Sheer fun: Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Our second beach destination in Thailand was Koh Phi Phi Don, the biggest island of the Phi Phi Archipelago in the Andaman Sea. We left Railay in Krabi very early and arrived around 11AM together with hundreds of other tourists that were going to visit the island only for a couple of hours and then would go back, either to Phuket or Krabi. To access the island there’s a payment of 20Baht.

We did not have any hotel reservation, so we walked around to explore the main village of Ton Sai while asking around for room prices. We ended up in Tara Inn in one of the main streets with the biggest concentration of people. When we say street, it’s important to understand that Phi Phi has no roads. You can see maybe half a dozen of motorcycles. People transport food and other stuff pushing two wheel cars making sounds like cars horns for crowds to get out of the way (bip bip:)

The first thing we did after leaving our luggage was to jump in the water to cool down. We stayed for about an hour until we decided to exploring the island. First we went to the viewpoint from where you have a good general perspective of the island. It’s hundreds of stairs up the hill and it was very hot, but eventually we got there. 30 Baht must be payed to access the highest part and there is nice little coffee at the very top.

Back to the village center, dozens of bars, if not hundreds were getting ready for the party happening night after night. They all sell buckets with alcohol and some even have beer pong tables. I think their goal is really for people to drink until they drop…

There are thousand of people, mainly youngsters, that drink and partly shamelessly. After finding a nice quiet place to eat, we stayed for a while absorbing everything around us.

Very early the next day we started exploring the east side of the island. From Ton Sai Bay through some improvised rugged path in the middle of the jungle we went to Long Beach. On the way, we had a cooling break in two tiny beaches, almost empty. A little paradise. In one of these beaches we stopped for lunch and to write a bit. At this point, after almost two weeks in Thailand, the food is already familiar and tastes better everytime. We continued our journey through the jungle to a beach we knew was on the other side of the hill. Finally there it was: Loh Moo Dee beach. Nearly empty with only other 5 people there. We couldn’t be more relaxed. Magda went to rent a couple of snorkeling masks and there we went. We were almost alone.

We got back to Ton Sai to look for another room. We were in the bar area and it was noisy at night. We booked Kaya guest house for the two following nights. I think that half of the stores in Ton Sai sell tickets for lots of tours. We chose one that would take us for a full day to various places around the island. This would include breakfast and lunch for a price that didn’t seem exaggerated: 450 baht per person.

The following morning we got into the long tail boat (a kind of boat very common in Thailand) with a group of 28 people. It couldn’t be more touristy, but for the price we didn’t even blink. The first stop was in shark’s point to snorkel. I have no problem admitting, I don’t like sharks. I mean I like them, but within considerable distance… But there I was and I knew the odds of encountering one were minimal, so I did not hesitate and jumped right in. The sea was clean and transparent. The boat had anchored nearby a group of rocks and the depth was no bigger than 3 meters.

It was like being in an aquarium: the amount of different fish of different colors swimming around was ridiculous. Only 7 or 8 people from the boat jumped to the water, so it wasn’t that crowded. Whenever someone threw a piece of bread in the water, all the fish got together and fight for their piece, not minding people around at all. We were there only for half an hour, but it was amazing. In the end, no shark came to say hello..

We then passed by the Viking’s cave which entrance is now prohibited, but stayed watching for a good moment. Viking’s cave has a series of prehistoric drawings that people believe have been done by some sea gypsies that used the cave to shelter from the monsoons. From this place comes the most famous ingredient for the chinese delicacy bird’s nest soup. Thousands of birds built their nest with their own saliva in the holes in the cave. People go and collect some of them to sell to the Chinese. The harvest is made in a sustainable way to keep the practice safe from being over.

From there we went to Bamboo island. We got really disappointed with this island. Not only was it really overcrowded, but also really dirty. Plastic bottles and bags everywhere and the amount of boats was unbearable. We were served our lunch there and two hours later we sailed off to Koh Phi Phi Leh, the second biggest island of the archipelago. This island has basically two big bays. On one side Maya beach, famous for the movie “The Beach” and on the other side a big lagoon surrounded by nothing but greenish cliffs, great for a swim. Unfortunately, again, there were lots of boats and people, but what can one expect?

Finally, we got to Maya beach and explored the little there is to explore. They now have permanent facilities with a toilet and a bar. The beach is indeed very beautiful, but in my opinion, is a bit overrated. It could maybe be one of the best beaches in the world, if it wasn’t so famous and crowded. I still think, however, that visiting it is fundamental.

The last stop before Ton Sai Bay was at Monkey beach. And a big group of them was waiting for us. As soon as the boat “docked” in the sand, they came close and our “captain” gave them a couple of bottled waters, which they quickly opened and drank. As soon as we left the boat, one of the monkeys stole a small bag from one of the ladies from our boat.. Trying to get it back, she wanted to get the monkey’s attention with a sweater she was holding in one hand while trying to get the purse with the other. But the small monkey didn’t give in and started shouting. That alerted a bigger monkey that came to help him. The lady, scared, fell on the beach, but was promptly helped by some friends and eventually got the purse back.

We had a great day. In Ton Sai everybody was getting ready for another night of partying. On the beach there were young Thais playing with fire. There were women in bikinis and alcohol everywhere in the village. I think the population, mainly Muslims, don’t mind anymore or close their eyes to the excesses. They live mostly out of tourism and I think they got used to the way young westerners behave on holidays.

For a long time Koh Phi Phi was on my travel bucket list and I wasn’t disappointed. Extremely beautiful beaches with its always warm water, friendly people, good food and all at reasonable prices. It’s a place I wouldn’t mind spending a couple months. Maybe some day.