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October 1st-October 6th.
After a really bad crossing on the smelliest dingiest boat imaginable, which handled like an OAP driving a rover, we made it to Phi Phi Island. Phi Phi or PP as it'll be known, is a lovely small island where everything can be reached by walking no more than 10 minutes (apart from the viewpoint).
We set about getting ourselves the worst room we've stopped in so far. Cold shower, a fan, a light bulb, no plug sockets and no window!! Rooms are pricey on PP, although there expense is offset by cheap food and even cheaper drinks. We lounged around on the beach before heading out for dinner and drinks. The town has two main places to drink; 5 bars on the beach or a small cluster of around 4 pubs in the centre. We stuck to the pubs, Jordan's Irish bar in particular. This is where we lost a dear comrade of our travels. We hit the cheap price drinks, mainly buckets, hard and were really enjoying our night shooting pool and chatting to couples- again mainly Israelis. By the time we were ready to leave we felt a lot lighter, mainly a camera. Sadly it had lot of photos and videos we hadn't managed to back up. One video in particular had Declan running head on into a wave in Phuket and not coming out happy. We left the bar utterly disgruntled. The following day we checked the pubs video recordings but that didn't aid our loss- we sucked it up and went and bought the exact same camera!!
That night, not wanting to be miserable we opted for the beach. We watched a fire show and kept our drinking quite tame. The following day we again chilled on the beach. That night we went back to the pubs and watched a Thai Boxing match in the purpose built arena with ringside seats. The boxing ring hosts two different types of fighter. Professionals and drunken lads challenging their friends. The professional fighters were brutal, well trained and efficient; however the losing opponent was not happy with the decision and through his toys out the pram. It was the other fighters though that we had come to see. The bar gives anyone who fights a free bucket and actively encourages friends to challenge each other. During one such fight two friends, over the course of three rounds despised each other. After the fight we watched them hug and be cheered/consoled by their friends and then sit at opposite ends of the table, with no eye contact or conversation.
After the third night somewhere we would usually be looking to move on, however a combination of good timing and opportunity arose for us to meet some friends from home. Kieran "Welsh" and Breena arrived on PP after taking the earliest ferry they could from Phuket. Swanning down the pier like Joey Essex, Kieran had the healthy red glow of a man who had clearly not used the right SPF. It also turned out that Breena had really burnt her foot and found it hard to walk. After they had set up camp in a room that made our dive look like heaven, we made the long trek up the hills to reach the viewpoint. On the way up the world's steepest staircase we encountered a troop of wild monkeys that we were told would steal our sunglasses!!! We reached both viewpoints and enjoyed the picturesque views while taking a well earned break (see photos). We all made our way back down and enjoyed a few beers along the way.
PP is famous for many things, 'The Beach', the Tsunami and the Burger Challenge. The Burger challenge is a platter made for the manliest of men. A triple decker 800g burger with salad, a mountain of onion rings, a tub of coleslaw and French fries. It turned out however the French fries were roast potatoes. Since walking past the sign earlier in the day and pointing it out to Kieran, Declan had finally persuaded him to give it a go. Kieran declared he would not only finish the platter, but he would also eat Mel's leftovers. The rules are simple, empty the plate in 30minutes or less. One man had done it in 9 minutes, and there was even a photo of a skinny girl with a wide grin and an empty plate. The lady came over with a stopwatch, the platter and a large bell. Ding-Ding off he went. The room watched as Taffy devoured the burger and coleslaw while taking on some onion rings and water. The time however was always on his mind. Burger had gone, onion rings falling one by one. The roasters though would always be a hurdle. Ten minutes left and at least ten roasters lying there, as dry as a camels arse in a sandstorm. Declan was starting to get worried, he would have to try it if Kieran succeeded. We watched on for ten long minutes as Kieran chewed and chewed the dry roasters. Ding Ding...........time up!!!...................................He failed!!! He made a valiant effort and the crowd showed their appreciation as man had challenged food. Food on this occasion won (must see photos).
We headed down to the beach to watch a fire show. We got some buckets and a strawberry flavoured shisha. Mel and Declan had obviously had one too many and decided to join in the flaming skipping rope and the 'Ring of fire' (see videos). The video doesn't do Mel justice as she skipped for twice as long as Declan and she didn't exit screaming like a little girl. We both however did end up in the sea after our jumps through the 'Ring of Fire'.
The following day we went on a boat trip around the islands of PP. The tour included kayaking, monkeys and a visit to the famous 'The Beach' beach (Maya bay). Maya bay is really secluded and protected. Only a handful of small boats are allowed in the bay. Our boat was too large and we had to enter the bay through the back door. The back door was some treacherous wooden stairs packed with people surrounded by razor sharp rocks and a vicious under current. With Breena's burnt feet and Mel's 'bambi balance' it would be an arduous task. We made it though and had some humorous photos.
After the boat trip we went for dinner, Mel and Breena retired for the evening to air conditioned paradise. Even before they had left the restaurant the boys had "chinged" glasses and set about a mission. Kieran had decided he would make tonight the messiest of Declan's career and set about drinking at a place George Best would be stunned by. Many buckets later two clowns stumbled home and had to be put to bed.
The next morning we said our goodbyes, to friends and PP. Both parties carried one member absolutely hanging.
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