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