Blogs from Ko Phi Phi Don, South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia
A calm day for calm seas.
Published: May 18th 2012Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Phi Phi Don
May 18th 2012
After a very relaxing sleep (in which we werent swept out to sea) we met up with Ricky and his two new friends Samantha and Scarlet for breakfast and some time on the beach (somthing we were all slightly hesitant to do). We had discussed getting a longtail boat to take us to various snorkel sites around the island but after the previous day, we all decided it was just a little too soon and settled on sitting in the water and drinking a few beers. Niki busted out a hoop session for us, drawing a round of applause from all in view on the beach. After a litte more sunshine we walked up into the streets and hit one of the better restaurants on the island called Cosmic for some pizzas and a few more ... read more
May 18th 2012
We got up relatively early and packed a day bag to head over to Phuket for Songkran. Since we were just going for the night we cleverly took our dry bags as overnight packs. We were headed down to the bakery to grab some breakfast snacks for the boat ride and as we were coming around the corner we saw that the artists who work at the local art shop had set up a road block, stopping everyone who tried to pass and politely dousing them with water. It was somewhat comical to see as they were really trying to be polite about it; just wetting the hands of an elderly couple that went by or the arms of those that really didnt want to get wet. Niki and I approached hoping to get by with ... read more
May 18th 2012
The next day Amber mentioned she had a couple days off before she had to catch an overnight bus back up to Bangkok. Niki and I had initially planned to stay in Phuket for just one night but since Niki rarely gets to see Amber I opted to head back to Phi Phi and make sure our room there was paid for and give Niki and Amber a day together to party and catch up. We grabbed some breakfast and I hopped on a motorcyle taxi to take me back to the harbor on the other side of the island. If you ever get a chance to take a motorcycle taxi in Thailand I highly recommend it, it was possibly one of the funnest 20 minute cab rides I ever took as he sped through the ... read more
May 14th 2012
We had high hopes for Phi Phi, probably because of it being one of the islands that's most talked about, really that should have been a warning! It only takes an hour and a half from Lanta so we arrived early and traipsed around looking for somewhere that looked quiet enough to get some kip, tons of bars here and most accommodation above them! We eventually found a place a bit off the main drag (Harmony guest house) which was pretty small and cell like but it was 8 quid so we took it. We were staying in the main part of the island (Ton Sai) which really was more like Magaluf than a Thai Paradise! The place was full of teenagers, and resembled a rubbish tip, seriously it was disgusting, piles of trash, and the ... read more
April 30th 2012
After our trip to Ko Phangan I figured I had a pretty good handle on what the tropical topography of the region was like, but as the fast boat to Phi Phi approached the island I realized I was totally wrong. Ko Phi Phi is an archipelago of 6 islands. Phi Phi Don is the main island and the only one thats truly inhabited. Phi Phi Ley, the island that most of the movie "The Beach" was filmed on is fairly close to Phi Phi Don and both of them are strikingly beautiful. The vast majority of the exterior of both of these islands are sheer rock faces that plunge directly into the water and continue downward for who knows how far. It ends up looking like these beautiful paradises are protected by these fortress walls ... read more
April 30th 2012
After a few days of drinking, eating and beaching, we'd decided to mix it up and possibly rent a kayak and do some snorkelling out to one of the smaller bays around the island. Niki knew a guy from her previous trips to Phi Phi that was able to hook us up with some cheap kayak rentals (200 baht each for two hours) so we took our dry bags, snorkels and masks, my camera and not much else (something I'd come to regret a little later) and paddled out into the bay. The water on this side of the island is fairly shallow for quite a ways out so aside from being incredibly warm, its also relatively calm and you can see the bottom really easily. It made for some great kayaking and it didn't take ... read more
Dreamy days in paradise
Published: May 2nd 2012Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Phi Phi Don
April 29th 2012
The next stop on my travels took me by plane to Phuket. This crazy piece of Thailand sits on the Andaman coast and is known for beaches,ladyboys and lots of crazy shenanigans! Decided to stay in a quieter part of town (chickens!) and surin beach was lovely but there wasn't a lot to do! Spent the first chilling-getting my best tan yet in record speed,the next day was a rain off as my first storm hit bringing torrential rain for 15hrs straight! Patong beach was the next destination and is really just like any other holiday resort- masses of people,cheap beer+ endless bargains from what I like to call 'looky looky' men! In true Clairey style I threw myself in buying to pairs of genuine fake ray ban sunglasses for........ £4! Anyway to finish this part,we ... read more
April 14th 2012
It's so hot today. After Songkran yesterday, it's supposed to get colder here until November time. Most Thai people wear jeans and gear we would wear in the snow! Songkran Songkran was so much fun, we didn't invest in any water squirting devices, probably a good deal as they were all around 12-13 quid each, and the festivities have all stopped today! We were quite content to just get soaked the whole day. It was very refreshing actually as most people just poured water over you as you passed through the tight streets, but others just blasted you with their supersoakers. Either way, you have 0 chance of staying dry. If you come to Thailand in mid April, expect to get wet! I didn't even dress for dinner last night, just my swimming shorts on, as ... read more
Day 4 - Did that actually happen?
Published: March 23rd 2012Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Phi Phi Don
March 23rd 2012
I need to get this off my chest before I go into any further detail: I SWAM WITH SEA TURTLES! Wait, turtles in plural? Oh yeah! Not just one but two gorgeous sea turtles within a 20 minutes span! My life is complete. But to start at the beginning: We embarked on our snorkeling adventure at 7.30 o'clock down at "The Adventure Club". A Swedish guide, Lucas, handed us wet suits and told us that we would go to four different spots. As I put on the wet suit, I felt a weird itch on my thigh under the suit. When I scratched, I heard a crunching sound. Uh oh. I lifted the wet suit at my leg and watched in horror as a half-dead cockroach fell to the floor. Talk about being traumatized. Don't mind ... read more
