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Published: October 13th 2011
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Nearing the end of my journey, I figured I needed some down time to recharge. Nothing is more relaxing to me than enjoying sun, sand and surf on a quiet beach. The south of Thailand is famed for postcard perfect islands and beaches. There is too much to choose from between the east (the gulf of Thailand) and the west (Adaman sea), there are beaches galore to fit any disposition, budget and inclination.
Of course the perfect beach experience is mostly dependent on the weather. It is the tail end of the rainy season here so it's a crap shoot as to where the sun would be shining more. I decided to roll the dice and go with Phuket and Koh Phi Phi on the southwest of Thailand. Phuket because it was easy enough to get to and the airfare was reasonable and also from there I could go to Phi Phi easily by ferry.
Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand and has many beautiful beaches. I decided to stay in Patong city, which is known for it's long stretch of sand and vibrant nightlife. Unfortunately my stay here was a little bit of a let down. The beach is
indeed long (just short of 2 miles) with the sand beige and fine and it was sunny enough on my fist day. However I've never been to a beach that has been so over- developed where getting any peace and quiet was virtually impossible. The whole bay front was lined by shops, hotels, bars with no cohesive sense of design or architecture. The beach itself was crowded and full of beach chairs and umbrellas. It seemed to me that jet skis and motor boats (dragging people para-sailing) had free reign and there was no designated areas just for swimming. Even laying on the beach you hear the whirring of motors that makes the ocean breeze smell of petrol. The saving grace of my stay here was the guesthouse I stayed in,
Adonis and the Filipino restaurant down the street,
Elsa's. Adonis was immaculately clean and surprisingly quiet for the location. I had many good meals at Elsa's and it was a lots of fun chatting with some expats and tourists from the Philippines.
After 2 nights I was ready for Koh Phi Phi. Almost three hours by ferry and almost a different beach experience. I decided to stay on Long
Beach the quiet side of Tonsai bay about 10 minutes by ferry or 30 minutes walk from the main pier and town. I stayed at
Phi Phi Long Beach Resort which is the only place offering accommodations at backpacker prices ($35/night). No AC, just a wooden bungalow with a ceiling fan,bed mosquito netting. I loved it. The beach was really stunning, fine beige sand with a view of soaring limestone mountain and the water a bright turquoise blue.
I was able to go on a snorkeling/island hopping day tour on the one day when it was totally sunny. The tour was great because it was small enough (just 11 people) and was on a speed boat which allowed us to see/do more. There were stops at several beaches and area for snorkeling and swimming. The highlight was a visit to the famed
Maya Bay the beach they used on the movie The Beach. It was just a stunning sight. Almost completely surrounded by giant cliffs of limestone, the waters clear and so blue and the sky equally so. The only draw back was, with something this beautiful, it was mobbed (and it's not even the high season). My other favorite was a stop at bamboo
island where the beach was so wide and long that even with many tourists it still felt tranquil.
As for the snorkeling, it was okay. The fish were colorful and plentiful (though I think this is because of the annoying practice of fish feeding) but most of the coral have succumbed to the impact of mass tourism and looked gray and dead.
For as much as the scenery was breathtaking, I was worried by the apparent disregard for conservation. Our boatmen indiscriminately dropped anchor on the corals and at one time even scraped them with the boat motor. There were no educational information presented to tourist regarding proper snorkeling technique, no warnings not to take corals and not to feed the fish (in fact this was encouraged).
I left thinking about a quote from Paul Theroux:
...as soon as a place gets a reputation for being paradise it goes to hell...
. While Phi Phi is far from hell I do hope it never turns into Patong. Time will tell.
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Ferry to phi phi
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