Full Moon Party

I came back from my recess break in Vietnam 2 weeks ago and I am already leaving for my next trip. This time the destination is Thailand. I did not plan to do any traveling more during the school year, because the school work is getting very hectic and the presentations and quizzes seem to have no end, but… all my friends have been talking about it for the last month. Therefore, I decided that I simply cannot miss out on a party of a month (?!).
The story behind the full moon party is pretty straight forward. As a legend describes, there was a group of students who decided to play some music and do some dancing on the beach in Thailand as a good-bye party. The party grew big and became so famous and now it takes place every full moon (that means every 4 weeks). Thailand would not be the most touristic country of Asia if it did not expand the idea of the beach party to: half moon parties, black moon parties, and so on. However, in my opinion, full moon is THE party to go.
I bought my plane tickets to Phuket a couple weeks ago. I was really excited about it, so I decided to read about the party in the Lonely Planet travel guide. And that was the moment when I got scared: most of the stories descried in the guide talk about how dangerous this party is: thieves, drugs, violence… To make myself feel better I asked people who already have been at the party about their experience. And all I have heard was: the party is AMAZING. So I am leaving for full moon tonight, taking all the precautions there are (not carrying much cash with me, staying in a big group of people I already know), putting some fluorescent paint all over myself, and definitely getting ready to enjoy the party on the dream beach of Thailand.
You are probably wondering how is it possible to do so much of traveling during the school year. I have to say: it definitely is not easy. After I came back from Vietnam I basically moved in to the library. I stopped seeing my roommate – I don’t remember the last time we talked! I leave our place at 8 am to go to classes – she is still sleeping. I come back around 11 pm – she is already sleeping! It does make me feel like a sleepless robot. I guess some sacrifices have to be made and, honestly, as long as I am not falling asleep while standing – being a bit tired is a fair trade-off for the amazing time I have while traveling around South East Asia.
Best wishes from Thailand!
Joanna

vietnam - pictures

RESTAURANT MENU, MEKONG DELTA

SILK FACTORY, MEKONG DELTA

MEKONG DELTA

HALONG BAY

SA PA

Recess holiday

On the beginning I need to mention that this note will be a short one. I have just come back from my 10 days vacation in Vietnam. In Singapore week 8 of school is a recess week. During that time all the students should catch up with their homework, papers, essays, prepare for upcoming tests. However, I don't know a single exchange student who stayed in Singapore during the recess break. The most popular destinations were: Bali, Java, Philippines, Cambodia, Phuket (Thailand). One of the professors said that all the full time students at SMU will try to have at least one day break during the recess, while all the exchange will try to spend at least one day of the recess studying. Unfortunately, I did not have any time for studying ;)
So... Vietnam. What a place... We started in the North – the plane landed in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. It is a huge city with lots and lots of scooters and motor bikes. It takes a lot of courage to cross the street. From there Luise (German girl), Monika and I (both Polish) went to Sa Pa. It is a city known for the most beautiful rice fields. The pictures will follow in a few days (most likely after Wednesday when my Portfolio Management test is) so you can see yourself. Pure nature, people dressing up in national Vietnamese costumes, everything unchanged since centuries. After Sa Pa we went to Halong Bay. There we spent one night on the sheep cruising around all the 2000 tiny islands. The views are amazing, but the place is way too touristy: on every corner there were people trying to sell you crap ("hello miss, only $1, buy from meeeee").Next, we planned to take the train to the center of the country, Hue, but the flood changed our plans. There were no buses and no trains going south so we had to buy the plane tickets all the way down to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Last minute ticket was a big shock for my budget. Anyhoo, we escaped the flood and were able to continue the travel. I thought it would be impossible, but there is even more motorbikes in Saigon than in Hanoi. The good thing: people speak English over there. In the South we visited Mekong Delta (yes, I did swim in Mekong :)) and Dalat. The latter was amazing. In is a small city in the mountains, but we got a private tours on the motor bikes, so we got to see coffee and curry plantations, waterfalls, and the factory of silk. So, I am finally back to Singapore, and since I had no time to study during the recess I definitely have some catching up to do :SWill post some amazingly beautiful pictures soon!
Take care,
Joanna