Tommy is your friendly face behind the bar of the legendary Drop In on Haad Rin Beach. Born in Bangkok where she then went to school, Tommy then first came to Koh Phangan when she was the tender age of 16.
Hey Tommy so why did you first come to the island?
The first time I came I was looking for a job and to party at the same time!
What was Full Moon like back then?
Very busy, people had more money to spend but now it’s less maybe because of the situation of our country. Now there are lots of new things whereas before there were more chilling out things, not too many bars or businesses, now everything is full.
Tommy stayed for two years where she was working in an office and then in a tattoo shop. After this she would come and go from Bangkok and now she has been working at Drop In for eight years.
How did you start working with Drop In?
I have a lot of respect for the guy from the tattoo shop, he’s like a brother to me and he was friends with Pi Toh and he asked me to come for a job, I started as a manager straight away.
And you’re still manager?
Yes but I can do everything, what the staff do I do. I can do finance, help with the fire skipping rope, drinks, everything!
What do you like about working there?
We stay like a family and help each other, I make lots of friends. Every day you learn something new.
What are the tourists like who come to Drop In?
They like the party, the fire and the bar. They enjoy games for free drinks and the music and we look after them and take care of them.
Some are good and some are bad, not just Westerners but also Thai people are the same.
We have a tour group, they always come to our bar and we look after them very well. They choose to come just to us as we take care and they bring more people to Drop In.
They can bring one hundred people sometimes as it’s a Spring Break group of Westerners from everywhere in the world, after they visit Drop In they take them around Thailand.
Do you like to live in Haad Rin?
Yes, before I lived in Thong Sala. It’s quite ok, it’s the party part of Phangan, Thong Sala is for many things and then you also have another side for relaxing.
And do you still enjoy the island?
Yes, but when I’m 50 years old I won’t be here. I will go straight to my daughter in Bangkok, she is just 7 years old now.
What’s it like living on Phangan compared to Bangkok?
To live Bangkok is not quite easy, it’s different. Life there is traffic and everything but Koh Phangan is an easy place to live although the price goes up more here. We have nature here so it’s more comfortable.
What do you do in your free time?
Me, my hobby is to sleep! Ha-ha. We work night and sleep day which is different from everyone else!
If I have a day off I take some rest and see friends, we eat food and just have quiet drinks as we drink everyday at the bar! I have a nice time, eat and then home to sleep again.
What do you hope for the future?
To go back to stay with my family, to be with my daughter, closer than where I am now. I will stay in Bangkok and be a good mother, not more drinking! Haha!
What do you think of Phanganist Hostel?
It’s another business of my boss and it’s going good, everything is perfect. We have parties, you can enjoy meeting people and after here they come to Drop In and bring more and more people.
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