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Published: October 8th 2008
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So...this is my 3rd day on Phi Phi Don. I am SO GLAD I didn't stay in Phuket any longer than a couple of days, because this is so much better. There are no cars on Phi Phi so it makes for a very calm and chilled out atmosphere.
On Monday evening I went to the Pum Thai cooking school/restaurant and made 3 dishes for my dinner; Penang Curry, Thai Fish Cakes and Chicken with Cashew nuts. The ladies working in the school were fantastic. They were all so incredibly helpful and fun. They said they were impressed with my cooking...I wonder if they say that to everyone? Either way, I had to eat the food and it was really good even if I do say so myself. For the rest of the evening I chilled out at a bar called the Hot Spot and drank Singha and cocktails whilst watching a few movies. It made for a very calm evening.
Yesterday I went to Loh Dalam beach in the morning to kill time before catching my 4pm boat out to Phi Phi Leh's Maya beach for an overnight camping trip (Maya is the beach they used in the
film 'The Beach'). I was surprised, but relieved that when I met up with my group that there were only 7 of us. I had been told there could be up to 30 and it can get wild, which is not what I wanted. On the way to Maya we stopped at the Viking Caves which were pretty cool, but then we headed further on to Phi Phi Leh and anchored the boat so we could go snorkelling. For a second I started having flash backs of my previous sea sickness episode from Vietnam and considered making up an excuse not to join in, but then thought what the heck, this is once in a lifetime stuff. I was fine once I got in the water and I enjoyed every second. It was so clear and sea life was so colourful.
We then moved on to Maya Beach. As we turned into the bay we saw lots of other boats and people on the small beach, but it was nice to know that they would soon be leaving and only the 7 of us with our guide would be on Maya camping the whole night! We settled in at
the 'tent' and went straight for the beers. The group was really cool. As the sun went down we talked about how we couldn't believe we were actually there. We all had a tasty dinner together at the camp (Red Curry, Veggies and BBQ chicken) and then headed back to the beach when it was already dark.
A few us went night swimming. The water was warm and since we the only people on the whole island it was so peaceful and serene. I'd never experienced luminesence before, so when one of the other girls told me to shake my hands in the water and the plankton glowed, I was totally blown away. The rest of the night, I was like a giddy school child shaking my hands in the water repeatedly. The rest of the group went back to the camp to get ready for bed, but me and one of the other guys stayed to see the moon come over the bay.
Come bed time, we all decided to sleep on the beach instead of back at camp. So, with pillows and sleeping bags in hand we headed off to get some shut eye under the
stars, only for it to start raining after about 30 minutes. The rest of the group ran back to camp, but I dragged myself over to seek shelter under the cliffs and I'm glad I did. At one point in the middle of the night, I saw the clouds part over the bay and although I've witnessed some beautiful night skies before this was unlike anything I had ever seen. That was it....my second moment since I've been travelling when I had to pinch myself incase this is all a dream. I just lay there staring at the stars, listening to the waves lapping up on the sand and crashing against the cliffs.
I woke up to see the sunrise, but there wasn't much to see because it was so cloudy. After breakfast Tatianna and I went for a walk over the other side of the island, but quickly returned to Maya for a morning swim, since we both agreed it was by far the highlight of the island. By 8am our guide was telling us it was time to go and like spoilt babies we moaned that we didn't want to go as we reluctantly made our way back to camp to gather our belongings. As we left, long boats started arriving with more tourists on their day trips, so it was a good thing we left when we did. Even if for only 1 night, Maya Beach was ours!
x
I've wrecked my memory card reader so photos will have to wait until I can get a replacement. :o(
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LSi
Lee Isidore
ITS NOT FAIR!
Do you know how grey and crappy it is over here (well not right now actually, the sun is out, sky is blue etc.. its pretty cold tho)?!!! Sounds like you're having a wicked time and its only been under a month! I was watching a nature program yesterday that tracked tigers in the Indian jungle, all that kept going through my head was the picture with you and the tiger. I would of been TERRIFIED!! Thailand looks amazing, you'll be making us all dinner when you get back, you should learn how to make Mussaman curry :-D Anyways, stay safe, enjoy yourself and CRAAAAAB. btw, the flat is cool and Zee's doing ok! We'll see you when you get back!