Kho Phi Phi Lei.... paradise opens at dusk!!!

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9am..and no ones slept a wink but Scott. He was fortunate enough to fall sound asleep before the party began on the island. Karl seems to be alright - but the rest of us were kept up until almost 4am with the blaring music from the nightclubs. The worst part - the music was awful. I swear at one point I could hear the White Stripes, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and the Grease soundtrack all playing at one time…true hell.

Oh - and by the way - guess who got the real bug last night?? Ray of course - poor guy. Apparenly he was up and down all night. Everyone thinks its “the bug” - I personally think it’s “The bug” mixed with drink!!! He, Karl, Jay and Keely all hit it pretty hard last night. I’m glad I came back early with Diane!!!

Everyone else decides to dinghy into town, I’ve had it - I need to rest. I also feel nauseous every half hour or so (oh great) - so I decide its best to stay on the boat, lay low and sleep it off. I basically nap and read for the next few hours and it feels great. Everyone needs a little quiet time away from the group on these types of trips and today is my day.

2pm - everyone’s back on board and we are motoring away from Phi Phi Don….yayyyy!!! I was NOT impressed with the crowds…I think I’m officially spoiled now being a "boat person" on this trip.

Our destination is only an hour away - Koh Phi Phi Lei. This is the island that is home to the famous beach in the film Leonardo diCaprio starred in called, …. “The Beach”. Diane and Ray warned us that the kids taking day boat trips out of Phi Phi Don literally take over this lagoon from dawn til dusk…and boy are they right. We’re arriving around 330pm - when things are supposed to be calming down and there must be 20 longtail boats on shore and a few hundred people on the beach…YUCK. That’s okay - we moor the catamaran in the lagoon..drop the dinghy and head off to snorkel away from the crowds.

The snorkeling here is sooooo much better than the snorkeling we did at Chicken Island - which didn’t actually suck either its just this reef is so much more sheltered and there are so many more fish! We especially love these giant clams we see everywhere embedded into the reef. These are the kind of clams that look like props or fakes…almost reminds me of Seymore the man-eating plant from “Little Shop of Horrors” - they are so huge!!! Okay - maybe not THAT big…but they’re pretty darn big. If one of them opened up I’m sure Keely and I would scream like little girls - that seems to be our job on this trip but we love it!! We snorkel over to a small inlet where there’s a tiny stretch of sand - what a place - this island is beautiful if it weren’t for the hoards of tourists….which…wait…. have almost all gone!!!! We’re down to 2 longtails and virtually no tourists…. I feel a peaceful night of rest coming on!!!

Another fabulous dinner by Nui - have I mentioned Nui yet? Her cooking is incredible. I may be getting tired of Thai food, but even earlier today when I felt nauseous, she whipped up a grilled cheese sandwich at my request!! She’ll make anything and she’s happy to do it!! I can’t put my glass down without her wanting to make… yes..another drink. I’ll stop talking about heaven now.

9pm..done with dinner…yes - its boat time and I am off to bed. Some of us are going to try and wake early to hit the beach before the masses arrive. Night!

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