Why You Should NOT Go to a Full Moon Party

If you've thought about going to Koh Phangan, then you've probably thought about attending the infamous full moon party.

Once a month, on the night of the full moon (oh, really?) thousands of tourists gather on the beach for the biggest beach party in the world. People flock to the island just for the party then leave immediately after.

If you like buckets on buckets on buckets of alcohol and "Mushroom Mountain" then it's a party for you. But, that's not why it isn't a party for me.

Personally, this party--"the biggest beach party in the world"--is beyond over hyped. Think of thoouuusaaands of 18-22 year olds getting drunk out of their miiiiinds and deciding that tonight--THE BIGGEST night of their ULTIMATE backpacking adventure--would be a perfect time to give shrooms a shot. What could possibly go wrong??

This spring-break-in-cancun-on-steroids party is the worst. It brings bad decisions, an immense about of trash and sadly, more than a few deaths.

On top of all that, it also goes against the essence of the country's culture. Self-control is one of the main values of Thai culture, which includes being in an alcohol-induced state of semi-conscious slurring and stumbling. But, hey, I'm not Thai, so this is just more of a respect thing for me.

Yes, some of the locals profit from the party. But, a bunch of mindless tourists flock to the beach, get completely wasted, trash the place, then leave. And this happens month, after month, after month.

In reality, Thailand is seen as one of the biggest party destinations, but if you respect the culture of the country that you are a guest in (never forget: you are a guest), then you'll think twice about attending an event that causes so much damage.

Also, there's way cooler shit to do in Thailand.