The 14 hour coach journey from Bangkok to the island of Phi Phi (pee pee) is well worth taking for this paradise. Even if it happened to be miss Alex’s new “worst nights sleep ever!!”
Yesterday we took a day long boat trip around the island. Starting at 10.30 in the morning. The long boat held 16 passengers, the engine in full view on the aft, with a propeller at the end of a 15 foot pole that was submerged. The aft is where the driver piloted the boat around, sitting on a little wooden box. Miss Alex spotted a toothbrush in the engine that looked like it was being used as a plug to stop oil from spilling over!! As we set off from the pier I didn’t feel like James Bond but still it was a pretty cool way to travel about for the day.
The first stop was Sharks point, here we were encouraged to jump in and snorkel and look for these so called friendly fish!! Once again I was a bit unsure but once miss Alex dived in before anyone could say JAWS!! there was no way I could not go in after her. Putting the fins on, is an epic exercise in its self and then manoeuvring around the deck of the boat with massive fins on the end of your feet. I felt like Coco the Clown!! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t really get the buzz when I see fish. Its cool but once you’ve seen a yellow fish with black stripes it’s a box ticked as far as I’m concerned, especially with the discovery channel nowadays. I’d much rather see something I’ve not seen in person yet like turtles or dolphins, possibly not sharks though without a thick glass aquarium between me and them. Maybe the fact that we where all looking for sharks, I was a bit nervous but I felt like I couldn’t wait to get out at this point. There was no sharks spotted and when it was time to get out I wasn’t too gutted.
On the way to the next stop the driver of the boat pointed out dolphins in the distance, I didn’t see them but I really wish I’d caught a glimpse.
The second stop on the boat tour was a desert island called Bamboo island, about 40 mins from Phi Phi. It happened to be our lunch stop. So there we were sat on a desert island eating our packed lunches. I’ve heard the terms of untouched beaches and golden sands but this really was. The best way I can explain it is, imagine West Kirby Beach or Scarborough beach feels like sugar, well this beach on Bamboo island felt like caster sugar. It was so soft and fluffy!! As the sun was behaving at its glorious best this was a perfect opportunity to sun bath for an hour. (miss Alex was catching flies in her mouth!)
Next we sailed over to a neighbouring island called Makito. I’ve no idea why and don’t know what it means sorry! Here we went back into the water to snorkel. Which meant more fish!! However these little cheeky chaps had a taste for human skin. A girl who was on our tour got bitten by one and it drew blood. Probably didn’t help with our boatman throwing a loaf of bread into the water for the fish to feed on! Miss Alex also got nipped on the shoulder, no blood though.
The next stop was always going to be fun. Monkey Beach, back on Phi Phi. Miss Alex doesn’t trust her £200 rabies jabs as much as me and decided to stay on the boat for this one, leaving me with camera in hand. I spotted a bloke who had a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys. I thought to my self, I’ll follow him and watch him feed the nice little cute wild monkeys (at a safe distance). There had been a lot of stories about these monkeys, thieving and even attacking people on this beach, but as there was a good hundred people I fancied my chances of not being one of the stats, as long as I stayed near the back of the pack. One bloke was holding out his water for the monkey to take and drink. The monkey grabbed the bottled and shot off up into the trees out of sight. 2 minutes later out of nowhere the bottle hit the same bloke. I’m guessing it was aimed and it made a lot of us laugh out loud. Another bloke was antagonising the monkeys for a reaction, he was flicking sand at them and making hissing sounds as his wife was filming him next to them. (idiot). They seemed to leave him alone until one monkey let out a cry and in a flash about 50 monkeys jumped down from the trees and onto the beach. Without any warning or stand off, they all ran at us. The Idiot was the first to give it Billy big steps and head for the sea. All of the humans made a mad dash for the water hoping the monkeys wouldn’t follow us in. Once it calmed down small groups of people were slowly inching back onto the beach again.
The final stop was to Maya Bay. Maya bay is the actual beach from the film The Beach. Now when we told the tour operator we wanted to go see a scene from one of Leonardo Di Caprio’s films we meant The Beach not Titantic. The boat ride over from Phi Phi was horrendous. Nothing on our boat escaped the sea waves as they crashed over the sides. The weather had turned the sun had gone in and I’m sure your all happy to know it was freezing. But when we arrived at Maya Bay, words could not simply describe the little bay that is hidden away from the world. It is STUNNING. I don’t think the water gets much deeper than waist height. There are camping trips that go on in Maya Bay. Miss Alex and I are deffo going to book on for a night before we decide to leave Phi Phi. The thought of staying on this secluded island with no city lights to interfere with the night sky and sleep under the stars is just amazing. Too good a chance to miss I think.
I think its fair to say I love Koh Phi Phi we both do and so far have had an amazing time here. Over the next 4/5 days were going to move on to Koh Lanta. The tan is starting to move along nicely and I’m really starting to get into this backpack malarkey. I still miss my parents and my sister and brother and all my great friends but the way I see it, I ll have so many stories to tell them when we come back home. I feel lucky to be doing this trip.
Speak soon xxx
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