The Lost Souls of Thailand's Full-Moon Parties

[Jonathan Fairfield]

The Lost Souls of Thailand's Full-Moon Parties

Haad Rin is an idyllic beach on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand. But if its white sand and clear waters could speak, they would tell you stories of booze, drugs, and bodily fluids.

The parties held here every full moon can attract up to 30,000 people from all over the world. For years, Day-Glo backpackers have flocked here to get smashed on mushrooms and drink vodkas and Red Bull from a bucket while listening to David Guetta and psychedelic trance.

Photographer Ender Suenni has been documenting these parties for the last couple of years. Growing up in Berlin, another place famous for its untamed lifestyle, Ender was interested in these parallel worlds but was confused by some of the behavior—in particular the notion that wearing neon colors has anything to do with having "an authentic rave experience."

When morning comes, the beach is littered with lost souls bearing all sorts of wounds from the night before, stumbling on under the watchful eyes of confused locals.

Check out Suenni's photos here.

Source: Vice

[trogers]

Ahhh...the Bible study sessions of good souls from God-fearing countries of the West.

[Costas2008]

Interesting.......wish I was young again.........may be I would go there...................

[Jeremy50]

Why would the locals be confused? They organize the damn things. Looks like hell.

[aTomsLife]

Time to update Dante.

Apparently there's a tenth circle of hell, and it's neon.

[pinkpanther99]

I went to a Full Moon Party five years ago when I was 25, when I first came to Thailand and it was pretty much exactly like the pics in the OP.

It gets a lot of criticsim about drug taking and anti-social behaviour etc.

But I didn't think it was actually that bad. Sure, drug taking was widespread and quite open but it was no worse than say when I went to Glastonbury or Leeds music festival, in the UK.

My main problem with the Full Moon Party was that it just wasn't very good, well overhyped with terible music, over priced drinks and full of idiots dressed in flourescent clothing and face paint.

Accomodation prices on the island doubles whenever the Full Moon party is on, it's basically just one big rip off.

if it causes so many problems the govt in Thailand could just stop it but it's too much of a money spinner ripping off backpackers!

Glad I went to it, but I wouldn't go back, it's crap! Too old now anyway!

[starky]

Didn't bother looking at the photo's but being one that was fully into the scene back in the day. I thought the day-glo hippy dippy raver thing finished up in the late "80's early "90's at the latest. I guess the odd bush rave they might pull it out for a bit of nostalgia but no one has sported that kit (unless it was a joke) for 30 odd years. Aciiiiiiiiieeeeed

[Just1Voice]

Ahhhh, I can remember what it was like at that age. I was toting a M-16 and .45, in the jungles of Vietnam, playing "Kill or be Killed". Bigger adrenalin rush than any Full Moon Party, I can guarantee. lol

[rkidlad]

I went when I was 22 and it was just plain awful. People off their heads on drugs. People pissing in the sea 'cos they were too lazy to go to toilet or didn't wanna pay the 5 Baht fee.

When younger people I know visit and ask if it's any good, I tell them not to bother unless they enjoy making of themselves. I've never liked the whole backpacker scene. Being tight with your cash I get. Dressing like a hobo and stinking of BO does not endear you to the locals. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? If there are any locals who look and smell like many backpackers, it's not through <deleted> choice! It's actually just offensive and ignorant.

Oh, and when did being the loudest, craziest and most inconsiderate prick become cool?

To each their own. Rant over.

[pinkpanther99]

I went when I was 22 and it was just plain awful. People off their heads on drugs. People pissing in the sea 'cos they were too lazy to go to toilet or didn't wanna pay the 5 Baht fee.

When younger people I know visit and ask if it's any good, I tell them not to bother unless they enjoy making <deleted> of themselves. I've never liked the whole backpacker scene. Being tight with your cash I get. Dressing like a hobo and stinking of BO does not endear you to the locals. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? If there are any locals who look and smell like many backpackers, it's not through <deleted> choice! It's actually just offensive and ignorant.

Oh, and when did being the loudest, craziest and most inconsiderate prick become cool?

To each their own. Rant over.

Agree with much of this.

Just to add that when I was back packing 5 years ago, most back packers I met weren't slumming it, not even close (an I inlcude myself in that). Most had their laptops, Mac books, iPhones, expensive cameras, etc.

It quickly became apparent to me that most backpackers think that slumming it is staying in a guesthouse which doesn't have a Wi-Fi connection.

Most of these beach bungalows that backpackers are so eager to stay in and which they class as being at the lower end of the accomodation scale in Thailand actually have air con and a maid cleaning them everyday, hardly slumming it.

After living in Thailand for a few years now, experience has taught me that backpackers must spend an absolute fortune here. They end up paying 150Baht for stuff like Pad Thai, fried rice or banana pancakes just because they don't know any better and still think they're getting a good deal having only ever eaten Pad Thai at double the price at some Thai restaurant in their home country.

They must be easy pickings for the rip-off merchants and mafia parasites on places like Koh Tao. Easy pickings.

[Rooo]

Posts with inappropriate language removed..

[WhamBam]

Oh what a night

Looks like they had a great time and will remember it oh so well

[SpeedFreakz]

Living on Thailand for 5 years, i've been Dj-ing and listening electronic music for more than 17 years, and i really never had the urge going there since i knew what to expect.

Just don't like the idea of the whole thing,

as someone wise said "If you're at a party in Asia, and there are no Asians around, you're not doing Asia right. " - and i agree 100% on that.

I experienced that peeing in the see thing before, and people trashing garbage everywhere.

At one point i wanted to visit PhiPhi just out of curiosity, since everyone told me that is pure fun there, i was thinking how bad it could be then. So i planned to stay there 7 days, we arrived at 3pm and spent rest of the day there and one night at the beach, i had enough Phi Phi for the rest of my life. - we just packed our stuff and moved to Koh Lanta for the rest of the trip.

Don't get me wrong but i kinda felt ashamed that i am white, looking at what some of the people here on Thailand are capable of.

[trogers]

Full moon parties should be rated PG for age below 35.

[Misterwhisper]

"I went to a Full Moon Party five years ago when I was 25, when I first came to Thailand and it was pretty much exactly like the pics in the OP." (pinkpanther99)

...except the bottoms of the girls have got much, much bigger, it seems.

[impulse]

...except the bottoms of the girls have got much, much bigger, it seems.

Nah, selective memory.

Your brain wasn't getting enough oxygen, because your blood supply was otherwise engaged. Happened to all of us.

[dragonfly94]

I went when I was 22 and it was just plain awful. People off their heads on drugs. People pissing in the sea 'cos they were too lazy to go to toilet or didn't wanna pay the 5 Baht fee.

It's 5 baht for a piss? at my local market it's 2 baht and that's Bangkok, the thieving buggers Just forced myself to look at the pics and they are pretty poor photographically, bad exposureand composition.

[EyesWideOpen]

Some classic photos in that set. I personally liked the girl that wrote

I NEED SEX on her leg, the girl with the big a$$ wearing a T shirt

that said BIG A$$, and the girl that looks like a beached whale laying on

top of some guy. I used to live on Samui, and friends kept trying to get

me to go to the full moon party. Now I am glad I never went......

Well at least the Thais must be getting a good laugh at these antics.

[Rykbanlor]

I went in 2000, music was crap, it was a forgettable party. If i had to choose between bowel surgery and going back again, I'd need some time to mull it over.

And interestingly, I thought the music scene would grow more in Thailand (I've been here since 2000) but apparently it hasn't. Make a few exceptions for some places in BKK, but otherwise, naaaah.

[smokie36]

Suckers all of them.

The nightly small parties in Thong Nai Pan Noi were much more magical.

Oh well....now that has gone too.....

[dragonfly94]

Any all night morlam party is better than this looks

[Prbkk]

Why would the locals be confused? They organize the damn things. Looks like hell.

Yes. Neither confused nor watchful...too busy counting stacks of cash...the ONLY consideration/motive in these events.

[JAG]

Just looked at the photos.

I know I am an old fart, but that is supposed to be fun?

[ChrisY1]

Great stuff for TAT.........A Full Moon Promo fair!

[IMA_FARANG]

Just to show you how old I am, I can remember "holy rollers" telling my generation that Rock and Roll (as in Buddy Holley:s music) was the seed of the devil and the "souls" destruction.

Wasn't true then, not true now.

Scientists have shown that the prefrontal cortex of the human brain ...... where many value judgements are formed ..... is not fully developed until about 25 years of age in the average human brain.

That fact may explain why many people between 18 and 25 years old do such silly things they regret later.

Like "full moon parties".

I was the same way once, but many years ago now.

Whatever.

[baboon]

Just saw the photos. They could equally be labeled 'Full Moon Party' or 'Human Rights Atrocity', depending on your point of view...

[reptile91602]

My wife and I at lived in samui for 6 years, after several years on Samui, I was 45 years old at the time, we decided to check out the party at Hadrin. We arived at about 9pm and walked through the crowd. about 10 minutes later we walked to the dock to get the hell out of there. The last boat was just leaving and wouldn't take us, such nice island Thai folk, so we hung out at the pier until 6am before any boat would take us home. We got to talk all night with some younger Norwegian kids that thought the party sucked. Welcome to the Thai island life.

[mickyboy]

2 girls on BBC TV documentry went come away siad what load rubbish rather go down there local pub hype up but just loads drunks and idiots they did not reckon it but thats there view

[Crazy chef 1]

the last time i went to a full moon party was some 20 years ago and at this age it was amazing ...one thing I still remember is the ladies looked much more appetizing...

[paddyjenkins]

Thank God i was never young...it makes me cringe and embarrassed to be Western to see these idiots