You down with Ko Phi Phi?

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After our wonderful stay at West Railay, Krabi, we headed to the Phi Phi islands for some additional coastal respite. We grabbed the morning ferry from East Railay to Phi Phi Don, the larger and inhabited island. As expected, as soon as we disembarked from the ferry, we were hoarded by crowds of hotel hocksters. We eventually chose to stay at "Phi Phi The Beach" hotel, which was about a 15 minute boat taxi ride from the main town. Phi Phi Don is shaped like a large H, with the town in the middle, and our location on the upper left hand side.

The hotel was merely satisfactory. I'm convinced it's more for the staff than for the tourists, as we saw countless employees playing on the internet, plucking an off key guitar, or smoking joints openly (!). Breakfast service was so bad one day, that we waited 30 minutes for an omlette! The worst part is that most employees seemed to be (a) relaxing or (b) setting up an unpopular lunch buffet (at 9 AM).

We stayed for two nights, and quite honestly, Phi Phi is not really worth visiting for that long. I'd stay one night at the most, but you could also do a day trip there.

Phi Phi is an interesting place, and it would seem that the fates are trying to do away with this tropical paradise. Over the 2000s, the island has been knocked out by Tsunami, threatened by bombs, and quarantined with bird flu. The people here have been through so much. I was taken aback when I viewed the photograph taken of the Tsunami devastation. 70% of the buildings were washed away, and around 4,000 residents are believed to have perished.

On a lighter note, we found Phi Phi Ley (small Phi Phi ) to be a fantastic day trip. All you need to do is grab a water taxi, and they will gladly show you all the cool spots for a lot less than a tourist boat. At Phi Phi Ley, we visited Maya Bay (the beach from "the Beach"), Viking Cove, as well as a few isolated beaches. The most amazing aspect about our island journey was the snorkeling at Phi Phi Ley. We tucked into a quiet cove with about 15-20 feet of depth, strapped on our snorkeling gear, and made our way into the deep turquoise water. Even Jamil, an experienced diver, was delighted with what we saw below the surface (giant clams, coral, parrot fish, puffer fish, angelfish, green and purple sea anemones, clown fish, and sea urchins).

My second favorite part about Phi Phi was the food. We had two great dinners, but both were great for their own reason. For our first dinner there, we had pizza. I know what you're thinking... you're in Thailand, come on. BUT, it was a much needed break from the excellent curries and phad thais we had been eating all week long. Our other favorite meal was at the Papaya restaurant - a small Thai restaurant recommended by some Aussie scuba instructors. This place was fantastic! Great food, and really cheap. It's a little off the main street, but it's totally worth searching for this hidden treasure.

After two nights on Phi Phi , we had enough with the island. We headed back to Krabi in the morning due to the infrequent ferries, and stayed in the town of Ao Nang. Ao Nang was merely an intermediary, as we were to fly to Siam Reap, Cambodia, the morning after. As a destination, Ao Nang is pretty unspectacular, so I wouldn't recommend a long stay there.

Next stop, Cambodia!

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