Thailand travel has become synonymous with Koh Phangan’s Full Moon Party. No matter what age you are, or type of backpacker, this party has to be experienced at least once in your lifetime.  I have seven Full Moon parties under my belt. Some were spent writhing around in the crowds growing massive calves from attempting the hard feat of dancing on sand. Others were spent ‘working’ behind a bar, where the booze was free flowing and I spent more time laughing at all the heathens rather than being one myself. Either way, this party is so memorable and one of the many reasons why I love Thailand.

Thailand Travel - Full Moon Party

Full Moon Party Origins

Thailand Travel - Lighting display for the Full Moon Party

Full Moon Party folklore tells us that when I was only a whisper of a thing at two years old in 1985, a large leaving party, for a group of super cool travellers on Haad Rin Beach, went down so well that some clever soul thought, “Why don’t we do this every month?” From there spawned that glorious heard-it-on-the-grapevine thing and every month since, the party has gotten bigger and bigger with around 30,000 revelers turning up each month. The Full Moon party totally deserves it’s reputation for a unique experience in paradise.

How to get to the Full Moon Party

The island of Koh Phangan is a couple of hours off Thailand’s mainland.  Most travelers take a sleeper train down from Bangkok to Surat Thani or Chumpon and then a catamaran ferry to the island for around 1,200 baht.  Increasingly, cheap flights are being offered which whisk you down from the capital city to the neighbouring island of Koh Samui.  Costs for flights vary greatly, particularly during peak seasons or New Years Eve, so booking in advance is essential.  The ferry from Koh Samui is only 45 minutes so this isn’t a bad option if you don’t have a lot of time.

Haad Rin Beach

Thailand Travel - Full Moon Party

The party happens on Haad Rin beach, a cove setting where the only road access goes over some steep and often treacherous hills that make for a white knuckled moped ride or a shaky open taxi.  Staying in Haad Rin can be convienient as this party goes on until the sun comes up and beyond, so stumbling back to your hotel makes life easy.  Most people who are on the island for more than a few days often choose to stay on quieter parts of the island. I’ve done both and it totally depends on how long your staying and how much you can afford.

I have stayed just off the beach in Haad Rin in a private fan room for as little as 400 baht.  I found this place the night before the party which was very lucky by Koh Phangan standards.  When I had friends come and visit, they stayed in a 4-star resort on the neighbouring beach, about five minutes away from Haad Rin for around 1,500 a night – and they booked a month or so ahead.  Be sensible and try to arrive a few days before with either an advance booking or time to find somewhere perfect for you.

Thailand Travel - Beach Bar at the Full Moon Party

What to bring to a Full Moon Party

Not a lot.  Firstly, who wants to be partying with a bag to lumber around? Not me.  Security is definitely something that should be adhered to during this party.  Common sense goes a long way here.

Tips for a Fun and Safe Full Moon Party:

• Only bring enough money to last you the night, under 2,000 baht should be fine. (Although I often went with less than 1,000 and had an incredible time)
• Don’t bring any valuables as they’ll likely end up waterlogged or coated in sand.
• Don’t wear your best outfit.  Neon body paint is all the rave here and it doesn’t come out of clothes, so be warned.
• Of course you’ll want to bring your camera but be careful if you do.  Don’t leave it on the bar while you order a drink, and if it’s waterproof and shock proof, even better.
• Shoes! I know it’s a beach and being barefoot makes sense but broken bottles and naked feet are not a happy combination.  The clean up effort that happens the day after the party is brilliant but you’d be amazed at how many flip flops are left behind…

Thailand Travel - Kiri getting neon painted on her at the Full Moon Party

What to see at the Full Moon Party

Look up at the moon! It lights up the beach and casts a beautiful silvery glow over the crowds.

Make sure you check out the the Thai professional fire poi dancers. They are the best in the world.  Gorgeous sun kissed Thai men, usually adorned in some pretty impressive traditional Thai tattoos, marvel the crowds with perfectly timed fire routines.  They know how to get the crowds going and  it’s easy to spend hours dancing around them.

Watch out for the fire skipping though. I am still baffled by the amount of people that think skipping rope whilst its aflame is a good idea. It’s not. If you start thinking it’s a good idea, check yourself, you may have had one too many buckets and need to have a quiet word with yourself.

Thailand Travel - Dangerous Fire Skipping at the Full Moon Party

Thailand Travel - Kiri at the end of the Full Moon Party

Burns are the most common form of injury during the party, followed by all the mad people that ride a motorbike whilst inebriated. Never a good idea, especially on the Haad Rin hills.

Lastly, if huge thronging crowds seem a bit much for you, there are many calmer, nicer bars that overlook the beach.  Here you can dance to Resident DJ’s and still enjoy the atmosphere of the party whilst staying away from the mayhem.

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Choosing from the hundreds of Galapagos tours doesn’t sound like an easy choice, but it actually wasn’t too hard for Aracely and I. As someone that’s active on the web, always reading others’ experiences while touring the world, I sort of knew who the best tour operators for the Galapagos were.

Galapagos Travel

Adorable sea lion pups, Chinese Hat, Galapagos by GirlUnmapped, on Flickr

This trip is a special one, it’s to celebrate Aracely’s 30th Birthday. Our visit to the Galapagos Islands is a bit different compared to when we backpacked through Central and South America between 2009 and 2010. In 2010, our budget prevented us from experiencing Galapagos the way we had always imagined. We were living on $55 a day, which didn’t cover the cost of Galapagos tours. Now, in 2012, we are ready to book the tour we have always wanted, and we expect G Adventures will be able to deliver that for us.

10-Day Multi-Activity Galapagos Land Tour

We experienced a small tour with G Adventures in 2009 to the Iguazú Falls and had an excellent trip. Add that experience, all the other positive experiences written about by travel bloggers and the experiences by our friends in the Wanderers in Residence program and you end up on a trip with G Adventures. That’s why it was an easy choice for Aracely and I.

Galapagos Adventures and Education

We will be sleeping on the Galapagos Islands each night, which is probably best for Aracely, who is prone to seasickness. This also allows us to spend longer days hiking volcanoes, exploring individual islands and museums. Other activities include kayaking, snorkeling and mountain biking. I figured we might get bored touring on a boat for 7 days, so the idea of multiple activities was a good thing.

Education has always been an important part of any tour we participate in. Ever since our Grand Canyon hike in 2006, we make every effort to get schooled in the places we visit, the local culture and it’s history. We know the Galapagos Islands has amazing scientific facts and a lot of wildlife to learn about.

Quito, Ecuador

We arrive to Quito this weekend, a city we have a spent over a month living in before. It will be fun to revisit some of the old places we ate at, maybe even climb back up the Basílica del Voto Nacional or just check off items from our list of best things to do in Quito.

By Sunday afternoon, we should be swimming with sea lions as Frigate birds fly above on San Cristóbal island during our Galapagos tour with G Adventures in celebration of Aracely’s 30th birthday.

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Bolivia Travel - Sunset at Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

The best of Bolivia

After a full day of hiking from the north part of Isla del Sol island to the south, we took a rest at a restaurant with an amazing view of Lake Titicaca.  The hours passed and the sun began to hide behind the horizon.  The sunset slowly revealed some amazing colors and relfections.

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Watch More Adventure Travel Videos

Enjoy the best off-the-beaten-path beach in Costa Rica through an HD adventure travel video from 2 Backpackers, Jason and Aracely Castellani, while visiting Sámara, Costa Rica.  In travel video episode #21, we film the flat, calm, white sand Samara Beach and it’s small island of Isla Chora. Enjoy the show!

Costa Rica Travel – Sámara

Samara is located on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast. Costa Rica is Central America’s most developed country and attracts the most tourists, allowing it to build an improved infrastructure attracting luxury beachfront resorts. As a budget traveler, this can be a challenge. You want to explore the wonderful beaches of Costa Rica, but you also have a travel budget to stick to.

Best Beach in Costa Rica

Have you ever envisioned a wonderful cove beach with subtle waves, endless reefs, nearby cliffs battered by the sea, horses running along the water’s edge, palm trees bending towards the horizon, reefs occasionally sun bathing and a small rock island that beckons you as you rest on the mainland?

Then you better get yourself to Samara Beach, the best off-the-beaten-path beach in all of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Travel - Samara Beach

2 Backpackers - Samara Beach Costa Rica – Travel Video Ep. 21 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Jade Johnston of OurOyster.com, shares her tips on travelling to the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia in this travel guest post for 2Backpackers.com.

Despite over five years of travel, and over thirty countries visited in that time, the Perhentian Islands marked two of my travel firsts. My first time travelling solo properly, and my first proper beach holiday. I know, shocking.

And like anyone, taking their first shaky steps onto new territory, I fell hard. I made a couple huge mistakes which can be easily avoided, but I also did a few things right.

Perhentian Islands. Malaysia by willposh, on Flickr

Perhentian Island Paradise

The Perhentian islands, although only taking up a page in Lonely Planet’s Malaysia book, are well known on the backpacker route. They are your typical island paradise, with long sunny days, beach parties at night, and great snorkeling and scuba diving activities. Which island you chose to stay on will depend on your budget and your travel lifestyle. Perhentian Besil, the big island, is popular with families and the typical accommodation includes resorts and hotels. Perhentian Kecil, the small island, is backpacker haven. Cheap guesthouses and dorm rooms abound, and a dorm can be obtained for as cheap as 12 ringgit a night. Thats 4 dollars!

The two islands are easily reachable from Kuala Besut by speedboat for 70 ringgit return. Kuala Besut is easily reachable from most main towns in Malaysia by bus, and I reached the town by overnight bus from Kuala Lumpur.

So below are my top 5 tips to make your visit to the Perhentian islands a memorable one. And do take these tips into consideration – as I learned several of them the hard way!

Perhentian Island by karma-police, on Flickr

Top 5 Tips for Travelling to Perhentian

1.  Arrive early to ensure you get a good room

Many of the hostels on Kecil are not available to book online, so most people search out a guest house when they arrive. This is definitely an “early bird gets the worm sort of situation,” and the decent budget rooms disappear quickly. So unless you want to sacrifice your wallet, or sacrifice the luxery of a semi decent toilet facility, try to get there early! I took the 7:30 am boat to Kecil and was lucky to therefore be the first in line for a dorm room in the cheap and very clean Tropicana Inn. Many others were waiting for a dorm room after me, but several ended up being turned away.

Top tip: take the overnight bus to Kuala Besut – that way it will be impossible for you to oversleep and miss the first ferry.

Perhentian Beach by karma-police, on Flickr

2.  Slip, Slop, Slap!

Now I know this is supposed to be common sense, but if you like me (no sense) and don’t want to end up looking like a lobster, then heed this advice. Slip on long sleeves, slop on some sunscreen, and slap on a hat. The sun on the Perhentian islands is extremely strong – and the atmosphere is extremely relaxing. A dangerous combination. Now I don’t ever need to wear sunscreen! I’m half Asian and never burn! Wrong! I ended up burnt to a crisp and having to spend the rest of my time on the Perhentian islands hiding from the sun with a book. The worst part of it – it peeled … making me paler when I got home than when I left.

Top tip – Try not to fall asleep in full sunlight in the mid afternoon!

3.  Snorkel or dive

The Perhentian islands are located in a marine reserve and the water is crystal clear and teeming with marine life. Just from standing on the pier, I was able to see several species of fish. I didn’t go snorkeling due to my having not followed tip #2, but others I spoke to raved about it. Apparently it is rather easy to see small sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, and dozens of brightly coloured fish.

Top tip – Every man, woman, and child seems to run their own diving and snorkelling excursions here, so make sure you spend some time shopping around to get the best deal.

Perhentian - Underwater by Anan Amri, on Flickr

4.  Coral bay

The main beach on Perhentian Kecil is long beach, and it is therefore lined with guest houses, shops, and restaurants. However, for a slightly less crowded beach and for cheaper eats, take the walking trail across the island (only about 500 meters) to Coral Bay. Also, be aware that the restaurants stop serving food around 7pm or 8pm, so make sure you get your dinner in before it’s too late. (Another mistake I made!)

Top tip – The restaurants in coral bay are almost half the price as those on the main beach.

5.  Bring bug spray

Since I spent most of my time in Malaysia in larger cities, I didn’t really encounter many mosquitoes or insects at all. (note: I wrote this before my last night in Malaysia – the night I got feasted upon by bed bugs!) However, in the Perhentian’s the mosquitoes are about the size of house cats – seriously! When one came at me, I had the same panic reaction as if a pigeon was swooping at my head.

Top tip – it’s better to stock up on your bug spray (and sunscreen as well) on the mainland, as prices are a bit inflated on the island.

Amazing Sunset on our last night on Besar by The Shifted Librarian, on Flickr

Well, those are my top 5 tips for travelling to the Perhentian Islands – most of them learned the hard way! It’s somewhere I definitely want to revisit – but next time with my sunscreen!

Have you been to the Perhentian islands? What are your greatest tips?

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Key Biscayne National Park is one the best Beaches in Florida

Key Biscayne Fl is one of the most beautiful islands located just off the coast of downtown Miami.  If the Miami beaches are too crowded or too full of tourists, drive over the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne and visit one of the many beaches or parks for a day of sun, grilling and swimming amongst the tropical trees of Miami as captured in the travel photo.

If you are visiting Miami, don’t forget to take one of the most scenic drives in America down to the Florida Keys for a Key West Sunset.

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Gamez Island in Gulf of Chiriquí National Park, Panama

2 Backpackers - Photo of the Day: Gamez Islands in Panama’s Pacific Coast 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Jersey (Channel Islands) is a small island off the coast of Normandy in the English Channel.  It has been inhabited since prehistoric times.  Nowadays, one can see traces of those first dwellers almost anywhere.  One of the things I loved doing the most during my time there was to put on my walking boots, grab a map and explore the island in search of ancient monuments.  Let me share my discoveries with you.

Ville-ès-Nouaux

Ville-ès-Nouaux

Ville-ès-Nouaux

It’s slap bang in the middle of a small park outside the Anglican Church of St. Andrew’s in First Tower (on the road to St. Aubin).  I thought it was a garden feature of some sort.  Only when I got closer did I realize it was a Neolithic passage grave, and possibly older then the Pyramids!

Mont Ubé

Mont Ubé

Mont Ubé

The Neolithic passage grave of Mont Ubè can be tricky to locate as it’s hidden in trees on a small promontory on Rue de la Blinerie, off the A5 near Samarés Manor.  It took me two attempts to find it.  I’m glad I persevered.

Les Monts Grantez

Les Monts Grantez

View from Monts Grantez

My hubby and I came across this passage grave almost by chance when we attended a Summer Solstice Concert over St. Ouen’s Bay.  We parked the car and crossed a field towards the picnic site on a cliff.  There was a bunch of rocks which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a dolmen!

La Hougue Bie

La Hougue Bie

View from La Hougue Bie

La Houge Bie is a most unusual tribute to the history of humankind.  It consists of a Neolithic passage grave under a mound, topped by not one but two chapels (circa 1520 and 1780s) and a German command bunker (the Channel Islands were the only British territory occupied by Nazi Germany during WWII).  It is mind boggling!  And on a clear day the coast of Normandy can be seen from the top.

Menhir and Burial Chamber at Les Quennevais

Chamber Les Quennevais Sand Dunes

Menhir at Les Quennevais Sand Dunes

These two monuments are located on the southern edge of Les Blanches Banques sand dunes over St. Ouen’s Bay.  It’s such a peaceful place.  It’s easy to imagine what the ancients were thinking when they chose it as a final resting place.

Enjoy more Photo Essays!

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Situated on the Bolivian side of the lake with regular boat links to the Bolivian town of Copacabana, Isla del Sol (“Island of the sun”) is one of the lake’s largest islands.  Geographically, the terrain is harsh; it is a rocky, hilly island.  There are no motor vehicles or paved roads on the island.  The main economic activity of the approximately 800 families on the island is farming, with fishing and tourism augmenting the subsistence economy.  There are over 180 ruins on the island. Most of these date to the Inca period circa the 15th century AD. – Wikipedia

We walked across the island in 3 hours capturing some of the most beautiful ocean island views we have ever seen.  We went off trail and climbed to the top of nearby hill to get a close up glimpse of this religious cross.

A Religious Cross Rests High on Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca

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Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) is an island in the southern part of Lake Titicaca.  It is part of the modern Plurinational State of Bolivia.  Geographically, the terrain is harsh; it is a rocky, hilly island.  There are no motor vehicles or paved roads on the island.  The main economic activity of the approximately 800 families on the island is farming, with fishing and tourism augmenting the subsistence economy.  Of the several villages, Yumani and Cha’llapampa are the largest.  There are over 80 ruins on the island. – Wikipedia

Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca

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A Tiny San Blas Island Covered in Huts of the Kuna Tribe

During our sailing trip from Panama to Colombia, we spent 2 days exploring the San Blas islands in Panama’s Caribbean. The indigenous Kuna tribe inhabits the islands. Amazingly, they build huts such as these on the tiniest of islands. They navigate between each island in dugout canoes.

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Sailboat In San Blas Islands Panama

This was one of the boats near us during our visit to the island of Chichime in San Blas Islands, Panama during our sail trip from Panama to Colombia.

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We saw this beautiful cactus tree during our hike on Isla de La Plata in Ecuador. Isla de La Plata is often considered the poor man’s Galapagos, but we assure you it’s nothing near Galapagos. Although you can find tons of Blue Footed Boobies and Red Footed Boobies nesting on the island during breeding season.

Cactus Tree On Isla de La Plata, Ecuador

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Isla de la Plata is a small island off the coast of Manabí, Ecuador, and is part of Parque Nacional Machalilla.  It can be reached by boat from the city of Puerto López.  On the island, there is a large diversity of animal species.  For example, several species of booby, including the Blue-footed booby, Red-footed booby, and the Nazca booby.  Frigate birds such as those below are also found on the island.  Frigate birds are large, with iridescent black feathers (the females have a white underbelly), with long wings (male wingspan can reach 2.3 meters) and deeply-forked tails.  The males have inflatable red-colored throat pouches called “gular pouches”, which they inflate to attract females during the mating season.

Frigate Birds at Isla de la Plata, Ecuador

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A View of Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca, Peru from our Approaching Boat

This photo was taking from our boat as we were approaching Taquile Island on the Peru side of Lake Titicaca.

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5 Year Old Selling Bracelets on Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca, Peru.

Children on the island sell handmade bracelets to tourist for 1 Peruvian Sol (about .30 cents) Jason and I both bought one bracelet 4 months ago and they are still as colorful as when we first bought them. Unfortunately, we witness high level of competition between the children to the point where they would push each other out of the way to win a sale.

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Panama Travel - San Blas Island of Porvenir

San Blas Islands are located on the southeastern coast of Panama. Porvenir Island is the economic and commercial hub for the islands of San Blas.  The only airport of San Blas is located on this island and it is where travelers need to process their exit or entrance visa stamps when leaving or arriving to Panama when sailing to and from Colombia.

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Isla del Sol is an island in the southern part of Lake Titicaca and belongs to Bolivia. Geographically, the terrain is harsh; it is a rocky, hilly island without any motor vehicles or paved roads on the island. The main economic activity of the approximately 800 families on the island is farming, fishing and tourism.

These farming terrace were built to capture the water on the hills rather than running off. During our visit we took a 2 hour boat from Copacabana, Bolivia to the Northern tip of Isla del Sol and trekked to the Southern tip. For more pictures of our trek click on the picture below.

Farm Terrace on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca Bolivia

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Panama Travel - Kuna Mother and Child of the San Blas Island

We took this travel photo while sailing from Panama to Colombia for 4 days.  We visited several Kuna villages established on the Islands of San Blas in Panama´s Caribbean.  The Kuna often rowed from one island to the other in dugout canoes, some even with homemade sails.

Kuna or Cuna is the name of the indigenous people of Panama and Colombia.   In the Kuna language, the name is Dule or Tule, meaning “people.”  The Kuna live in three politically autonomous comarcas or reservations in Panama, and in a few small villages in Colombia.  There are also communities of Kuna people in Panama City, Colón, and other cities.  The greatest number of Kuna people live on small islands in the comarca of Kuna Yala. – Wikipedia

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Taquileños are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, which are regarded as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru. Everyone on the island – children, women, and men – spins and weaves. Taquileans also are known for having created an innovative, community-controlled tourism model, offering homestays, transportation, and restaurants to tourists. Taquileans have lost control of transportation to and from their island. Although they still benefit by selling textiles and providing meals, they have almost no control over the mass day-tourism operated by non-Taquileans. Taquileans are developing alternative tourism models, including lodging for groups, and local guides, who have recently completed a 2-year training program. wikipedia

Shepherd at Taquile Island, Peru

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