The Lost Souls of Thailand’s Full-Moon Parties

This post originally appeared on VICE Germany.

Haad Rin is an idyllic beach on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand. But if its white sand and clear waters could speak, they would tell you stories of booze, drugs, and bodily fluids.

The parties held here every full moon can attract up to 30,000 people from all over the world. For years, Day-Glo backpackers have flocked here to get smashed on mushrooms and drink vodkas and Red Bull from a bucket while listening to David Guetta and psychedelic trance.

Photographer Ender Suenni has been documenting these parties for the last couple of years. Growing up in Berlin, another place famous for its untamed lifestyle, Ender was interested in these parallel worlds but was confused by some of the behavior—in particular the notion that wearing neon colors has anything to do with having “an authentic rave experience.”

When morning comes, the beach is littered with lost souls bearing all sorts of wounds from the night before, stumbling on under the watchful eyes of confused locals. Check out Suenni’s photos below.