Advertisement
Before our Bumpy Ride
Kelly and me on the start of our bumpy ride to go snorkeling. Island Hopping and Rough Seas
Despite being the wet season in Thailand, we decided to spend our last full day at the resort on a snorkeling trip around the islands. We were risking it, but Kelly has such a short amount of time to vacation she wanted to maximize every day. Our goal was to head to Phi Phi Island, which according to Pooh is one of the best and most beautiful islands surrounding Phuket. And, for those of you who are as childish as Eric, Kelly, and me, yes that was Pooh, Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee), and Phuket (which Kelly was referring to as more like “f-it”). We were snickering like Bevis and Butthead during this trip.
We left Phuket from a very fancy and high end yacht marina with million dollar boats surrounded by million dollar bungalows. Our boat, however, was far from million dollar. There were about twenty of us on the boat, filling it to capacity. The speed boat had two rows of seats in the rear and room for about eight small adults at the front of the boat. We chose the front of the boat to get the best view. It
Kelly on Vaca
All smiles. The office is a long way away. was our first and largest mistake of the day. “The sea was rough that day my friend, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli.” It was easily the bumpiest ride of my life. The following day I had a knot in my back and a bum hip (still bothering me over ten days later). Not only were we catching air under our rears and slamming back down on the bench, but we kept banging our arms, backs, and heads on the side of the boat. I wanted to beg the captain to slow down, but he barreled along for about an hour and twenty minutes until we finally arrived at Phi Phi Island.
Our first stop was pretty interesting. Phi Phi Island is separated into two islands, the smaller of which, Ko Phi Phi Leh, is not inhabited. This was our first stop to see the only “inhabitants” - cave dwellers who stay on the island to farm or mine, I am not sure which, the birds’ nests that are sold as delicacies. They had wood docks and shelters built into one particular cave area. Part of the reason the smaller island remains uninhabited is
Just Stunning
Look at the color of that water! because more money is made from the birds’ nests than from tourism and development. The birds’ nests are sold, mainly in China and Japan I believe, as a delicacy used in soups and traditional medicines. We then made a pit stop in a cove for a quick swim off the back of the boat. The water was stunning and we were surrounded by tall limestone karst mountains. So far, Pooh was right on the money.
In addition to James Bond Island it seems that many tourist areas in Southeast Asia are focused on celebrating where western movies are filmed. Ko Phi Phi was no exception. As we sat in the front of our boat our guide for the day, Joseph, was explaining to the passengers in the rear our plans for the day. He is Swiss, but has been living in Phuket for fifteen years. He speaks Thai, French, German, English, and Italian, almost all of which he used on our boat that day. I could actually pick up on some of the Italian, and even occasionally some French, but as he was giving his speeches in three languages the one thing I kept picking up on was “Leonardo
Leo's Beach
This is the beach where "The Beach" was filmed. Beautiful, but this was a kind picture showing the traffic. Di Caprio.” So, our next step was a cove called Maya Beach where they filmed the movie “The Beach.” Joseph informed us that the movie won eight Oscars, but I need to Google that because it does not sound accurate. I could see why the movie scouts picked the location, but it was filled to capacity with every snorkeling and tour boat in the area. In its original state the beach had fine white sands and crystal turquoise waters, surrounded by lush tropical hillsides. The way we saw it was more than a dozen speed boats pulled up to the beach with tourists everywhere. And, despite the no littering sign on the beach, there was a decent amount of garbage in the water. I had a plastic bag wrap around my ankle. Just after my encounter with the bag, I saw the littering public service announcement detailing how long it takes for various kinds of garbage to decompose when dumped on the beach or in the water. It was a little sad. Like in the movie, as a traveler, I wonder where I can find that deserted, pristine, and untouched beach for a bit of paradise, even for a day.
How do I find it?
After a swim and a rest on the beach, we continued to the other side of the cove from Maya Beach to snorkel. My snorkel did not work all that well and let more water in than air. Eric and I snorkeled for a period of time, but tired pretty quick. We let Kelly go at it, though. She was one of the last back on the boat. And, because we refused to sit in the front of the boat anymore after our trip out, I had to fight off a French couple to save her seat. It is always pretty cool to see fish and to snorkel, and I know Kelly had a good time, which was the goal, but I told her she needs to get her butt on an airplane to the Great Barrier Reef! We also made a stop at “monkey island” - Eric was thrilled. In fact, he stayed on the boat, while we went out into the water and onto the sand to say hello to some monkeys.
The rest of the trip involved a buffet lunch overlooking the water on the large island of Ko Phi
Phi Don, and a nice sized storm, and a stop at an island, Koh Khai, for a lovely tropical beverage. I kept worrying that Kelly would not have a good time because it was the wet season, and we had some rainy weather on our little outing, but she seemed to enjoy it. She and Eric both liked watching the storm clouds roll in, listening to thunder, and sipping tasty tropical beverages from carved out pineapples while watching the rain outside (okay, I like that last part too). The return trip was even more bumpy, although I did not think it would be possible to be worse than the morning. Although we sat in the back of the boat for an easier ride, it was pretty brutal.
When we returned to the resort Eric made a simple meal for our last domesticated night in Phuket and we all crashed pretty hard. Kelly crashed first, on the couch, like she does at home. That must mean she felt comfortable at our little home away from home. The next day, the goal was to show Kelly a more traditional beach area - away from the large resorts.
Nai Yang
We were planning initially to take Kelly to Patong Beach, which has a reputation as one of the seedier beach areas on Phuket Island. But, we thought it would be a great way to introduce her to the “real” Thailand. When talking with our new friends from Raleigh, though, we learned they rented a car for a day and stopped by Nai Yang beach, just south of where we were staying, and spitting distance to the airport. They raved about a seafood restaurant, well more of a shack, right on the beach, and mentioned there were a few beach bars and such down the strip of sand. Well, that was enough for us. We were looking for something where we could stay at a hotel, but could wander for drinks and food, and not feel stuck and attached to our resort. We booked a room at the originally named Nai Yang Beach Resort, which, although down at least a notch or two from the Marriott, was still fancier and more expensive than our usual accommodations. It was a fairly big resort, spread out with various bungalows and motel strips through a jungle-type environment with a few small pools.
It was newer, with modern décor and a clean bathroom so we knew Kelly would be okay (although she said she had no problem sleeping on the floor or pitching a tent for a night, we did not challenge her).
After checking in we immediately sought out Bank Restaurant, based on Katie’s recommendation (or really, insistence). As we headed towards the restaurant, we explored Nai Yang, which was exactly what we were looking for. It was more rustic, with only one single lane road winding its way along the beach. On the outside of the road were various beach huts with food and beer, including a place catering to western tourists with a giant sign reading “we speak English good enough and we love you long time.” Nice. There were only about three or four resorts in addition to ours all set on the inside of the road, and back in the trees. There was one resort at the north end, behind our resort, which was abandoned and would be a perfect location for a horror movie. Then, the Thai could turn it into a tourist destination for prior movie sets! Also on the inside of the road were
Bank Seafood
Right on the Beach various dive and tour shops, massage parlors, restaurants, etc. all with a little more permanent feel than the beach huts. I think Katie did a-ok on her recommendation for us.
When we arrived at Bank Restaurant we were thrilled at the location, just some plastic chairs and wooden tables set out on the beach. The restaurant was the end of the line of Nai Yang, at least the end of the paved road. As we ordered, we were told that certain items were not available; basically we were limited to that day’s catch, which was fine for us. We ordered some shrimp and some pork fried rice. We also wanted a fresh, fried fish with garlic and pepper. When I asked how big the fish was, I was invited back to the kitchen area to take a look. The owner showed Kelly and I what was available in a large cooler. She picked up a pretty decent sized fish and weighed it in front of us to tell us the price before we ordered. I liked that. I was not entirely convinced that the fish we had at the Muslim floating village was the size he told us it
was- there was not as much meat on the bones. We started with some cold Singha beers, provided in large beer “coolies” and watched the water and listened to the small waves crash on the beach until our food arrived. And, the food was not only amazing but much cheaper than the Muslim village. We paid less than $10 for our entire fish, which was much larger than the one at the Muslim village. And, we licked the bones dry. We sat like three happy cats licking our lips with our empty fish bones on the plate. After our meal, we decided to wander the beach, but told the owner “see you for dinner.” And, we were back several hours later for curry crab, another large plate of fish and other delicacies. We could not understand why the place was empty. We had the place to ourselves. After dinner we moved our chairs down towards the water and finished our beers in solitude. It was quite a pleasant dinner. We also had spicy noodle soup for breakfast the next morning at Bank. One of the best parts of the meal - fried bananas. They made us an extra large plate
of sweet sliced bananas in a fluffy fried dough, with a side of honey. Oh man. We even had the banana desert after our breakfast so Kelly could have them one more time before she left. We loved Bank.
Partying it Up Thai Style - Part II
Well, we really know how to send Kelly back to the US in style, or at least with some good memories. We started our last evening with her in Nai Yang happy hour hopping, stopping at two bars for cocktails. Then, we hit Bank for dinner, and had a few Singha beers. After Bank we decided to have a night cap at one of the beach bars closer to our resort. It was called Mamma Mia, and like everywhere in the area, had a signed poster from Bridget Jones’ Diary on the wall as one of the scenes was filmed there. The employees were also very proud of the filming of the movie. We stayed for awhile drinking our beers, playing Connect Four with one of the bartenders, and eventually listening to ABBA, including Mamma Mia.
Eric and I also, who were not as sober as we intended
Mojito!
At Nai Yang Beach to be, finally got up the courage to try one of the most unique foods to this side of the world - durian. I noticed several durian fruit on the counter of the bar and asked the bartender about it. We had wanted to try durian for quite some time now. Durian is a large, heavy, green, spiky, and dangerous looking fruit. It is also, probably, the stinkiest fruit on the planet. It has the consistency and smell of a pungent, runny French cheese. People either love it or hate it. Of our favorite Travel Channel hosts, Anthony Bourdain loves it, and Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods (who will eat anything) hated it so much he spit it back out again. Many hotels ban durian from the building so as not offend people by the stench. And, we have hoped at every rest stop on every bus we have taken so far that someone does not purchase durian and eat it on the bus! It is not only stinky going down, but stinky coming up too, if you can follow my drift. Pooh had durian during our tour of Phuket and every time he burped you could smell it. Back
to Mamma Mia, the bartender asked us if we wanted to try it and I said yes. Eric suggested I back down, but instead of beer goggles, I had durian goggles. Suddenly, with all the beer I drank, durian seemed like a perfectly good idea. The bartender cut it open for us, and showed us how to take the flesh out, and eat around the large pit in the center. At first, we were surprised. It had a sweet melon flavor to it. I asked him, are you sure this is durian, because I expected it to be much more pungent. Then, after four or five pieces, Eric and I reached the point where we could not stomach another. Whereas some foods grow on you, durian was not one of them. Thank goodness it was a small sized durian, comparatively speaking, because we finished about ¾ of it. I talked another guy at the bar into trying it, but his wife would not go near it. And, like I was told, the rest of the evening neither Eric nor I smelled minty fresh. I am assuming at that point Kelly was thanking her luck stars she was NOT sharing a
room with us.
Well, our “nightcap” was over and we continued our way back to our resort, but were diverted for one last stop. Directly across the road from the driveway to our resort was a Thai party scene if I ever I saw one. There were maybe thirty or forty people eating, drinking, and dancing. And, they were all Thai - not a westerner in sight. So, we steered our way over, saying hello to people, and found our way to a woman standing behind a lit counter, looking like a bartender. We asked if we could buy beer from her and she shook her head no. As we stood there disappointed and wondering what to do next, people started introducing themselves to us, and eventually one offered to get us beer. I think Eric paid a guy for a beer for us to split and next thing you know we were crashing a Thai birthday party. We quickly made friends with several of the younger people in the group, who kept handing us glasses of Thai rum and soda (which was surprisingly good) to share with them. Kelly touched her lips to the glass, made a yummy
Durian
My durian beer goggles - when it still tasted good. sound, but kept with the view that she generally does not take drinks from strangers like that. Eric and I had no such qualms. We are way more trusting of people in a situation like this. They were sharing their drink with us, not trying to poison us. Our stomachs were also way more use to the local ice than Kelly’s. The group also was singing Karaoke, and as much as I did not try singing, I ended up dancing with my new, drunk girlfriend. I think it was easily the most drunk I have been on this trip (I was paying for it in the morning). I also think Kelly thought we were crazy, but regardless, we had a great time partying it up Thai style.
Farewells - to Kelly and to Nai Yang
There was not much more to occupy our time in Nai Yang besides food and beverage. We did introduce Kelly to a traditional Thai massage, way more traditional than the beach massage at the resort. All three of us were lined up in a row for two hour massages. On Kelly’s last day, we had breakfast and took a quick swim
Karoke
At the birthday we crashed in the pool at the hotel. Then, Eric and I switched to accommodation that was more within our budget. No pool or beach access, but it was an air conditioned room in the attic of a house with large windows and a sea view - not too shabby. We had a TV, with about five English stations, one being a movie station and the others being of the evangelical variety. Kelly was also introduced to a bathroom more along the lines of a typical place on this side of the world that we stay in - sink, toilet, and shower head hanging from the wall - no actual shower or bath area. Kelly did not really get the full experience though, this place was pretty nice in comparison to other places we have stayed and will be staying.
We even had pizza as Kelly’s last meal in Thailand. We had read good reviews of a wood fire pizza place, and were not hungry for a full lunch, merely a snack to supplement our breakfast. It was our second pizza in almost four months and it was not too bad (it was not great either, but hit the spot at
My Dancing Thai Friend
She was feeding us drinks at the party - and, of course we danced. the moment). I don’t think Kelly was disappointed either because she already informed us this was one of the best eating weeks she ever had! We said our farewells to Kelly and had our last dinner on the beach - no seafood though - typical pad Thai and Penang curry. After the prior night of drinking, Eric and I agreed to lay off the sauce for awhile. We have lost an amazing amount of weight so far, and figured we would lose even more without beer in our daily diet. We figured that because we were heading into a Muslim country soon it was as good a time as any to stop the beer diet. Instead of a drink before bed, we hit another two hour Thai massage where I was folded over like a human pretzel in some many different directions. I would love to have had it on video. I was silly putty.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.209s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 8; qc: 56; dbt: 0.0711s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Kelly
non-member comment
Awards for The Beach
The Beach has been nominated 7 times (none of them are Oscars), but sadly never took home an award. It was nominated at the Berlin International Film Festival for the Golden Berlin Bear. It was nominated at the Brit Awards in 2001 for Best Soundtrack. It was nominated for a Golden Trailer Award for Best Voice Over in 1999. Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for his role in 2001 for a Razzie - Worst Actor. And, in 2000, it was nominated for 3 Teen Choice Awards - Choice Actor, Choice Chemistry, and Choice Drama.