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Published: January 11th 2007
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Phi Phi
Pretty nice first view, isn't it? Firstly, my apologies to those who looked for a blog in the past few days and didn't find one... My time is already stretched thin with the many locations I've been able to visit. Within each island or town are about a hundred+ activities I'd love to be a part of... I'm writing from Bangkok, having spent a few days exploring the islands of Kho Phi Phi and the beautiful-exotic-wonderful-green-and amazing island of Hat Railay... Thus, my blog today will be in two parts... Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be many eco-attractions in Bangkok (beyond some of the "food") so I have a bit of time to get caught up...
Part One: Party and Phi Phi...
I very much enjoyed Phuket and admit that I would have liked another day there.. Unfortunately, I got outvoted once again (2 to 1) and thus Phi Phi arrived after a rainy but pleasant two hour boat ride...
My main concern with Phuket was the extreme over-development and the lack of greenery... It was basically a cement block with pretty beach throughout most of the area... Phi Phi has been developed as well but quite a bit of greenery remains as beautiful
Wooden Shack...
Oh yes, 5-star resorts are everywhere... But... do they have pine walls? and lush as ever just beyond the tiny market streets. In my opinion, it was a nice combination of the two...
As we've been playing this vacation day-to-day with no set destinations or bookings, we found ourselves in a sour patch when we realized that almost every hotel on Phi Phi had been booked. Now, thinking back, I should have taken this with a grain of salt and called it an adventure... In reality, I screamed my head off, embarrassed myself in front of a group of Norwegians, and then re-evaluated this trip altogether... But in all honesty, how would you react when told (in a very hungry state and while soaking wet from rain, mind you) that you'd have to sleep next to a resort pool on a damp cot? It wasn't good news...
Still, like usual, Bud managed to rub arms with a local and we soon found ourselves in his restaurant with fresh fish, hot soup, and amazing french fries... We talked with the man about the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and he showed us his personal scars from the the catastrophe. He'd been one of many on the shore that day and was swept
Koh Phi Phi National Park
Thank goodness this beauty is protected! away by the rushing waters... After spending over 2 weeks in a hospital bed recovering, and after his wife found him on an online list of survivors, he finally left the ward and began to rebuild his life... Phi Phi was one of the hardest hit places in all of Thailand and many people were killed within a matter of minutes. Entire resorts were swept away alongside cars, boats, and market stands... There is evidence left of the tragedy, save the construction zones with new bright hotels which are near completion. The locals hardly mention it... And I found myself staring at many smiling faces everywhere I went. I don't know how they did it... They are some of the strongest and most wonderful people on earth. And my respect will forever lie with them and everyone who was on Phi Phi that morning.
After dinner (and a couple beers to ease my nerves) the man informed us that he'd found a room we could use. It ended up being a wooden shack without anything but the wood itself, some clothing of a local man who owned it, and three small beds, one of which had little spots of
Backpacking...
I feel all sporty! red on it. (I'll call it jam, my brother called it blood...) Daniel got that bed.
After throwing our bags in the shack, Daniel and I set off to take a look at the nightlife... And what a scene it was... Club after club, bar after bar, one drunk Irishman after another. It reminded me of a very beautiful European fraternity... After a couple drinks it became easier to realize why everyone was so happy... This was the PLACE to BE... Complete Euphoria...
We bar-hopped for awhile and at one point Dan and I became separated. This is when I met up with a group of "lady-boys" (I'll let you figure that one out) who ended up being the coolest people of the night. They were honest, sweet, and down-to-earth- and they loved me! Not because I had lots of money (that'd all gone to the drinks by now) but because we all knew how 'fabulous' we were. After some dancing, we left for a small beach-side cafe and they bought ME dinner... I didn't have a baht but soon found myself layered with fish, rice, chicken, soup, and Fanta! I loved those girls and I will remember them always. I told them to be safe and finally left on my way back home, buzzing happily and in a much better mood than when the day began.
My brother didn't come home that night. Apparently he couldn't find the shack (understandable, seeing as it was one of about 300) so decided he'd spend the night sleeping on the beach. Sounds a bit like Dad... Well, he did make it home safe the next morning, though tired, grumpy, and shoeless... Yes, shoeless... Someone stole the shoes off his feet while he was sleeping! Classic...
Our collegesque-hangovers didn't stop Dad from waking us up early so we could head to Ko Phi Phi National Park for 'world-class' snorkeling. It poured rain on the ride through the swift waters and I loved every moment of it. I suppose 'world-class' means about 4 or 5 fish, because that's what I saw in the 30 or so minutes in the water. After this small disappointment (which many blamed on the rain) I left and found some trails heading deeper into the island. I found myself in some of the most beautiful terrain I've ever been in and climbed massive rocks with rewards of breath-taking views. It was amazing. And yes, parts of that Leo movie "The Beach" were filmed there... Everyone seems obsessed with that piece of garbage here. The island I saw was worthy of a better piece of cinema.
After an exciting day, I realized I'd made one vital mistake... In my buzzing merry-go-round attitude, I forgot to put on bug spray. I awoke the next morning with something comparable to chicken-pox... I am to mosquitoes what starbursts are to me... They love me. No, they adore me... The feeling isn't mutual.
Though our stay was brief, I enjoyed it very much and want to visit again sometime in the future... However, lesson learned: I hate mosquitoes. To avoid, book hotel far in advance.
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