Phi Phi

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It's Wednesday evening and I just got back from a day trip to Phi Phi Island. I hadn't planned on getting to Phi Phi so soon but as I was talking to Fantasy Hill Bungalow's manager yesterday about day trip packages, this seemed like the best bet. Phi Phi (pronounced Pee Pee) consists of two main islands, Phi Phi Don which is inhabited and got hit hard by the tsunami, and Phi Phi Ley (uninhabited) where they filmed the movie "The Beach".

Phi Phi has been called one of the prettiest islands on the planet but unfortunately has suffered from substantial tourism and the resulting ecological damage over the last 15-20 years. The tsunami didn't hurt the water or beaches, but devastated the structures and vegetation in the main tourist area of the island.

As for my day, it started early (7:00!) when I got picked up at my hotel and driven to a harbour (forgot the name already; about 30 minute drive) to take a 2 hour boat ride over to Phi Phi Ley. The boat was pretty big (seats approximately 300 but wasn't even half full) Almost immediately after stepping onboard, I met 4 guys in their early 20's from Washington St. (Jake, Sam, Tyler & Dana) who are backpacking together through Thailand for a month. I instantly connected with these guys and ended up spending almost the whole trip hanging out with them. I also chatted a bit with a really cool girl from San Luis Obispo with a great smile (yes, I'm talking about you Sarah!). Unfortunatley, she wasn't part of the day trip package so she split off from our group once we reached Phi Phi Ley.

As for Phi Phi Ley, it was outright packed with day-trippers. The little bay where they filmed "The Beach" (called Maya Bay) had about 30 boats in it, most of which had unloaded all their passengers for snorkeling. That's what we did, although we avoided the congestion of waiting to get off the back of the boat by just jumping off the front. The water was pretty clear but there wasn't much to see really. An hour later we were off to Phi Phi Don, the inhabited island. This place had obviously been hit hard by the tsunami but there were areas that made it through ok, and I could picture how special it was at one time. Unfortunately, it will take years to recover.

We had lunch as part of the package deal and then wandered around the town for an hour before having to get back onboard, which reminds me. Getting on and off the boat is an interesting process. Due to the fact there is only one small pier, you don't just step off the boat to the pier. Instead, you go from boat, to boat, to boat, to boat...to pier. Yes, it's funny how they stack the boats. There is that much boat traffic during the day.

We got back to Phuket after 5 and then I got back to my hotel around 6:00.

Anyway, it was a great day, and the real kicker is that this entire day package cost me 550 baht. That translates to 12 U.S. dollars. It included pick-up and drop off at my hotel, transportation to Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don, snorkeling equipment, breakfast, lunch, unlimited coffee, soft drinks, and water. All for $12. Hard to believe. I love Thailand. 😊

Ok, I gotta go because I'm meeting up with the guys & a couple of German girls for dinner in Karon Beach.

Look! There goes Dave!

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Photos

Phi Phi Don
Dana, Sam, Jake, Tyler, & me on Phi Phi Don (notice the new trees that are being planted to replace those that were wiped out by the tsunami)

Phi Phi Don beach
The beach during low tide.

Boat to Boat to Boat...to Pier
The process of getting on and off our boat

Boat Ride to Phi Phi
Sam, Tyler, Jake and Dana on the boat

Comments

[Shirley]

550B?
thats so nice price,how did u get that price???