Koh Phi Phi - 12th - 16th July

Wow....what can we say about Koh Phi Phi....its our favourite place in Thailand and we really really didn't want to leave. Just as we were getting a little beached out (yes it is possible!) we came here and fell in love!! We ended up staying a day longer than we should but it was worth it. We would've stayed longer but we have got a lot to do in Malaysia so Si had to drag me kicking and screaming from place beautiful island.

Ko Phi Phi is about 40km offshore from Krabi and consists of two limestone islands of Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Leh.

Phi Phi Don, the larger island has all the tourist infrastructure, including resorts, bars etc. Koh Phi Phi Leh is completely undeveloped and hemmed in by towering limestone cliffs/ This place is apparently packed during high season, thank god we went in low season as it was still busy but just nice and ll acomodation is cheaper aswell...which is always a bonus! Its easy to see why its so popular even during low season with cliffs plungign into placid green waters, snorkelling, swimming, white sandy beaches and dense trpical forests.

Unfortunately Phi Phi was badly hit during the Tsunami in Dec 2004 as it has twin bays of Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam and was hit from both sides and obliterating nearly everything that stood there...more about that later...

We got the a minvan to the port in Phuket and then a boat to Phi Phi Don on the morning of 12th and arrived at lunch time. Eventually found a place to saty in the sweltering heat (i thought it was meant to be monsoon time in southern thailand?) and qucikly headed down to the beach. It was amzing, all crystal clear blue waters, but if you swim out and look back you can see where the tsunami has done alot of damage. Even ealking along the beach there is still debris and fallen building. Ther are big gaps where palm trees used to be and there is still alot of rebuilding going on. Phi Phi was hit the worst durign the Tsunami and has a Memorial Garden along the beach which we visited.

Anyway that first day we just relaxed and took in the beautiful scenery. Its very windy here so you can get a good tan without suffering... sorry i know its still raining back home :) that night we were only meant to be having a quiet one....hmmm....that didnt happen. Koh Phi Phi is a party island and there was alot it going on, plus i think ive started a craze with my hair, everyone has yellow hair too, loads of travellers have done the same as me...(no wonder i didnt want to leave!)

So we started off in Carlitos bar which is a bar on the beach and they have a fireshow every night at 10pm which everyone seems to go to before heading on out. That night we bought drinks at the bar but soon clicked on that you buy your own buckets from the shops, of various sizes (see photos) with which ever mixture you want for about 1.50 pounds and then sit at the side of the bar to watch the show...alot cheaper!! As i say we were meant to be having a quiet night and therefore was not dressed for the occasion (people get very dressed up here, which i'm not used too anymore!) and ended up in the apache club which had 2 for 1 on the buckets...ohh very dangerous! We had a fab night but suffered the next day...samsong, thai whiskey gives you a nasty headache! We spent that night laughing until we were nearly crying at a man that had his shirt off and danced as if he was on a treadmill, then there was another man who though he was gorgoues in white linen pants and white sunglasses, again no shirt and danced like john travolta, again i do have it on video along with us in tears at them! One day i will find a computer that downloads videos quickly and will put them all on here.

So the next day was spent with a hangover and we mainly walked around Phi Phi town shopping and having coffees in all the little cafes, we had dinner in a bar that had a photo taken from the view point of phi phi the day the tsunami hit, it was awful.

The next day...you guessed it i spent on the beach topping the tan up and getting ready for the Blackmoon Party! Si went and did two dives in various locations around the two islands and seen a leopard shark amongst other things. He said it was amazing and was the best diving he had done so far on our trip. We really need to get an underwater camera. That night we went and bought our own DIY buckets, sat on the beach watched the fireshow at Carlitos and then moved onto the Hippie Bar for the Blackmoon Party! They had a brilliant fireshow on with loads on people doing mad stuff and then we partied on till all hours. It was fantastic but again hungover the next day!!

The moring after the nigth before we dragged ourselves to this english cafe named after Little Britain and had a proper bacon and sausage butty with HP sauce and......a cup of PG Tips! This may seem very strange to you but i haven't had a cup of PG for months!! We didn't much again that day except chill on the beachand ring home.

16th July - We went on a boat trip aroung Phi Phi Leh and Don and various other little islands. There was alot of people being sea sick despite the good weather it was abit choppy. We were ok though, some poor lad was lying down and we watched him go greener and greener and then he didnt sit up quick enough and was sick all over himself...not pretty! Si was trying his best not to laugh... anyway we visited Maya Beach which is the Beach i the film the Beach starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Viking Cave, Shark Point, Loh Samala, Bamboo Island (they seem to have a bamboo island everywhere dont they?) and Phi Phi Ley Bay.

We only went past the viking Cave as we weren't allowed with the rough sea to go in. The cave is a collection point for swiftlet nests who build their nests high up in the caves between rcky hollows that are very difficult to reach. Agile collectors build vine and bamboo scaffoldingto get at the nests but are occasionally injured or killed in falls. Before ascending the scaffolds, the collectors pray and make ffering sof tobacco, incens eand liquor to the cavern spirits.

All places were absolutley stunning and we were able to get off the boat and go snorkelling amongst the fish, they get so clsoe to you, especially when people from the boat throw bread over at you and the fish all swim at you. Si thought that was hilarious when it happened to me as i screamed! Again i wish we had a underwater camera as some of the fish where something out of finding nemo!

You can do cliff diving here too, but never got the nerve or the energy up to do that! The next day Si dragged me as i say to the boat to go to Krabi. We are in Krabi at the mo but leave tomorrow for Malaysia so will update Krabi from there.

Love and miss you all. Congratualtions to Ava and Michael on the birth of Baby Grace, looking forward to seeing photos soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx