Speeding Around The Phi Phi Islands !
Trip Start
Sep 04, 2007
1
114
123
Trip End
Sep 01, 2008
Phuket,
Thailand
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
This morning, we woke up early to catch a van by Phuket Siam Seacanoe Tours for our transport to Chalong Pier on the Southeast corner of Phuket Island and our day tour of the Phi Phi Islands. The van was full as it traveled south passing along the beaches of Karon and Kata before heading east to Chalong. It was a good opportunity to see these beaches which appeared as beautiful as Patong itself. The forecast for today was hot and humid temperatures with mostly sunny skies! Ideal conditions for touring the Andaman Sea!
Upon arriving at Chalong, we quickly met our tour boat's organizer who handed everyone number tags. These tags are used to identify the boat as well as the van transport back to our hotel. This was important as there were hundreds of other tourists and many boats at Chalong. Chalong is only one of many other departure ports from Phuket that travel daily to the Phi Phi Islands.
Looking at the boats anchored in Chalong Bay, we could sense that many were built for speed. Our boat didn't disappoint as we departed shortly after 9am, the captain hit all three 225 hp engines and left a wake behind that would satisfy a moderate level surfer. Our first destination, Maya Bay on Phi Phi Ley Island. Maya Bay was made famous as the location of the film "The Beach" which starred Leonardo Dicaprio.
Maya Bay attracted many tour boats and hundreds of tourists. As we entered the bay, we were impressed with the clear blue water and the plush cliffs rising strait up from the sea. A brief stop here allowed us to depart our boat and walk along the beach, take photo's and absorb this area.
The stay at Maya Bay was too short. This beautiful area warrants at least a full day of swimming and relaxing on the beach. From here, the tour continued around Phi Phi Ley to Loh Sama Bay and Viking Bay for some sightseeing and photo's. Again, we were struck by the sheer cliffs rising up from the sea and the clear blue-green waters.
As the tide was high, our visit to Monkey Beach didn't allow us to get off the boat however, our arrival didn't deter the monkeys from coming down to the boat. These monkeys are obviously conditioned to recognize boats mean food. And people from the boat didn't disappoint the monkeys as more than enough tourists offered food for a good photo!
Before arriving at Phi Phi Don Island for lunch, our boat anchored for about 30 minutes to allow some snorkeling. The bread we purchased at Chalong Bay was used here to feed the fish. With Rick in the water snorkeling, Elsie strategically threw slices of bread nearby, which prompted schools of small tropical tiger fish to swarm around Rick in a feeding frenzy. Fortunately, we weren't in the Amazon and these fish weren't pirhanas.
A very good lunch was served to us at a restaurant on Phi Phi Don Island. We found lunch was very well organized as our number tags also specified our assigned tables. There was plenty of food for all and it was quite tasty too! The ninety minute stop here also allowed us to browse around the shopping area and visit the opposing beach on Phi Phi Don. Again, the vibrant colours of the bay was beautiful!
From Phi Phi Don Island, our speed boat went full throttle to our final destination, Khai Nok Island, near our departure point of Chalong Bay. A ninety minute stop here allowed us to spend some time on the beach under the hot sun of the Andaman Sea, do some swimming and snorkeling and relax with a couple of beach chairs under an umbrella.
Returning to Chalong Bay at the end of the day, those number tags came in handy again as they helped us locate our van and transport back to our hotel. The tour of Phi Phi Islands completely met our expectations and worth every penny we paid. A great job by our tour guides of Phuket Siam Seacanoe Tour added to our pleasant day on the Andaman Sea!
Sawasdee Krub! Rick & Elsie!.
Boats Built For Speed !
