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[Poppie]

Very funny article in the Guardian yesterday about gap year students heading off to koh phangan before they start college.
A lot of these kids go straight from Khao San Road to Haad Rin but think because they don't stay in proper hotels or have children that they're actually "backpackers" and not tourists.
When the reality is serious travellers stopped going to places like koh phangan over a decade ago and now go to remote islands in Indonesia or the Philippines. Over the last few years I've been amazed at how young the people are passing through Samui on their way to Phangan for the Full Moon. I remember when I was first there in 1997,I was 25 & most of the people there were aged between 25 & 30. And all the people from the UK & Ireland back then like myself were already working and paying their own way.
Now the average age is about 18/19 and you'll find they're straight out of school and off to Thailand or Australia before they start their studies. Good read


http://www.guardian....full-moon-party

[SwineCanine]

Good read, thanks for posting.

The way I see it, nothing wrong with staying on the beaten path, the K circuit, Khao San, Ko PhanGan, Kuta , Katmandhu. Certainly more adventerous than staying home and going to the local pub.

A good book about travelling off the beaten path is Pole to Pole about a trip from the Noth Pole to the South Pole through Africa.

Re HadRin, that is where I find the unfreindliest Thais I have ever encountered. Guess they just get fed up with the Eurotrash behaviour though they will take the money that goes along with this tourism.

Other parts of KPG are more laid back and a good place to drop out.