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Published: March 14th 2009
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After doing our final bits of packing we had a greedy breakfast to fill ourselves up for the long day ahead.
Our minibus transfer to take us to the ferry came on time and for once the driver was sensible! It was almost a shock to see that there are some safe drivers in Thailand.
There were a few pick ups along the way and it took an hour or so to get to the pier where our boat was due to leave. The trip from our resort on Phuket to Phi Phi cost £14 each which had been a bit more than we’d expected but we were starting to get used to that - everything was proving more expensive in the tourist spots.
The boat was reminiscent of the Yasawa Flyer but not so organised. We had to sign in but all of the bags went into one pile and there was no system for getting them back as we discovered later on.
Matt was prepared to feel seasick but the journey was very smooth and flat. We got one of the seats inside luckily, as it wasn’t long before they were all taken and people
took to standing in the aisles.
When we pulled into the pier at Phi Phi we weren’t expecting the chaos that ensued. On the boats we'd been on previously the bags got taken off the boat onto the pier by the staff. Here they were left stacked up on top of each other in the entrance of the boat for people to help themselves. It wouldn't have been a problem but there must have been over one hundred cases! It meant that people were climbing all over the bags and throwing any that didn’t belong to them off the stack. I was horrified how everyone became so impatient and rude. We held back until most people had gone.
As we wheeled our rucksacks off the boat we were met by someone from the Phi Phil Hill Resort with our name on a sign. They took us to a longtail boat at the side of the pier and we paddled into the water to climb in.
The beach by the pier wasn’t very nice as it was full of fumes from the long tails but I was looking forward to moving to the other part of the island
to see our resort.
The sun was beating down onto the shade of the boat as we travelled the few minutes to Long Beach. Just past a prettier beach we pulled into a small landing along side some more long tail boats. We had to climb from one boat to another in order to get out onto the steep plank that took us to dry ground. I had a couple of heavy bags on my shoulders and they kept pulling me backwards so I was pleased when I made it to the top of the long plank without toppling backwards.
The guys from the resort maneuvered our heavy rucksacks into a trolley and started winching them up the side of the hill to our resort, which was at the very top. We followed slowly up the rickety stair case.
By the time we reached the resort reception we were drenched with sweat and were more than ready to see our room.
It was a 'deluxe room with air con' overlooking the sunset side of the beach. As we opened the door we realised the air con was the only luxury. The decking on which we were
standing looked close to snapping and the room was the most basic we’d seen on the trip so far.
We didn’t mind as it was cheap (only £35pn including breakfast) but it was really basic. There was a bed, no wardrobe, hardly any furniture, gaps in the wooden panel walls, dodgy looking electrics and I could just tell within half a day we’d have ants, spiders and all sorts hanging around. The redeeming feature was that the resort was perched high on the hillside with the most spectacular views across the water and of Phi Phi Leh.
We did a bit of unpacking and before we knew it, it was dinner time already. We made our way over to the resort restaurant (we couldn't face going back down the steps to find an alternative!)
We found a table on the edge of the decking that looked out across the most spectacular view and ordered ourselves some drinks and dinner. The mains came out before the starters which was a novel idea, but everything came out eventually. We had a mix of Thai and Western food and quickly realised that the Thai food was of a better quality
and value. My chicken fried rice dish cost £1! Our whole meal with starters and a few beers only came to £15 which felt like our first bargain in Thailand so far!
We went back to our room contented and starting to feel relaxed for the first time since we’d arrived in Thailand.
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