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Published: January 27th 2017
Getting out of Koh Lanta was as easy as pie. A simple minibus to the pier and a one way ticket on the ferry ($300b) for the two hour journey to Koh Phi Phi smack in the middle of the Andaman Sea. With great beauty comes great crowds and this place was an eleven. Some of the most striking beaches I've been privileged to see call this place home, even with the hordes of tourists that were basking upon them. No wonder it was chosen to be home to the set of THE independent traveler's' movie "The Beach". I had now found myself firmly planted in the eye of the tourist storm that is Thailand.
Koh Phi Phi is truly a spectacular place. The soft sheltered bays with long stretches of powder white sands can even calm the most hardened city dweller. I hopped off of the ferry and started walking. Their are no cars here and it was nice to not have to dodge any traffic. It really is a miracle that I have not been hit by a car thus far. I saw a sign for a dorm room and checked it out. $300b later I was sorted.
My first course of action was to ascend the highest point on the island to get a bearing of the place. Koh Phi Phi consists of six islands within a national park in Thailand. The two main spots are Koh Phi Phi Don - the largest with all accommodation and Koh Phi Phi Le an uninhabited island that is every bit as stunning as the photos and movie you've seen. At the top of the viewpoint on Phi Phi Don I was able to see the entire island with Phi Phil Le off in the distance. The area in the middle of this photo known as "The Village" is where some 1,000 people perished in 2004 and the entire isthmus was decimated. The water from both sides receded and crashed back in the middle with walls of ocean three stories tall. Hard to believe now.
The next day I had booked a tour to visit the surrounding islands including Koh Phi Phi Le; home to Maya Bay and the famous beach. A funny thing happened to me at the start. An American guy introduced himself and we got to talking. He had just started a trip around Asia and
was asking questions of where I had been. He then asked if I had a travelblog. When I said yes he then rattled off my website. He had been reading my site researching travel and recognized me on the boat. My digital footprint expands. Take that Trip Advisor! Amazing how small the Internet has made the world. The tour itself was a lot of fun. As you know I really enjoy being on boats and the longtail boats of Thailand are a special breed. Going to "The Beach" was a great experience as well even with the masses of humanity that occupied it. For me it was cool to be on the spot of a movie that gave me some inspiration to pack a bag and head off into the unknown. Sounds dumb, but it is what it is. I won't spoil the perception in your mind with a shot of the entire beach with all of the people. You'll just have to come for yourself someday.
Seeing all I wanted to see and shunning the pricey, glitzy, and over the top nightclubs on Koh Phi Phi Don, my time had come to move to Phuket. For all of
the hype (which is well deserved) and all of the criticism (it's fashionable among the "backpackers" to trash Koh Phi Phi as played out) this truly is a very special place on our planet. Funny that term "backpacker". As their are no roads on Koh Phi Phi you are forced to walk. Clever Thais have made a business of carting the massive bags of these "independent travelers" from pier to guesthouse for a small fee of $60b ($2USD). Many a traveler I saw throw their bags into the wheelbarrows. I choose to walk. No one will carry my bag. Ever.
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