Koh Phi Phi

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After our diving experiences in Koh Tao we moved on to the western side of southern Thailand and the Island of Koh Phi Phi. Known widely as an island paradise and home to the film '"The Beach" it is formed of two hills connected by a small sandbar. The island is also known more and more as a party hot spot with lots of bars and all of the paraphernalia that goes with them.

Another lengthy bus and boat journey brought us to our destination. Sadly on the western side of Thailand the monsoon season is well in swing meaning our expensive rain coats finally got some real use. Upon arrival all entrants are charged a landing fee of 20Baht (approx 40p) to 'keep the island clean'. First impressions of this were 'good idea', however like so many things in Thailand the idea may be a good one but where exactly the money was going was anyones guess. Sadly the beaches were covered in litter, some being washed up on shore due to higher tides and rough conditions from the monsoon and some from tourist and local behaviour. Unfortunately this shortsighted aproach to tourism can be found all across Thailand, the lack of appreciation for the natural beauty areas behold means they are not as beautiful as they could be.

Sadly on day two my milns sidekick came down ill making her bed ridden for almost the remainder of our time here so I was left to explore on my own. I decided to do a dive on day 3 and thankfully a break in the weather meant I had fantastic clear skies and a calm sea. The previous poor weather must have put off other divers as I was alone on the boat with my dive leader. I had opted for a more traditional experience compared to our dives on Koh Tao by diving off a longtailed Thai wooden boat. The difference being from the longtail you have to do the more iconic backward roll from the boat, that and the more rustic feel and look. The first dive was on an artifical reef, the variety of fish were similar to Koh Tao with the addition of a few more deadly varieties. I was lucky enough to see a banded sea snake, lion fish moray eels etc. After my first dive we had a lunch break and went round to Maya bay, THE beach from the film the beach. The limestone cliffs make the water turquoise going on to crystal clear by the sands, a rather nice place for a swim and snack. I was on orders from Laura I was not allowed to see a turtle without her but i'm afriad one showed up right at the end of my second dive so she was rather disappointed to have missed out.

Apart from diving and a few walks the weather kept my activities to a minimum. Although the rain didn't keep me out of the sea!

The attached pictures were taken from view point two, a 15 minute sweaty hike on the same day as my dives right to the top of one of the islands. Koh phi phi was a very picturesque, beautiful island and one I would return to in the hope of better weather and cleaner beaches (perhapes out of monsoon season too!).

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