Beach Bound

Trip Start Mar 27, 2007

Trip End Jun 10, 2007

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Flag of Thailand Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
Monday, May 28, 2007

After a 3 hour flight and an overnight on Bangkoks' Soi Rambutri, I headed south to Ko Phi Phi. The bus left late and we hurried through a break in the rain to catch it. The sunset next to the palace was red. After the overnight bus, we stopped at an agency and then waited for our next transport. The buses from Bangkok go to one central place in Surat Thani- from which everyone else leaves in their different directions. Most everyone on the bus was headed to Ko Pha Ngan (next to Ko Tao on the opposite coast from where I was headed) for the Full Moon Party. Our next transport was a minivan and we jammed in and I fell asleep again. Krabi, on the opposite coast and south of Surat Thani, was our next stop. Once there, it was again a wait at the travel agency. A truck came along and picked us up, depositing us a ferry station for some unknown reason. Then we took another truck to the other ferry station (the big one) for the boat to Ko Phi Phi.

It was raining when I got there and I stood by and waited until I found the guy who was supposed to be there from the guest house

beaches from above

. He was a Rasta Thai- complete with dreadlocks. Since it was raining, he was completely outfitted in black garbarge bags and sunglasses.

Everyone told me Ko Phi Phi was fantastic and I must admit that the cliffs are nice and the beaches are white sand. However, the atmosphere was blah. Too many clubs and drunkeness for me. I wanted a quiet beach with no bothers. And my guesthouse was 400 Baht and I didn't much care for the view. However, it was right next to the trail to the mountain which I climbed one night for the sunset. To my chagrin, my view of the sunset was a bit annoying since several Nordic chicks decided to intrude on my personal space. I leaned back to rest my hands on the rock I had claimed for viewing, only to discover a foot in the way. My Ipod helped to quelch their rowdy voices.

On the other hand, Ko Phi Phi is still working to recover from the tsunami of a few years ago. The place was litered with construction and debris.