Koh Phi Phi

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Phi Phi was a nice change of pace from the more secluded places. It was more touristy, yet not really crowded at the same time. The majority of the people there were European, so the coffee shops, baking and fairly good western food was a reflection of this. Apparently there is a tourist to local ratio of 5:1 here! Phi Phi was also one of the areas in Thailand to be hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami. You can definitely see that something happened here, but they cleaned up the area and rebuilt quite a bit since then. It almost seems it's been rebuilt too quickly because there isn't a lot of infrastructure for garbage, roads, and even electricity. The reason the area is a bit more expensive is because all the electrical is generator run! Also, it seemed like a new store would open up daily! One day there would be an empty building, and the next day there would be a store/ bar in there.

On our second day I went scuba diving. THis was so worth while and a real highlight on the tour for me. It was pretty amazing to see all the different marine life, including a blower fish and trumpet fish.

I have to say that I have been indulging in quite a few massages on this trip, but they are so cheap! For about $6-9 you can have a 1 hour full body massage! Also the namesof the shops kind of amusing. One I went to was 'KKK Massage", and another I saw was "John Massage". Engrish is everywhere.

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Photos

Bungalow
It was quite the hike!