New Years in Phi Phi

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Well... we arose what we thought to be quite early, 7am and immensly hungover from our leaving party.. Paulie went to settle the bills and give in his 'hose hound' keys as I started to pack up thinking we could grab the free breakfast too before we went... FAIL.
Paul came running back panting something about the taxi already being here and the boat was leaving the port at 8 not 9 and he had other pick ups to do!! We scrambled the room quickly stuffing everything into sacks and ran back to the taxi. After stuffing a good 8 of us, plus luggage into the 4x4 the taxi driver actually managed to get us there on time.

We had to sit inside the boat due to the appaling weather, as we approached Phi Phi Don the clouds started to part and we actually saw sunshine for what seemed to be the first time in forever. We paid the entrance fee once again and started our search for a Hotel. Wanting to stay in the thick of it all, my heart started to sink as all the rooms near the port were booked. I forgot to write this prevoiusly but the last time we were here (the morning before we left for Koh Lanta) we trekked up to the Viewpoint.... well I trekked to the first viewpoint and flaked out before the second and third which Im proud to say Paulie made (they are bloody hard work all those stairs!!!!) But the views were absolutely breath taking and home to thousands of multi coloured butterflies and amazing flowers which I stopped to enjoy whilst poor paulie sweated it out on his own! Anyway we remembered that we came across budget rooms up that way so decided to head there. I noticed an american coffee - come book shop that you could trade in books for ones that other travellers have traded in, Paul was due another so he did a swap. He insisted that I sit and drink my coffee whilst he went to find us some place to stay (mainly because we were both sweating with the heat plus the weight of the rucksacks and I embarrased him trying to haggle on the room rates!)

Not long later my Prince in shining armour returned. With a glum look on his face he explained to me that all the rooms had been taken and we'd no where to go. I looked down into my empty coffee cup as my eyes started to well up

''Or maybe we'll be staying in the last room that I just bagged around the corner!!! HAHA!!''
''You bastard. You absolute bastard.'' I replied. I couldnt be mad at him, hed trekked all around the centre and everywhere seemed to be booked up. It was only by pot luck that somebody had cancelled that we had managed to get in there. It was a little over our now tight budget.. But it was lovely and simple PLUS air con, a massive plus after all the sleepless nights in fan rooms. The White 2 was literally around the corner and as we sat and waited for the room to be cleaned we watched as Backpacker after Backpacker came to make enquiries for rooms at the front desk. Paul sat there smug as a cheshire cat ''Good Luck!!'' he shouted after one person much to the amusement of the lady at the desk who nearly fell backwards from her chair in laughter. ''Everywhere full!'' she said ''Big party tonight yes!'' Eurgh. Party its new years eve and im still feeling like death from last night how the hell where we going to party? We need food. Real food.

Off we went on the search for a proper breakfast. We had become sick of eating snotty eggs, streaky bacon and chicken sausage! An Irish Bar? Result! As we sat down we looked around, there wasnt one single inch of ungraffited wood, they had definitely hd a party here last night. I spotted a flyer ''F*CKET HAVE A BUCKET! BUY 1 GET 2 FREE!!'' Yup. The place was grotty I mean grotty grotty with a dodgy lady boy with last nights make up on. We ordered the ''Big Irish'' I got a fanta and Paul asked for a Chang.. which when it arrived was seriously out of date. He complained they brought him a different can of beer.. again, out of date. We started to worry, if they could serve us out of date booze whos to say they wouldnt serve us out of date food? The breakfasts arrived and they were spectacular! REAL irish sausage, REAL back bacon and hash browns ohmygod!! Now we are ready to take on the world!! What should we do? Lets go Cliff Diving!!!

Spider Monkey Half day Cliff Diving trip, we'll take it! We were escourted to the shop to get our 'Fins'. Provided with flippers snorkel and masks (which we already had) and 'diving shoes'. OoOOo the excitement was kicking in! We boarded the Longtail and got chatting to a couple from Exeter Linz and John. We were having a real laugh, they got the changs out and our first stop approached.. Snorkelling with the Grey Tipped Sharks. It was extremely dim and although our boat drivers tipped us off that the sharks only really come out early morning, we managed to catch a glimpse of 5 babys. The snorkel was pretty good and we'd even brought some bread along this time - the whole group gathered around paul as the bigger fish from the bottom surfaced for a bit of lunch from his hands. I started to throw it in around the lads as they tried to get out, me and linz laughed as we watched them being swamped by fish and John screaming like a girl as he claimed that one had bitten his nipple! Very funny.

We stopped mid water to the other boat of people on our trip so that we could swap guides and collect our lunch of rice and pad thai for later. This guy was more advanced on the cliff jumping and very entertaining. We made our way across to monkey beach and this time around we were prepared and bought bananas previous. We had a good frolic around with them this time, save in the knowledge that they had been visited quite a few times and must be used to humans (not like the killer ones in Koh Lanta!) we got some really good pictures this time!

As we all reboarded the boat panick actually started to kick in. Were going to jump off a cliff, a really big cliff. ''How big is this cliff'' Paul enquired ''The biggest is 20 metres man''. I witnessed everyone exchanging looks of 'oh sh*t'. That is really really high. All the stories came flooding back to me, especially of the girl that went in wrong and broke her back and had to be sent to the hospital in a wheelbarrow. Paul just looked like a kid on Christmas Day. I gripped his hand as we approached. We were instructed to put on our shoes and the boat driver threw in the anchor. We gazed up at the climb, sharp, pointy, jagged rocks gazed back at us. ''Up up up!'' The guide smiled at us. Paul and John dived in, me and linzi just looked at each other silently asking what had we got ourselves in for? It was difficult, Paul was in front and kept telling me to judge my feet. I started to shake and almost cried like a baby when I looked down. I told myself to man up, the spikes where digging into our hands and grazing our knees but there was no getting back down this way.

As we reached the top, we all looked down in silence. Which brave buggar was going first ey? The tour guide didnt really explain much except just jump and jump away from the rock. Jesus christ is this guy crazy??? We could slip and crack our heads, we could land funny and break our backs! ... This is NOT what your supposed to be pondering on when your faced with a cliff jump that you have PAID to complete. Paul was first off, my heart was in my mouth once more imagining some sort of casuality again, he surfaced, he was alright and beaming from ear to ear.. Cant be that bad I thought. John was next off sprining from the jut at the edge of the cliff ''That is not how you land! This guy hes crazy!'' The tour guy said. I started to crap myself again, then how the bloody hell do you land?? ''I show you'' and off he went leaving a tiny splash. Oh yeah thanks mate who the bloody hell is going to help me now then?? I stepped back and let a couple others go first. Hesitating like this is just the worst thing you could possibly do to yourself. Paul was screaming at me to jump. The hardest part was making it from the big-ish rock I was standing on holding onto the tree, to making it out onto the brittle looking sticky out bit that you'd just have to jump from. If I dont do it now, I never will. With shaking legs I bounded it over and jumped, I flapped my arms like a bloody idiot thinking some how I would fly, I went too far forward and SMACK.. face forward and winding myself.. I blanked out for a few seconds and couldnt remember resurfacing. When I did paul had an alarming concerned look on his face. I thought id split all the skin under my chest and started to shake. I had to get out. ''That was a really bad land baby are you ok?'' Everybody seemed to be looking at me. I was hurting and shaking and needed to get back on the boat, It took ages. Once i'd calmed down and the pain from my chest and ribs subsided Paul went back in, climbed again and jumped again. He was loving it and he kept landing perfectly. The boat had to wait whilst he went one last time and cheers from passing boats echoed as he jumped one last time, Paul Atkinson - adrenaline junky.. what a monster I have created :0)

We reboarded and stopped off on a private beach for lunch. I was lovely and clear and we caught another quick snorkel. It then started to rain again. Goddamit we still had Maya Bay to revisit and the sunset. We still had a good time and had done pretty much what we had come for anyway. My head was banging & I was still hurting from the fall but it was New Years Eve and I needed to 'wash my face, have a polo & get back in there' as a good old friend would say. We agreed to meet up with Linz and John at the Irish bar in a few hours. We all returned to charge our batteries & get glammed up for the nights fesivities. Paul decided he wanted to go all out again, donning his paint and illuminous hat and full moon party vest previously purchased in Haad Rin. I followed suit with my Full moon Party Top & simple paint dots. Off we went.

The streets of Phi Phi were madness it was like being back at Haad Rin. Illuminous suits and fancy dress bounced around in excitement. The beach party was going to be pretty rife. This was going to be good, it would be rude not to get a bucket!! We went down the the beach front to a chill out bar on the way down and bumped into a couple of crazy southerns that happend to have partied with john + linz the night before. Headed to the beach and it was like a tiny version of the full moon with fire shows and bucket stalls. John later confessed that he is somewhat of a famous 'MC' On the Jungle Scene down south.. Not normally mine and Pauls bag we wasnt sure wether we'd agree on bars and maybe a conflict in music would arise. We ended up in Stones bar right on the edge of the beach. We fell in love with the buy 1 get 1 free buckets and started to bounce around the the drum and bass.. John actually filled the dance floor and the crowd absolutely loved it! We danced and laughed the night away and when midnight struck, out came the amazing fire works show and the place errupted. We locked into each other and stared up at the fireworks with the sand in our toes. It seems our flip flops had deserted us. Turns out the staff were actually going around collecting shoes that people had kicked off to dance in the sand and were putting them behind the bar and charging people 200 baht to get them back!!! CHEEKY BUGGARS! Out of pure principal (and drunken incapability) we left them safe in the knowledge we could buy new ones for 100 baht anyway! The walk home is pretty fuzzy, Paul accident prone as he is, STILL cant tell me how he managed to get the 6 inch gash up his arm and he was that drunk he kept asking me how I'D cut MYself?! We went to bed flip flopless and bloody but after having one of the best nights ever. We heart Phi Phi Island <3

Adios Amigos xx

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