Day 21 - Ko Phi Phi Don

Trip Start Nov 29, 2007
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18
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Trip End Mar 27, 2008


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Flag of Thailand  ,
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

We got up at 10am and set off with our backpacks to walk to our new home. We were really looking forward to the prospect of being settled somewhere for a while and actually unpacking our stuff. They were waiting outside our bungalow when we arrived and took our packs from us and put them in our room for us. We were both sweating, it is a lot hotter here than previous islands we have been to. We are quite a bit further south, I don't know if that makes a difference. They explained to us before we booked that there is no electricity between midday and 6pm so we had twenty minutes to have our first hot shower in days which was lovely.
The locals live in the bungalows opposite us and Dean had discovered that he'd bought a t-shirt that was too tight for him. The sizes here are all so small because the Thai's are small and skinny, even the blokes. This is great for me but not so good for Dean. He decided to give it to one of the young Thai lads living in the bungalow opposite and he seemed chuffed to bits with it. Later, we were sat on our porch and the lad's mum (I assume it's his mum) came over with a bowl of some kind of soup for us to thank us for the T-shirt. Flashbacks to the Lonely Planet told us that if the locals offer you their food as a gift, it is impolite not to accept, so we knew we had to eat it. It was a bit strange looking with round balls of something that looks like pearl barley but isn't. We hoped to god it would taste nice and it did. It was a bit like lukewarm sugar puffs, very sweet but not bad. We left a tiny amount in the bottom of the bowl as we were worried that she may try to give us more if we cleaned the plate. This was their family meal and we felt honoured that she had shared some with us. These people have nothing but they will give you whatever they have if you do them a good turn, it is very humbling.
We went off to do some sunbathing on the beach and have a swim, the water here is very shallow but not as clean on our side of the beach because of all the boats. At the other side the water is very clean and clear, there are fish swimming about and the beach is nicer. The sand here is fine and soft, it's lovely - like walking on talculm powder. The sand was much more course on previous beaches. This is the first time in my life I've ever seen such fine sand.
They have hung fairy lights on all the trees, it looks so nice and all the restaurants have Christmas decorations. There are a lot of Japanese people here with their big camera's taking pictures of everything that moves and everything that doesn't.
Away from the construction sites and the slums, the island is very beautiful with gorgeous beaches. There are a lot of advertisements for trips to go on. The nightlife is pretty good too, loads of bars and restaurants and things to see and do. I think we will be happy here.
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