DAY 1 & 2 - PHUKET TOWN & PHI PHI

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Hi All,

I have a few minutes spare as I have just caught the longtail boat over to the Ton Sai Harbour in Phi Phi to get some essential supplies, like water and food!!!.

Our plane trip over was fine, although the kids ended up wrecked and got to bed at 3.30 am Aussie time. We got a few hours shut eye and then prepared ourselves to be up bright & early for the ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi. We thought we were on schedule, only to find that we'd set our clocks for the wrong time and so were ready at 5.45 am instead of 6.45 am!! So, in the dark, we wandered the streets of Phuket Town in search of somewhere opened where we could get some breaky and a few supplies for Phi Phi.

Out of nowhere a full on buzzing market appeared, with all that you would expect in downtown Asia!! Full of freshly chopped meats, chickens, mounds of spices, fruits, chicken feet - (which Brent & I both liked), deep fried and crunchy, but not too healthy for our breakie!! The stench wasn't too good, but the atmosphere was just what we were looking for.

Anyway the 8.30 am ferry to Phi Phi was supposed to take 1 hour, but like all things, turned into 3. We disembarked the ferry and jumped on our longtail to arrive at Pak Nam Bay on the East of Phi Phi. The place - Relax Beach Bay Bungalows is exactly as we'd imagined only better.

In our lather of sweat, we checked into the beachfront bungalow, striped off into swimmers, threw on the snorkel gear and it's been paradise ever since. The fish get a bit fiesty though and tend to nibble at your legs!! The water sometimes has these invisible stingers that feel like pins & needles in certain parts too! But still, as I said, the place just couldn't be better.

The bungalow has rock hard beds, that when you sit on them it feels like concrete, mosquito nets, the bathroom at the rear just has a toilet that we flush with a bucket of water, a thingy to wash your bum as the toilet can't handle paper and cold showers, (and also a little friend that rustles around in the early hours of the morn), but that's all that's required! We have a beautiful verandah with the layed back cushions overlooking the waters, a few hammocks amongst the trees and a fishing village or small community next door and that's it!! We hang out for 6.00 pm to get power to charge our phones, camera etc. I know I'm not painting a real good picture for you, but it really is paradise! Water at your feet, no roads, crystal blue waters, only the one restaurant and the kids have been catching & hunting hermet crabs - and have begun racing them on our verandah!!

It's our 2nd day here today and we'd intended on 3 nights, but we've already extended by another 2 nights, making it 5 nights in total and then off to Koh Lanta. May have to give Ko Jum a miss this time round. We'll see when we get to Lanta.

Sutee, the owner is a real keen fisherman and so this afternoon, all going well with Scott's rod, (Jet Star left it in Sydney, but it should arrive here today) will take Scott out fishing, but there's a drawback ---- as Sutee is the manager and quite busy he has asked that I help out if there are any complaints etc!! I guess he just needs my English skills, should they be required by one of the guests!!

Tomorrow, I think we will be combining snorkeling and fishing into one boat trip. Anyway, 2 bt/min internet. I will upload photos when we arrive Ko Lanta.

Have just got myself a Thai Sim Card, so if anyone wants to SMS us etc, the phone number is 66 08 47365728, i think you need to put a "+" sign in front of the 66 and then drop off the 0 in 08. If this doesn't work, ring your phone provider! So I think [phone].

Bye for now

Cheers, love to all including Oskar!! I have just tried uploading photos, but it didn't work, hoping I don't need the camera disk. Will try again later.

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Photos

Markets at Phuket Town
Was a good thing we got up an hour early by mistake - otherwise we would have missed this "not to be missed market".

Relax Bay Beach Bungalows
Well this is home for a few days!! Yahoo!! Looking Good!!

Comments

[Neil Hartley]

Get back to work!!!
If you think we appreciate hearing about the snorkelling, the crystl clear water, the fishing and the freakin sushine while we are here in the rain dealing with complaints and teachers you are sadly mistaken. Get your ass back on the first plane and get back in here. How much time off can 1 person have - you "hurt" your leg to get some time off and now this?? Seriously though - sounds like paradise - have a great time and try not to get too burnt.