FRIENDS & the Full Moon Party

I have met so many different people through out this journey.  Some of them are like angels who appear in my life, make things easy and happy, and then leave.  Just thinking about all these people and the experiences we have shared is overwhelming.  And, to be truly honest, it is quite strange.  I say that because I quite often meet someone wonderful and magnetic.  We spend a few days together - traveling, exploring, laughing and sharing.  Then, we split off to continue our own journeys - only exchanging emails and "Facebook profiles" so that we can keep in touch.  They go their way and I go mine.  But, often within a few hours, I meet someone else and repeat this amazing phenomenon of traveling to a new city, sharing a new experience, getting to know a new personality and a new face.

  And, I soon realize that I never emailed the person from before.  Or even the person from before that....  It is never too late, but how I cherish and with whom I share these memories and experiences is entirely (1/2 at least) up to me.  I often wonder if this translates to life back home - and the people I cherish and share it with.  Do I make enough of an effort?  Do they?

Part of my trip is spent alone.  And, part of it is spent with others.  But, finding that perfect balance is crucial.  Many of you ask if I get lonely.  Yes - sometimes I do.  But, I often prefer to be alone.  THAT is what is making this trip so powerful for me: the balance of sharing joyous adventure with others and making time for spiritual introspection alone.

The Islands of Thailand:  I always heard about the magical, mellow and relaxed beauty of the Thai islands.  But, I still didn't know what to expect.  I was just excited to eat fresh fish, drink yummy cocktails and totally decompress on the sunny beaches.  And so an angel appeared (in the form of a dude named Matt) the moment I arrived.  Not yet sure which island I should go to, I happened to arrive on Ko Samui on Christmas Eve morning, December 24th.  But, this wasn't "just" Christmas Eve - this was the one night in December when there was a full moon in the sky.  And, apparently every tourist under the age of 25 knows what happens 30 minutes away on Ko Phangan Island in Thailand when there is a full moon in the sky - the Full Moon Party.

  So, Matt told me to just get on his boat with him and just throw my bags in his room so we can go to The Full Moon Party.  Why not?  It turns out Matt was staying on what has to be the most beautiful beach in Ko Phangan (my favorite beach so far).  It was a small little cove with four bungalow resorts, cliff-hanging restaurants and bars, and wonderful people.  The beach is called Haad Yuan and is only accessable by boat.  There are NO roads to get there.  And then, just as I arrived, I ran into two sweet girls that I had met momentarily on the streets of Bangkok because they were trying to convince me to "dreadlock" my hair.  I now present to you: Hannah and Jessica, from Berkeley, California!  The four of us had an amazing night which turned into a week long island-hopping adventure!   

After experiencing Burning Man and a few amazing European mega-music festivals (Holland's Pink Pop), this Full Moon Party was nothing extraordinary.

  Yet, we managed to drink buckets of Thai whiskey, dance in the sand, watch fire-spinners on the beach, make new friends from around the globe, and take a water taxi back to our bungalow before the sun rose over the islands.

The next afternoon I had to say goodbye to my new friends, again not sure if I'd ever see them again.  I was off to meet an old friend on Ko Samui island.  So, we all hugged one another, gave our strong bear-hug goodbyes and exchanged emails and Facebook profiles - like I always do.