So terrible (not Wonderfruit, but ME!) cos i went for the fest in 2017 and took hundreds of super amazing pictures and never blogged about it… BAD fairy! I just find it so difficult to put aside time to edit pix + blog these years. I may spend a few hours editing pix, then only end up writing the post WEEKS later… or worst still, NEVER.
This time, i’m adamant a post will go up!!!
I first heard bout Wonderfruit in their debut year cos Tame Impala was performing, but it was during a period when i’d just started the company and we ran a lot of events, and December was our busiest. Going away in December was out of the question. Cue years later, our business and my scope of work has changed (phew!!). So i went to Wonderfruit in 2017 with Way and Marcus – we had the BEST time cos we all gave each other permission to just BE who we were. One day i’ll write about EVERYTHING i’ve experienced in a book…
But today, it’s gonna be about the most recent Wonderfruit i went to!
As i grow older, i tend to lean back from making plans ahead of time cos i don’t know where i’ll be or HOW i’ll feel when the time comes. What if i suddenly feel like being somewhere / doing something else? So i didn’t commit to Wonderfruit. Till Rahul confirmed he got us comp tix a mere month prior and i was like ‘Jeahhhhh meant to beeeee’
The boutique camping / glamping spots sold out rather quickly in 2018, so we resorted to sharing a villa 15 minutes away with a bunch of Rahul’s friends – Sophie, Sarah, Cher, Charme and Charlie – all based in diff SEA cities. I did have a time remembering their names cos the first vowels were similar.
Rahul and i were super chill on the 2nd night of the fest (the day we arrived) cos we were just really tired from work. All i wanted to do was eat dinner there, suss out the vibe and go home :p #feelold
Speaking of, when we were catching our flight from KL, i received a notification that it got delayed by 30 minutes and decided not to inform him (cos y’know, he might run late). In the end, he did… and was wondering why i wasn’t all over him when he picked me up 30 mins before check-in shut (we actually still had a full hour left). Haha. #RahulOhRahul
Managed to catch Goldie, but i could feel i was forcing myself to sway to the music; cos i was too knackered!
Went home at 1am.
Next morn, i woke up at 9am, did some emails and WAS SO READEHHHHH
I bought this rainbow skirt 5 years ago and never wore it… knowing i loved it but never having the perfect occasion cos it was a wee bit transparent. Boots from Palladium, which i’ve worn at EDC Las Vegas, hiking thru Utah, and Burning Man.
Cher and i got lost together for a bit, and bumped into Moe whom i met at 2017 Wonderfruit!
Bath house
I’m so glad that Sophie had a plan on which acts she wanted to see, cos a part of me is so blasé and go-with-the-flow that i wouldn’t have caught the techno marching band awesomeness that is Meute otherwise! [Spotify “Hey Hey” and “Mental Help” by Meute]
My californian quarter tab kicked in when the sun was going down and it was party perfection.
Their energy was ON FIRE. Danced so much. Listening to their songs on spotify brings me back ?
Note olde pic of MJ and Freddie Mercury on right #win
We found Deep and us 3 hung out all night! + Jonas
Climbed Solar Stage and did not fall off. I stared up at the topmost spiel and was soooo tempted to scale it (cos i know my climbing prowess and have been excellent at it since age 5) but heard Val’s voice in my head, “Please don’t baby”.
Pah. Can’t believe i have a conscience in the sound of another’s voice now.
We had such an adventurous night i didn’t bother taking pictures of… cos sometimes – actually, most times – IRL is better than planning some curated IG pic. We flow faster and easier, without worry about what ‘IS’ and ‘WHAT COULD BE SHOWN’.
I’ll just recall us four finding a sweet spot (thanks to Rahul’s suggestion) where we parked our bags on a higher level in a bamboo hut at Hamlet (stage). We arranged our belongings and selves very comfortably, and took turns going to the bathroom + buying food + roaming. At some point i really had to go, so ventured off to the nearest loo with Deep. After relieving ourselves, our attention was directed towards a bright colourful area with what looked like people dancing on a giant cake.
“Let’s go” said Deep.
“No… we shouldn’t… our bags are all with Jonas and Rahul!” i replied.
“Let’s just take a PEEP,” Deep turned away and walked towards this bright red and white stage, so i felt compelled to follow (or be utterly lame).
We climbed atop levels that were each 4-5 ft high, wholly covered in traditional plastic-weaved Thai mats (kinda like the one i have on my balcony from Brickfields), and found ourselves surrounded by a bunch of colourful crazy people dancing with absolute happiness and abandon. A dude who was wearing only a pair of rainbow trunks was slathered in gold glitter, and all these colourful girls (not unlike me!) were dancing with their arms and spirits high.
At that point, i didn’t give a shit about my bag and gave in to the moment – grinned at Deep, THREW my arms up in the air and shimmied my soul.
After two songs, i remembered my bag, and felt that i needed to return cos IF i lost it, it was all on me… So i hurried back to the other stage to find Rahul and Jonas peacefully having a conversation with my bag in between them.
Oh. Well. Better safe than sorry!
I convinced them that the stage Deep and i just came from was an adventure they would love, “So many chicks there Rahul, you’ll LOVE IT!”
So i dragged them all back, hoping to relive the rainbow happiness only to find… the atmosphere had completely changed! The rainbow guy and girls had disappeared, the music was a little more YMCA and a bunch of gay dudes were prancing around instead. How things can change in a matter of minutes!
Rahul looked extremely bored and veered towards an unexplored area, so we all ventured down this dark path to a stage called The Quarry. Jonas had described it to us as the perfect techno stage to end the wee hours of the night with, and i wasn’t so sure cos (1) i wasn’t that much into techno anymore (2) don’t think i can last the night. But anyhoo, there we were going against his suggestion of only going there later, traipsing down a dirt path into a forest.
It really was the strangest thing, like being transported into another dimension.
Young trees surrounded us and i thanked myself silently for wearing my hiking boots, before we gently sloped into a gigantic area with red laser lights and some pretty deep techno. The foliage over us seemed like a natural curved dungeon ceiling, and the vibe was generally kinda dark and foreboding. Knowing that all vibes exist everywhere and i should just accept it, i swayed a little to layan and looked at Rahul and Deep, silently pleading for the second we could leave.
Rahul laughed, “We just came from heaven… to HELL!”
After 15 seconds, we decided we’d had enough of it and wanted to just GET OUT.
Well, maybe Jonas didn’t, “But he’s Scandinavian” quipped someone else. True, the North people do seem to appreciate these beats more… i just want happy dancey vibes okay.
Us four walked up the nearest pathway we spotted, and just kept walking and climbing up a forest pathway.
Suddenly out of nowhere, we BURST through a hole in a bush out into the main festival area again.
“That is SO weird!!!” i exclaimed, “It’s like we came back to the festival.”
From another world.
That deep dark dungeon ugh, no thanks.
I know other people love it but it’s not for me.
Still, i appreciate how Wonderfruit organizes these various areas/stages for people of all types to explore (and enjoy).
We went to eat after that, or rather, i did, cos i always want to eat every 2 hours.
The guys were perplexed how i kept on munching but knew better than to keep a fairy away from food.
Rahul and i decided to leave around 2am cos we were tired #feeloldagain
On the way walking out to catch our Grab, we saw a sign that offered babysitting services for 300baht / hour
Me: Look, getting someone to take your child is cheaper than a drink
Then Rahul laughed at more signs at the Bath House:
There was a little drama when we got back to the villa, cos someone else had locked the main door from the inside, so we had to scale the gate with Rahul hoisting me up cos i’m lighter. To think of it, the night before the same thing happened to Charmaine and her 5yo Charlie, and Charm managed to scale the damn thing in a slippery one-piece suit no less. Super mum powers.
I was very conflicted being at home cos my mind was so awake but my body was ready for bed.
Rahul and i lay in it exclaiming how AWESOME BED FELT. #feelsoldmore
Next day, he had to leave for an emergency meeting back in KL.
Rahul + Sarah. Charlie so cute in her denim ootd.
I found Marcus and Kevin and ran around with them. Had lasagne from the stage near the Bath House, prepared by an Italian chef, “Grazie mille!”
I still call this stage The Cake (but i’m the only calling it that). Had a funnnn night with Deep and SueThePixie
Fairy & Pixie. Naughty forevs.
On the last night of Wonderfruit, i was pretty tired by 1am… cos i had been playing since 5pm and i guess my energy levels are not what they used to be in my 20s! I was at peace humouring myself and my surroundings, but found it challenging to entertain shallow conversations of any sort, and decided to bury myself in a haystack (for real) with my food and drink next to me.
I was completely satisfied and happy there for hours.
I did have some deep conversations later that night, which i will never forget.
Of those that took place with lights shimmering in the distance, under the stars, getting lost, and finding each other.
Sarah and i walked around getting lost looking for the exit home, and she hummed in the Grab as the sun rose while i thought, “Such a cutie.”
Wonderfruit… didn’t disappoint.
People there are very respectful of each others’ personal space and happiness, and it’s such a conducive festival for children cos there are so many activities there for them! Just take them home before the crazies come out at night XD
Maybe this year again…
xxx