The Phi Phi Islands has become a magnet for young travelers from all over the world, enjoying the great natural beauty of the islands, the beach party style nightlife (and no sleaze like in Phuket or Pattaya, travelers are really mainly with themselves), the endless variety of available activities: from kayaking to snorkeling to diving. But let one of these travelers, Karina Brown, talk for herself...Approaching Koh Phi Phi on the ferry from Koh Lanta was a really awesome sight. It's quite different to the other islands we have seen as it had big rock faces surrounding the bay with beaches in between...
We were stuck on the ferry waiting for it to reach the pier for a long time but by now we were kind of getting used to the Thai transport system where there is simply no time so someone in a hurry. Luckily we weren't and once we reached dry land we found a travel agent who booked us a bungalow for 3 people. There was no transport on Koh Phi Phi which was kind of weird so we had to walk to our hotel while a young boy trollied our big rucksacks ahead of us. The roads and alleys are like a maze and we weren't sure if we'd ever find our way back but you kind of get a feeling for where you are eventually!
Our bungalow was perched on the side of a hill so we had a sweaty climb with our rucksacks up to it but once we were there it was worth it. The wooden bungalow was clean with had a hammock outside and it was near the swimming pool and bar. Even though the pool was a weird green colour we went for a swim to cool down after our hike! That afternoon was spent looking around the shops and going on the internet to catch up with people back home. In the evening we went to a James Bond themed bar to watch the film "The Beach" which Ruth and Georgie had seen but I hadn't. I was really pleased I got to see it as the next day we actually went to THE beach in the film!!
The famous Phi Phi ViewpointThe next day was much more exciting. We got up at 8.30am for a full day cruise on a boat to explore the islands surrounding Koh Phi Phi. There were two boats: one full of beer drinking Scandinavians (there are an insane number of Swedish people in Thailand, its unbelievable!) and our boat which was slightly more relaxed! The first stop was Maya Beach which I mentioned before is the actual paradise beach from the film, it was so exciting to be there! And yes, it is just as beautiful as it is in the movie :-P We kayaked from the boat to the shore where we did some snorkelling but didn't see very much as it was mainly dead coral. We then passed the Viking caves but we couldn't go inside due to nesting birds. Next stop was Monkey Island where we sadly didn't see any monkeys but we saw loads of tropical fish when we went snorkelling which was great. We even saw a Nemo fish but it was a tiny one! Then we had lunch on the boat followed by a stop at Bamboo island for more swimming and snorkelling. The last stop was a place where there are supposedly sharks but no one saw any in the end which was a bit of a shame! Not sure I'd want to see a shark anyway though...
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