Today was meant to be a day for us to relax and unwind. In the usual way of us we changed our minds last thing before we went to bed last night and decided that what we really needed now was a full blown day trip to 3 of the islands off the coast of Krabi. We went down to breakfast unspeakably early and had a pleasant chat with a couple who were doing the same trip as us only backwards and only taking 3 months to do it not 11. They were missing India out as they had already been (and also hated it, even Goa) and they didn’t want to go to China. They were nice enough but they also seemed to be the holiday maker type not really into culture or experience like us.
A 4x4 pulled up and we jumped in and headed for the coast. The bay was beautiful with white sandy beach and loads of the traditional narrow boats along the shoreline. The boats were a traditional shape but with the rather noisy propeller attachment that looked somewhat like an over sized hand held mixer on the back. Our boat was a speed boat, not in any way traditional but fast and quite comfortable. I was apprehensive as I tend to get sea sick but the boat didn’t rock more cut through the waves and I was fine. The first stop was the open sea snorkelling. The spot was quite sheltered and the sea was calm. 2 other boats were already there as we arrived. I had never done any snorkelling before but Nicole gave me a few tips. My mask didn’t fit my face properly so the first thing I got was a face full of water. That problem sorted I tried again went to deep and was met with a mouth full of sea water (this was quite a theme of my snorkelling). The view under the water was incredible. The sea bed could not be seen for coral. The shapes and colours were too varied and spectacular to describe. The fish swam about you in huge schools of bright colours and slipped past your hands and through your fingers. Deeper in the water larger fish swam by themselves and the little schools parted as they went past. Parrot fish chewed on the coral, breaking pieces off to eat. I can only say that if you get a chance to go snorkelling over coral just pay the money and do it as it is definitely something special.
Back on the boat we headed for Phi Phi Island. The island is one of 9 that make up a national park and are not allowed to have construction or inhabitants, in fact apart from a sign and a litter bin there was only people, boats and the scenery. We headed straight for the most famous area of the island. It was the set for the film the Beach. It is a small cove of beautiful clear blue water, protected by huge cliffs covered in rich green vegetation and a white sandy beach from a postcard. There was lots of boats and a roped off area of water to swim in and take photos. Most people took photos of themselves in the water with a backdrop of the bay, so when in Rome.
The next thing we did was snorkelling in the bay itself. The sea was calmer here and I had adjusted my mask to fit and remembered, for the most part, not to go too deep. The clear water lapped about us as I towed Nicole away from the crowds of people. Here we spent about 2 hour’s snorkelling. The sun was hot and the sea was warm and the view down into the water was even clearer than before. We saw an angel fish like the one in Finding Nemo and also several ‘Dory’s’.
Lunch was next but for that we went to the bigger island where construction is allowed called Phi Phi Don. On route we popped in and out of several small coves and passed some caves where people lived. Lunch was a buffet of western Chinese and local foods. We had told the organisers we were vegetarian (they understand the concept here) and they made us some special food that was waitered to our table. We made friends with an American couple over the meal and after that we went to have a shower in a bush. It seems strange but for some reason they decided to hide the showers inside of a bush. It was nice to get rid of all the salt and the sand out of our hair and off our skin. The water was cold but in the hot sun it was nice.
Bamboo Island was the last place we visited. This island was much less crowded and there was free time to do as we pleased. We decided that 3 hours of snorkelling was enough so we just sat on the sand took photos of the view and appreciated the finer things in life.
When we arrived back at the resort to go and relax in our bungalow we found that they had sorted the bus to Hat Yai (the train station) but we had to be ay the bus station before 7, that meant picked up at 6am and up at least at 5.30am. Luckily although we felt very tired we had enough energy to pack up before bed.