Is the full moon party on new years eve this year, or did I misunderstand you? Full moon parties are great fun, but a couple of years ago I went to both the New Years Eve party and the full moon party a few days later, and actually found the New Years thing to be better (except for the fact that I actually got involved in a murder case in Had Rin, which was NOT a lot of fun and honestly shook me up bit and almost made me lose faith in humanity for a little while…)There were more people there on new years eve too, actually – I remember it as being packed. If the full moon party coincides with new years, then the place is going to take off for sure. It’ll probably even be better than most alternatives in KL, if you’re considering that. I have celebrated new years in KL, and while I wouldn’t mind doing that again a new years party on Koh Pha Ngan – or perhaps any tropical island like that – can be pretty damn special.

Whatever kind of beach party – do go to Koh Pha Ngan and experience one. It does tend to get pretty wild, and then – if you’re like me – you might want to spend the remainder of your stay in a more quiet spot on the Island. I always stay up north, usually at Fanta Bungalow in Chaloklum bay – because I had such an amazing time there on my first trip to the island in 1997. It’s hardly recognizable today, but that’s nostalgia for ya, I guess!

I’ve also been to Koh Chang a few times, and while that island too has been subject to some rather heavy development over the last decade, it’s probably still a nice place to hang out – haven’t been there for a few years now, so I couldn’t say for sure. It’s also kinda on the way to Cambodia from Bangkok, and Cambodia is of course worth a visit – Angkor is simply fantastic (and fantastically touristly too, but I can see why). Go to Cambodia either on this trip or on the next (whenever you plan to do that) – I can’t for the life of me understand how you’d regret that considering what I’ve read of your writings on this blog. Like me, you seem to be hungry for experiences, and there’s usually a few of those waiting in line for someone going on a real road trip through Cambodia. And they come in all kinds of different colors.

Anyway, yup, I SHOULD pack my bags! I should I should I should!!!

I agree with KL regarding inspiring. It’s good to see benz’s zipping by because it reminds you that all of life isn’t a small bungalow on some small Thai island.

Koh Phangan would be ridiculous to get work done, that said I’m considering going there for the new years full moon party, would be epic, no?

Any island is hard to work on and most places dont’ have wifi, cafe’s are ok but full of distractions and you can never get “comfy” which you need to be to get work done.

Pack your bags already

One reason I decided to go get a base in Kuala Lumpur (which if stuff goes according to plan is happening in a few months) is what you’ve already noted yourself: You can actually get work done there, while feeling like you’re on a vacation anyway. There are some awesome places to hang out in South East Asia, but some of those don’t really have much of a work friendly atmosphere, to put it mildly. I’ve tried getting work done on Koh Pha Ngan, for instance, which is STILL my favourite Thai Island (perhaps more for what it was than what it now is), and that’s honestly pretty hard. You have to be pretty driven to put in the hours every day when you’re surrounded by people who walk around all day half asleep. KL is different – it’s even inspiring, IMO. Excellent place for people who work online.

Dang, now you’ve made me go look at the classifieds to check out el cheapo apartments in KL again. The moment I read stuff like this or start talking about the town, I get a rather strong compulsion to pack my bags and get on a plane SOON.

Keep us updated, eh? Lucky bastard.