koh phi phi

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we found Ko Phi Phi to be a natural wonder. this island perfectly illustrates nature's ability to create as well as to destroy. both the environment as well as its inhabitants severely suffered from the tsunami that struck only a year ago.

for how beautiful it is now, we could hardly imagine the amount of luscious, tropical vegetation that covered this island before last december. however, after spending nearly a week here, the stark dirt paths and piles of rubble we had to walk through to get to the beach became upsetting. pre-tsunami, kpp had 8,000 inhabitants and 1/4 of their population was wiped out by the natural disaster. the massive destruction was noticeable... but many have made the most of the situation. for example, this one hotel on a hill turned a ship wreck into their restaurant deck. clever.

one of our first nights we were able to meet up with angelo, his brother, and his dad for dinner. we enjoyed a leisurely meal with live music over looking the ocean. we said another goodbye, but hopefully we will be able to meet up with him again for jessie's b-day in bangkok.

the weather started out well, and we were glad to have some sunshine to illuminate the turquoise and emerald green waters. for our first "fun dive" after completing our PADI certs, we took advantage of the world-renowned scuba dive sites. we scuba-ed through coral tunnels, and we even saw sting rays, sharks, and sea turtles!! so cool.

(gopika - we saw a cuddle fish and a nudi branch... bio 1b yeah baby!)

we spent another day on a long-tail taxi boat which took us to the "must-sees" of the surrounding islands. we did the whole tourist thing with some friends. THE beach, from the movie "the beach" was filmed on a nearby small island called phi phi ley. although it was cloudy and pouring rain at times, the water was still unbelievable. we even snorkeled in a small cove that was used as the "lagoon" in the movie.

another favorite of ours was monkey island where a gang of wild monkeys roamed the beach waiting for tourists to feed them. we came prepared with bananas and peanuts, but we learned very quickly NOT to carry the entire bunch of bananas around at once. chaos broke out with monkey fights and them grabbing at us... so after the food was gone, and we got our photos - we peaced out!

this island came to life at night with more fire dancing and thai boxing rings IN the bars - not to mention the amazing restaurants. we had at least one meal a day at this one place called papaya. we got addicted to their ginormous serving of masa man curry (potatoes, tofu, veggies, and cashews in a thick nutty coconut milk broth). if anyone goes there, be sure to only get 1% spicy (they work in percentages here - so cute). everytime it still made out lips burn and our tummies tingle with delight. by the end of the week, we became one of their regulars.

unfortunately, the on and off poor weather made it easy for us to jet south to one of our last islands, Ko Lanta. hopefully we can chase down some sunshine!

xoxo S & J

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Photos

sunset from our bedroom window
this hotel is brand new, but even before this view would not have been the same. pre-tsunami, it would have been blocked by ocean-side bungalows and a ton of vegetation, including massive palms.

snorkeling in the misty rain
jessie and tom in the lagoon where "the beach" was filmed.

post-tsunami
you can see through these palms from one side of the island to the other (about 20 meters)

lunch break after our first dive.
we had fun jumping off the roof of our boat into this water. it brought us right back to house boats, well, apart from the soberness.

it looks like fun...
but once these wild monkeys knew we had food for them they chased us down the beach. we eventually had to run into the water for safety!

we waited days for the perfect diving conditions
if one wants to dive, they need to sign up the night before... but (of course)we just woke up early to make sure it was sunny, and then we ran downtown to find a boat that had room for us.

no sun did not spoil our fun
an afternoon dip in this tropical rain storm made the ocean feel like a giant bath tub!

thai rascals
we def enjoyed a beer in the warm rain and then chased these poor kids around for awhile, lots of laughing was had by all.

rise and shine jess, we're almost there!
our ferry boat rides would not be the same without our trusty ipods!

Comments

[Adam B.]

The Beach
I can't believe you went to The Beach. That's so cool. I hope there weren't drugs everywhere. I'm glad the monkeys didn't eat you. Happy early birthday.