After returning to Krabi and seeing Eva for the first time since September, Carsten and I headed in separate directions. I was off to Phi Phi and the other two made their way to Ko Pha-Ngan to a place called The Sanctuary where people can undertake fasting programs and meditation etc.
All of the hype around Phi Phi had not prepared me for the stark realities of the place. To quote the Lonely Planet "...if there was to be a contest for one of the planet's most jaw-dropping beauties, Ko Phi Phi would be a frontrunner...Ko Phi Phi is so beautiful it will evoke tears. Shed a few more when you realise you have to share it with every Speedo on the planet."
Ok so the Speedo comment should have been a warning, but with a paragraph like that, one tends to focus on the highlights, so I went.
First impressions were good. Phi Phi is beautiful, but no more so than any island in Fiji. Yes, if I had never been to Fiji then no doubt I would have been suitably impressed but one of the disadvantages of travelling is that the more places you go and the more things you see, the less you appreciate the new sights you encounter. I was duly excited anyway, and stepped onto the pier to make my way to where Eva had informed me the cheap bungalows were.
The town is lovely. The only method of transport for getting around is a bicycle or your legs, which contributes to a very chilled-out and exclusive atmosphere. The streets are lined with restaurants (with a huge emphasis on Italian cuisine for some reason) and shops selling their wares, all dotted with the occasional bar. Very aesthetic.
I continued to walk through the centre and then into the 'suburbs' where a guy told me he had some bamboo huts for 400 baht. "Yeah I'll have a look" I said, and so he led me to this nice little hut complete with a balcony, 2 deck chairs, a double bed, fan, toilet and shower. I'm kicking myself for not taking any photos of it but suffice to say that it was pretty cool - like one of those dens you used to make in your room with quilts and sheets, but with bamboo instead. Obviously.
So I settled in, went for a walk along the beach, got some food and met up with Kia and Nadia - two Danish girls we met in Hat Ton Sai. We went to the Apache bar, watched a fire show and then danced stupidly to cheesy music. The next day I saw Marion (the French girl from KL) walking past while I was having some dinner so I met up with her and her friends - Nicholas and Marcus - that night, watched some kickboxing and indulged in more silliness.
The following day we all met up again along with Marcus' friends - Tanya and Dave - and chartered a longboat to take us to the island that was the set for 'The Beach'. We spent the day lounging on the boat, diving into crystal clear, bath-warm water and snorkelling among the coral and multi-coloured fish.
"So what's so bad about that" I hear you ask. Well that was all good fun admittedly, but the observant among you may have guessed from the title that this place is full of English people. And not the cool, open-minded backpacker type I might add, but the type that go to Ibiza to swear loudly, complain about everything, and generally act like complete wankers. Much of the behaviour you can expect on a night out in England (people falling down drunk, puking everywhere, shouting at each other, pop idols with their preened hair etc) is present here. I don't mind this when I'm at home, I tolerate it, I mock their caveman ways and I laugh at the pretty-boy metrosexuals with their plucked eyebrows and their perfect hair that they spent 52 minutes 'finishing' before they came out. But I'm on my last two weeks away from home and the last thing I want to do is tolerate anything, so I left for Ko Pha-Ngan.
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