Krabi and Koh Phi Phi Don

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I'd heard mixed reactions about Koh Phi Phi Don (pronounced Pee-Pee) from other travelers and foreigners living in Thailand, but I decided to check it out anyway, since there were heavy rains in Chiang Mai and I wanted to see the Andaman Coast. I took a ferry from Koh Pha Ngan back to Surat Thani, and then a 3+ hour bus to Krabi Town. I stayed there for a night, then two nights on Koh Phi Phi, and then, due to flight costs, for two more nights in Krabi before flying back to Bangkok.

Krabi Town is 70% Muslim (and has a significant Taoist population as well), so it has a decidedly different atmosphere than the opposite coast and the north. After seeing some of the surrounding areas that are even more touristy, Krabi Town isn't a terrible place to be stuck a night or two. For backpackers, there are plenty of cheap, clean hostels, and it's a good home base for getting to Railay Beach, or to Phi Phi and other islands. Flights between Bangkok and Krabi are only about 50 USD with AirAsia.

KOH PHI PHI

The ferry to Phi Phi is an hour and a half, and after my disappointment in Chaweng / Samui, I did ample research before arriving. I met a few other travelers on the ferry and we immediately hired a long tail taxi boat before even walking into the tourist nightmare along Tongsai Beach. The four of us paid 350 baht for the boat and made our way toward Hat Yao (Long Beach) -- 10 minutes away. It's also possible to walk there in about 30 minutes, but we had our luggage and the last section before long beach is very steep and required holding onto some ropes. Besides, we would have had to dodge our way through the tourist gauntlet on Tongsai.

I chose a place almost immediately -- a nice, clean bungalow at Paradise Resort; I was fine with paying 500 baht for a few amenities and privacy. The others searched the vicinity for an hour or so and also settled for Paradise. They ended up right next door. Viking Resort (see photos, and definitely check out the restaurant) is closer to Tongsai, and being in the jungle, is also private, but the view can hardly compete with that at Long Beach.

Though it isn't very long, or even any longer at all than Tongsai, it has crystal turquoise waters, only a splattering of tourists, and most importantly, an epic view of Koh Phi Phi Ley, the uninhabinated island to the west. The cliffs are remarkable and add a palpable Thailand aura to an otherwise ordinary beach with nice water. There is a fair amount of debris on the beach (mostly shells and dead coral), but it's pretty clean near the water, making it just fine for walking or running. We all agreed the water is absolutely perfect.

DAY TRIP TO KOH PHI PHI LEY

Hordes of tourists on long tail boats and speed boats flock to this island every day. I suppose there's no way around this. I paid 450 for a half day tour, which included breakfast and lunch, but it was only 550 for a full day, which I know is too much snorkeling and boating for me. First, we went past Viking Cave (closed for some reason) and to a snorkeling spot on the other side of a cliff from Maya Bay, which could be accessed by climbing a rope ladder or going through a cave, holding onto ropes while the waves push you under rocks. Our guide didn't speak any English and didn't even try to tell us, so most of us missed the opportunity. Instead, we snorkled for a half an hour or so. It was average: lots of dead coral and a few colorful fish, crabs, a snake.

The only real excitement came from our guide, who managed to hit a snorkeler with the boat, and then nearly kill several others by putting his blade into the water only a few feet from others, despite their screams of panic. Once I jumped in, I stayed in one area and looked around about every 30 seconds or so. It was extremely crowded and dangerous. Do some research and try to find a trip to somewhere more remote, if that's possible.

After that, we went to another snorkeling spot, and then to another bay, which had fewer tourists and was fabulous (see video). The water was very shallow and perfect for a swim.

The next stop was Monkey Beach (see photos). My friend Mario got off the boat immediately and started to tease the monkeys with a banana that was on the beach. They didn't like that and all jumped onto him at once. He freed himself and gave up the banana, which they weren't really interested in anyway. They wanted the watermelon instead, and the Coca-cola. I didn't feed them anything -- it all seemed pretty irresponsible, but I got some good photos anyway, as the babies were particularly cute.

"SMART COOK" COOKING LESSONS

The night after returning to Krabi, I went to one of the two night markets (it's easily walkable from the town center) for dinner. In terms of food, it isn't really a lot cheaper than a restaurant, but there are more locals, the drinks are cheap, and the outdoor kitchens are more or less venues for performances from the chefs. There's an impressive variety of full meals, snacks, and desserts.

The morning after, perhaps inspired from a chef I watched for a half an hour at the night market (the meal took a long time to get), I arranged a Thai cooking class through my hostel. (This time I stayed at Pak-up Hostel, which is probably some kind of chain, but is extremely well designed. It's 220 baht for a room with air-con, which is a steal.)

Google "Smart Cook Krabi" to see their stellar reviews on TripAdvisor. They offer half and full day courses (1000 to 1600 baht -- not cheap; they provide a certificate and cookbook at the end) They came to pick me up and took a German couple and me to their school about 20 minutes away. Bunny, our instructor, made the experience fun and was very patient with us. The three of us all cook a fair amount at home, so I think we did pretty well, and I definitely picked up plenty of tips in the kitchen. We each made five different meals, which was far too much to eat, especially in the midday heat. I took some back to my hostel for dinner.

There are many more photos below.

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Photos

Boat Rescue
Moments after I took the first photo of Hat Yao (long beach) and the boat, a man got in and attempted to pull anchor. I looked up and the man was sitting on the far end, the only part of the boat still above water, with his head in his hands. A friend and I rushed into the water, which was filled with scrambling cockroaches, to rescue his supplies. Then, the whole beach helped to pull the boat ashore and empty the water from it.

Me with Monkeys
They jumped on me a few times, thinking that I had watermelon or bananas to feed them. I tried to keep my distance.

Viking Resort Restaurant
The food here is very good, and diners get to sample several dishes before ordering.

Room at Paradise Resort
My private bungalow was 500 baht and very comfortable. The restaurant was pretty good and the staff keeps the place very clean.

Viking Cave
We visited the cave on a day trip to Koh Phi Phi Ley, the uninhabited neighbor to Koh Phi Phi Don. The movie The Beach was filmed in Maya Bay on this island.

Pak-Up Hostel Dorm
This the cleanest, best designed dorm I've ever stayed in.