If crowds of people all gaining increasing excitement towards celebrating a new year with singing, fireworks, silly string fights and Chinese lanterns filling the sky sounds like the perfect NYE then get yourself to Patong Beach. With the fireworks, not professional, just anyone and everyone who’s a lover of fire setting them off, starting at about 7:30 and continuing into the new year, the atmosphere is most definitely alive.
Dining on this incredible night was problematic for myself, but only due to me being a vegetarian. For most, street food is the way forward. It’s cheap, tasty and novel (well so my partner says!). We chose to queue at Wine Connection, a restaurant located on the beach front which was perfect to watch all the going on’s. You can’t book here so the queue does deter some people away but we waited a maximum of 15 minutes before we were ushered up.
A remarkable experience
Once you’ve chosen how or where your going to eat your last meal of the year, it’s easy to carry on celebrating in the vibrancy of Patong. We simply aimlessly walked the main streets getting caught up in the random ‘happy new year’ chants and greetings.
With several opportunities to buy the normal tat, comes the not to be missed purchasing of silly string. Trust me, you’ll regret it if you don’t have your own ammunition when someone covers you in the stuff. With the New Year drawing closer we found our spot on the busy but not over crowed beach, setting off our own Chinese lantern and making our wishes for 2015.
After buying drinks from a local vender, sit back and get the sand beneath your toes (and truth be told up your knickers) and look up to a sky full of lanterns and continuous fireworks. The countdown itself might not be the best in the world with nothing official but stuck in the moment, believe me it’s the best I’ve ever experienced.
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