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Published: April 21st 2008
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Koh Phi Phi Islands - Rebuilding from the Tsunami
My taxi truck arrived at 915 am as I dozed on the porch of my hotel and whisked a full load of tourists to the old pier in Krabi Town. A five minute stop here while they touted for accomodation on Phi Phi and we were off in another bus to the new pier about 5km out of town.
The ferry was half full as it is nearly the low season here and we had a very pleasent 1.5 hour cruise to Koh Phi Phi Don in the calm of the Andaman Sea. Phi Phi Don is the largest of the two islands with all the accomodation - camping is the only option on Phi Phi Lay, overnight at Maya Bay.
You soon understand why this is such a popular destination as soon as you draw close to the island's limestone kharsts and sandy beaches when arriving at the pier in Ton Sai Bay. This place is stunning and I am making three blog entries to do it justice. Forget about what others say about Phi Phi being spoilt by over development, come here and judge for yourself. Choose
your tours wisely and you can see it at it's best. It does not have to be expensive if you dine at the food stalls instead of the fancy overpriced restaurants on the shoreline.
What stuck me about Phi Phi is the local inhabitants. They are not really as pushy for selling to the tourists as you might expect - I believe they appreciate the tourists are helping them rebuild their lives after the Tsunami of 2004. It is hard to explain but there is something special about the local Thai population here - they have been through some very difficult times and done a great job of restoring the island's facilities and their lives. If you are going to visit Phi Phi spend at least two nights or more here as a day trip does not do it justice. I would probably avoid the islands in the high season as it would be too overcrowded.
I had tried to book a hotel on the net but had no reply so I turned up at the JJ Bungalow and was given a room for my two night stay for 1700 baht ($A55) a night. JJ is about a
Ferry to Phi Phi
Great air conditioning - very cool !!! 15 minute walk from the pier and I suggest you download a map of the local area from their website before you arrive here even if you intend staying elsewhere as it is a very useful map to orient yourself to Phi Phi Don. The room was very large and clean with a great view - the bed was very hard but I slept well - the staff were friendly, nice people working at JJ Bungalow.
There are no taxis on Phi Phi so be prepared to walk or catch a boat if you want to get anywhere.
I had done my research and booked a sunset tour so I could see Maya Bay "The Beach" late in the afternoon when most of the day tours had gone back to base. This was a great decision and I must say the tours on Phi Phi are the best value in Thailand. This tour was 500 baht ($A20) and included a huge meal for dinner, tea and coffee, water and fruit, snorkelling gear and great guides. The shops all seem to sell the same tours and a guide picked me up from the Andaman Legacy shop and we then
went from shop to shop collecting other tourists on our way to the pier - a good way to meet and chat with others on the islands.
The big boat like we were on today give a more relaxed view of the islands than a speed boat and provide a very comfortable cruise, the only disadvantage is they stop further away from the beach and you need to use a kayak to get to shore. Make sure you have a wet bag if you are gong to take your camera. First stop was Monkey Beach 1 (there are two) on Phi Phi Don where we landed and saw one monkey. They had already been well fed by other tourists and gone back to the jungle. Hire a longboat and go early in the morning at 730 am if you want to see monkeys.
We then crossed the sea to Koh Phi Phi Lay and stopped at the Viking Cave where swallow nests are collected for "birds nest soup". Tourist are not allowed to enter the cave, we just stopped for a pic and moved on to Loh Samay Bay where we snorkelled and viewed the amazing sea life
in the warm, crystal clear waters. I have never snorkelled before and it is like discovering a new world. I suggest you wear a life jacket as I had a close call on the full day tour (next day) - more about that later. There were also some sea lice who were in a hungry mood for all the tourist but were not a huge problem.
Next stop was Maya Bay where the movie "The Beach" was made. We were on the opposite side of the island and took a kayak to a cave entrance which is semi submerged and you need to hold on to a rope, carefully make your way through the cave and then take a short walk through the jungle to Maya Bay. There was only one speed boat on the beach and about thirty tourists. The bay is nearly fully enclosed and is an amazing sight - I swam in the warm, bath like water which seemed very clean considering all the boats that visit here. If you visit Maya Bay hire your own boat and go there early in the morning about 730 am or take a sunset cruise or you will share
the beach with hundreds of other tourists which I experienced on the full day tour the following day.
After making our way back through the rising tide in the cave, an adventure in itself, be very careful if you go that way (keep your glasses in a secure pocket and wear some sandels) we stopped outside of Maya bay for an excellent dinner meal at sunset. As darkness set in we made our way back to the Ton Sai Bay pier after a great tour with Andaman Legacy.
When I got back to JJ Bungalow for a shower I booked a full day tour of both islands for the next day for 650 baht (about $A30). I spent the evening wandering the labrynth of small interconnected streets around Ton Sai Bay and viewed the fire dancing on the beach at the Carpe Diem Bar till about midnite to end a great first day on the Phi Phi Islands.
Click on the pics if you want a larger view and select next to see all the pictures.
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naz
non-member comment
excellent blog
nice entry leon. very informative and its nice to get first hand advice. some of the advice you gave can be found from sites but are not the same without the pics and first hand accounts. on top of that you've given advicehat i havent seen out there. i will be visiting with my wife as part of our honeymoon in july. any more advice you can give especially concerning the difference in time from your visit and ours would be appreciated. cheers