Phi Phi Island
Trip Start
Apr 20, 2003
1
6
24
Trip End
Jun 10, 2003
Phi Phi Island,
Thailand
Tuesday, May 6, 2003
I caught the boat to Phi Phi Island - which is actually two islands - Don and Ley. They were so close to getting it right - it should have been DON and LANE...
Phi Phi Ley is where they shot the film "The Beach". The ferry pulled up just inside so we could get a photo. No Leonardo di Caprio in sight. There is no place to stay on Phi Phi Ley....
These islands are simply stunning. My words wouldn't do them justice so I'm not going to try.
My Bungalow Hut has location location location (its literally 5 metres from the water) but is a "Renovators Delight" with major gaps in walls. Hence I may move as its a little dodgy, likely to let in mozzies, and not secure. I'm right on Ao Dalam Bay, which is magnificent. Its a 400 metres swim out in crystal waters prior to getting to neck depth. Its very peaceful except for the sizzling sound of Swedish backpackers slowly cooking themselves crisp in the hot Sun.
I caught a boat to "Long Beach" (a long beach as the name suggests, not a cigarette factory as the name also suggests) and swam again. I walked around the place after dinner, and caught 'Jackass The Movie' at a restuarant that screens pirated DVDs. I intend to "take a dump in the bathroom section at the hardware store" just like they did, when I return home.
SHARKS, BAMBOO and MAGIC MASSAMUN
I moved bungalows... a nice little spot near the beach on the opposite Bay (Son Aai Bay). Cheaper and with no holes in the walls. Its right next to the Mosque... hmmm.
A 7-Eleven is the only sign of western life here, along with 2 ATMS. And thats a good thing. There are no motorbikes and no streets. Its mostly sandy paths around the place.
I went on a snorkelling trip with 2 Canucks, 2 Swiss, 2 Great Danes (well they were from Denmark ands that's probably great for them), and an Italian girl who literally said not one word for the entire day. The rest of the people were nice, except for the language barriers with the Swiss and Danes.
The snorkelling involved a few stops around Phi Phi Ley (alas no stop at 'The Beach' beach because it was too rough) which were rather nice. Plenty of fishies and underwater life to be seen in clear waters.
The next snorkelling stop was called "Shark Point".... White pointers, Grey Nurses, Hammerheads... they were all on my mind as I jumped in. The only sharks in the area are Black Fin Reefs, which are complete harmless... and all not there on this particular day anyway.
Another stop at another immaculate little island called "Bamboo Island", with a deserted beach and good snorkelling, and then a final stop and a reef that had the best snorkelling all day in terms of fish numbers and clarity.
Blue skies, blue seas. I'm a little sunburnt again but it was fun. I'm buggered so after Chicken Massamun (do yourselves a favour and get aboard the Massamun gravy train I say) its off to bed early.
EARLY MORNING PRAYER CALL, KNEE DAMAGE and SMILE, YOU HAVE CANNED THE CAMERA
Bloody Mosque! 5am call to prayers. Turn to Mecca and bow..... they do it via loudspeaker so its a little shock to the system 10 metres away from your bungalow at that hour.
Had a traditional Sunday Bacon n Eggs breaky, and lay in the shade on the beach listening to music. Niiiice.
I decided to go walking and take photos (start tragedy music now). I walked around the beack to a rocky (former Lion Des) headland, and walked over the rocks to the next beach. Did that to the next beach, and the next, happily taking photos (increase pace of music, add in violin).
By the fourth rocky headland I saw a large collection of crabs which I wanted to get a photo of. So I moved my right foot to a nearby rock. Unfortunately it was completely slimey (music building to crescendo) and the right foot went, followed by the left. The camera bag went flying, and so did 'the big camera' (the Canon SLR) with the spanking new lens as it flew out of the bag, smashed onto the rocks and then into the water. "The little camera" (the auto Samsung) got splashed but was ok. Alas the big camera is officially stuffed - full of water, bits broken, LCD screen foggy, lens buggered, filter smashed.
I had to laugh - also split my pants, lost my $9 sunnies (which I'd recently found out had the word 'Tulip' written on them so I think they were girlie ones anyway) and have wrenched my knee. Hopefully its just a knock, but I do fear I've strained a ligament. Walking straight is fine but changing direction ain't....
I limped back to my bungalow to assess the damage and clean up, and went up the street to ring Dan (have I mentioned that "the big camera" is hers - or should I say was...) and ring the insurance people. Thankfully if it can't be fixed (yeah right!) then I'm covered for a new one, less the excess.
Oh well shit happens - so what does this intrepid little explorer decide to do.... go night snorkelling!
Alas that tour was fully booked, so with nothing more to lose I hired a longboat to go sunset snorkelling. I picked 'Dodgy Bob' the longboat bloke (they call it long boat, cos its a long time since the thing was truly sea-worthy) and headed out around Phi Phi Don. As it turned out he wasn't so dodgy, as we went to two great spots (better than the day before). Hundreds of 3-4 inch fish with tiger stripes are attracted to the boat (perhaps its the algae on the bottom of it) so its quite an amazing sight. Many parrot fish, electric blue corals, big spiny anemones... Its a little spooky being out there on your own, except for the driver....
In the end the sun started to go down and the fish started to bite.
Seriously, those little tiger fish started to confuse me with the boat and snarted to nibble rather personally, so I jumped back in and we headed back.
Off to Krabi tomorrow, so its a good nights sleep to be had, along with 2 panadols for the knee, which is starting to ache. Doh.
