on for dear life.


The beach for sunset


Happy hour


We missed Full Moon by a few weeks, but the enterprising hotel and bar owners of KPN have a Half Moon party to fill the void. After some debate, we decided we’d give it a go. Doing our best to dress the part of 19 year old college kid (which wasn’t a stretch for Ashley), we grabbed our buckets and got ready for the craziness. Buckets, for those of you who haven’t had the (dis)pleasure or don’t remember since it was 10 years ago, are a lively concoction of red bull, Thai “whiskey”, vodka and Coke. #Gutrot


Our hotel was kind enough to arrange transportation for us, which was 40 minutes on the back of a pick-up truck. Let the fun begin.


Neon body paint is a big part of the festivities. Not our bag, but in fear of not fitting in, we grabbed a paintbrush and did a very, very conservative paint to body ratio. Thank god, because that stuff does not come off easy.


As you can see, Ashley got super creative with her paint job. This photo was taken by a couple on their honeymoon. Wouldn’t be my first choice…

Nice party spread, but it aint quite Di Palo's.  Check out that selection!

Speaking of selection, there’s plenty of it at the bar too.

The Half Moon Party is set in the jungle (not the beach like Full Moon) which was a cool setting. Here’s a shot from above. The music was pretty bad electronic on a seemingly endless loop and we could have been most of the party-goers camp counselors. But when Ashley hit the dance floor with her pop, lock and drop, the young'ns found out they still had a thing or two to learn.


… or maybe that’s just the buckets talking.

There are more photos of Ko Pha Ngan in our google plus album