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Published: March 12th 2008
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We had a quick stop over in the coastal town of Crabi, before catching the morning ferry to Koh Phi Phi. I don't think that we expecting that we'd be the only ones heading to the island, but the hundred plus travelers & holiday makers who accompanied us, made us realise how much of a tourist attraction Phi Phi has become!
Our hotel was based on the far side of the island away from the port and half way up one of the limestone outcrops (which was not what you want with a full backpack). However, we later found out that this is one of the evacuation points, which has been set up following the 2004 Tsunami, and suddenly the trek up there each day seemed much more worth it. After quickly dumped our gear we headed straight for the beach and I just have to say WOW!! - OK its not quite as good as 'Maya Bay', which is used in the film 'The Beach', but I think we'd all agree its a pretty close second.
The other part to Phi Phi apart from the beautiful scenery is the night life and as the good travelers that we
Liam and one of the Thai Kick-Boxers
They had agreed to fight but the Thai boy pulled out when he saw Liams Guns. are, we felt a duty bound to experience this side of the island as well. Several large bottles of 6.5% Chang and a few buckets of what can only be described as rocket fuel we found our selves in the respectable named bar of 'Reggaes', which also happened to have a Thai boxing ring situated right in the middle.
A free round of drinks were offered to any brave sole who would don on a pair of gloves, head gear and enter the ring. One think that we had noticed by this point was that at least 60% of the island were Swedish (must be some sort of holiday haven for them) and by 11pm there where queues of drunk swedes lining up to fight there best mates. We saw some hilarious encounters, involving windmill & hammer punching with guys who could barley stand up let alone even see there opponent. After an hour or two of entertainment we headed on to a few other bars before finally hitting 'Hippies', where we ended up most nights, sitting on the sand listening to the guitars to the early hours of the morning (we even saw the sun rise a few
times).
After 4 days & nights of sunbathing & partying we reluctantly left Koh Phi Phi and took the ferry up to Phuket, where we were met by a tropical rain storm on our arrival. Shaking off the water in a dog-like fashion we decided to head to the Karon beach area of Phuket situated on the west cost. Given that we had spent the last week slumming it in basic accommodation we decided to treat ourselves to a more upmarket hotel, with hot running water, comfy beds and A/C (luxury). After catching a little shut eye, we venture out into the main street to check out the shops, bars and the beach. As the night drew in, we began to see why Phuket has gained a sleazy image, with a number of bars swarming with Go-Go girls. You do get used to most of the shouting and comments made and in some ways it much like how the stereotype builders in the UK treat girls, however if I ever here the phrase "Hey you sexy boy" again, I think I'm going to chop off my own ears and eat them.
To get away from it all we
booked an action packed excursion for the following day which included, White Water Rafting, Waterfall Trekking, Elephant Show, Elephant Trekking and Quad Biking all for just under 20 pounds each - a bargain in any part of the world. Unfortunately in the morning Liam wasn't feeling 100% so he to stay behind and like the good mates we are we wish him well while dashing out the door to catch the bus.
We teamed up with two swedes and two locals for the rafting (who basically did all of the hard work) and pushed our raft into the shallow river bed. Then from behind us the small dam was opened and the stream became a river. Both me and Ben took turns at paddling & with a few scares here and there we managed to safely navigate the grade 2 & 3 rapids. After having an ice cold power shower under the waterfall (which half striped us of our clothes) we were served up a buffet feast, which would have fed 300 rather then the 30 of us there.
Luckily next up for us was the sit down elephant show, which held a tight line between being entertaining
and slightly distasteful. The quad biking was brilliant, however it was a completely lottery to the speed of each bike. Ben used several of his nine lives after surviving a crash, caused by his rear wheel breaking off (and overtaking him) on the fastest corner of the track. Last but not least was the relaxing Elephant Trek which was the perfect was to unwind after an action packed day.
We spent our final day in Phuket lazing on the beach, soaking up the sun and chilling in the sea. After yesterdays adrenalin filled day, me & Ben were on a bit of a come down so we decided to hire out a jet-ski for half an hour and we took turns cruising up and down the coast. Later that evening we climbed aboard the 14 hr night bus to our next destination, Thailand's capital.. Bangkok
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