Ko Phi Phi, Thailand...so beautiful!

Welcome back! I hope you've missed us as much as we've missed you. With our time in Singapore over, it was on to Thailand for beaches and Buddhas. Our first stop was Ko Phi Phi, which is pronounced Pee Pee, and the Ko stands for island. We chose this spot because of its proximity to Phuket, which has direct flights from Singapore and the incredible scenery it is known for.

Upon arrival we quickly learned that an organized taxi and boat mafia was a real asset to the pocket books of the drivers and the easy negotiating ways of Bali were gone. Oh well, we're talking about trying to save a buck or two, who really cares. After a taxi to the marina and a 2 hour boat we were treated to the spectacular scenery that makes Phi Phi arguably one of the most beautfiul places on earth. We took a long tail boat...





...to the quiet side of the island and were dropped off at our bungalow, Ao Toh Koh.

The afternoon was just what we were looking for, laying on the beach, dozing off, swimming, laying in the hammocks, you know, beach stuff.





The evening was highlighted by a tasty dinner and our first (of many) Chang beers, 6.4%, in Thailand.

The morning brought with it banana lassi's to drink and omelettes to savor while we dined overloking the sea. More lounging on the beach before grabbing snorkeling gear and heading about 15 mins north to Rantee Beach for some fish finding and some Pad Thai for lunch, check out the view!



At dinner we found a couple from Germany who also wanted to check out Phi Phi Ley, the island next door, and the location for the movie, The Beach. We were excited to find some others to go so we could split the cost for the three hour adventure.

Our first stop on the way to Phi Phi Ley was at a little cove where we found a family of monkeys more than willing to take the bread we had to offer. The patriarch of the group definitely had control and we had to fake him out in order to get some food to the mama and some of the little ones in the back. This one loved hanging on to my shorts.



You get the impression that this place is something special when you pass it on the way in, but not until you make it all the way to the island up close do you fully appreciate how spectacular it is.



As we traveled closer to the cliffs we could see tons of ropes hanging from the sides of the vertical faces, these are used by climbers to fetch birds nests which are a culinary delicacy and the reason the island is protected. Our first destination was the film site, Maya Bay.



Luckily we were here before most of the other boats, but they were not far behind and soon enough the place was a complete madhouse, but thats the price you pay for paradise.





We took some photos and soaked in the beauty for a few minutes before
throwing on the snorkel gear and going for a swim. We saw a bunch of great fish, but the highlight was the family of sharks that were patroling the waters. We had the added bonus of our long tail captain throwing some bread in the water after we had changed spots for snorkeling and we were surrouinded by 100's of fish within an instant.



From Maya Bay it was on to the other side of the island where we cruised through another amazing cove and checked out the trees full of bats and all the scenery.



The ride back to Ao Toh Ko was very choppy, but we made it and spent the afternoon lounging as usual, mixing in a bit more snorkeling and Nemo hunting. We were successful at finding Nemo, may we add, and we both decided that they must have chosen that fish in part because they are so curious and never swim away when you get near them.

That night we had some drinks at the bar and took our first Thai lesson from the girl at the bar and it was very helpful as we made a cheat sheet and referenced it the rest of the way through the country. Pretty much, Sawasdee Ka(f)/kop(m)(pron. saw wah dee ka/kop) is hello, krup kune ka/kop (cop kune ka/kop)is thank you and mai pet is not spicy...that's 95% of what we needed to know. Michelle has been seeking out the word for spicy and not spicy everywhere we've been and we think it's saved her a lot of pain.

Our last full day on Phi Phi we hiked across the island to exchange some money for our bill. The hike was straight uphill for 45 minutes, and by the time we made it to the top we were treated with some views that were second to none.





Exchanging money was a breeze and after a bite to eat we were quickly out of the town as it was a bit of a hell hole. This was one of the most hard hit areas during the tsunami and it was rebuilt like a narrow maze with too much going on. Oh well, our place was beautiful and we only hit town once, so no worries. That afternoon I (Evan) went snorkeling and saw some Lion Fish, which were apparently very deadly, but beautful at the same time.

A night of bugs feasting on our legs (inside the mosquito net) was an unfortunate final memory of an otherwise brilliant bungalow at Ao Toh Ko.





We crusied to Phuket the next day, grabbed a bite at Natural Restaurant with cool fish tanks and hopped a plane to Chiang Mai.

All in all this was the beach experience we were after, and what southern Thailand is know for. The climate was perfect, the beach was great, snorkeling right in front, cheap, wonderful food and amazing scenery, what more could you want for $30 a night.

Evan and Michelle