Thailand

January 8th, 2016

The next stop on our tour around Ko Phi Phi was Pileh Lagoon.  As we entered the lagoon, there was a stream of boats going in and out, Mr Mote told us that we would have lunch first as the tide would go out preventing the larger boats from going in.  It was tough finding shade on the beach, but I managed.  As we ate, the stream of boats slowed and by the time we parked in the middle of the lagoon, the number of boats had dropped.  We spent an hour taking in the scenery while other people posed for pictures while jumping off the boat.

Between this tour and the tour we took in Krabi, we saw a lot of beautiful beaches.  I found myself saying over and over again, this is what is meant when someone says tropical paradise.  Continue reading →

Friday January 8, 2016

First stop, Maya bay.  No wonder they filmed “The Beach” there.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  We spent some time on the beach and then we hiked around the island a bit.  As I recall, Leo’s character goes to a part of the Island to discover people growing marijuana.  Except for the beach, most of the Island are limestone mountains.  Where could they grow MJ?  Sad that the studios brought in bulldozers to alter the beach to make it look more like paradise and it all ended with conservationists in law suits with the studios.

It was then off to several spots and snorkeling.  This was the best snorkeling the whole trip. We saw sea turtles and we saw plenty of fish as well as Monkeys.

In our group there were 11 people, 4 non-speaking Asian girls, three Brazilians, a couple from Kansas City as well as myself and Sophon.  In broken English, two of the Asian girls said they could not swim.  I could not help but wonder, why they had taken a snorkeling tour if they could not swim?  As we boarded the boat to leave Maya Bay, one of the girls who could not swim told Mote that she had lost her goggles.  Mote was not happy, as the got of the boat, he told them that this was not a snorkeling stop and the girls insisted they bring the goggles with them.

The three Brazilian guys were very interesting.  Two of them were a couple – ordinary looking guys, one extremely chatty both extremely nice.  The third guy looked like a model and loved taking pictures of himself.  Multiple cameras, selfie stick and constantly asking people to take his picture for him.  He took over a thousand pictures and I am sure there wasn’t a single picture that didn’t have him in it.  He was obsessed with himself.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay

Maya Bay

Maya Bay

Friday, January 8, 2016

As easy as it was to sit around the resort, there was too much around us to ignore.  We wanted to see Maya Bay where they filmed “The Beach” and we wanted to explore what else this area had to offer.   We stopped by the hotel’s activity desk but nothing jumped out at us, plus we knew that if we booked it through the hotel, it would be much more expensive.  I noticed in the small village behind the hotel, there were several local places selling tours.  I approached one of them and Mote, the owner stopped arranging snorkeling gear to talk to us.

Mote was pretty lad back and very friendly. He pointed out a handwritten piece of paper of what they saw that day – Turtles, sharks, starfish, and “a lot of fish”.  Next to it was another piece of paper that listed out the destinations of his tour: Maya Bay (The Beach), Palong Bay (Turtle Bay), Loh Sama, Pileh Lagoon, the viking cave and Monkey Beach.  I felt really good about booking a tour with Mr. Mote but he was sold out the following day (9 passengers max).  We booked for the day after.  We weren’t disappointed.

So today was Mr. Mote Day.  I cannot put all of the pictures on one page so I will divide by each of the stops.  Sophon and I had a great time.  I would go back and book the exact same tour again.

Thursday, January 07, 2016

Time is flying, just a couple of days before we head back to Bangkok and then back home.

Today we took a water taxi to Ton Sai, the main port and town in Ko Phi Phi.  It was interesting to say the least.  It is somewhat hard to describe – small walkways with small open air shops, restaurants, massage parlors, tour desks, and bars.  I have never seen so many tattoo parlors in my life.  I wondered just how many people got ripped and then stumbled into the tattoo parlor to get a tattoo?  Drunk or not, there had a to be a lot of tattooing going on in Ton Sai.

This was not a senior citizen destination.  It had a spring break kind of vibe – plenty of cheap places to eat, drink and sleep.  As I walked around, I found myself wondering what I would have thought of it if I was in my early 20’s.  Would I have thought this was paradise or would have I thought it was on the seedy side?  Honestly, I don’t know what I would have thought but I do know that between my early years and now, my tastes have changed.

It was hot and crowded and the majority of shops and restaurants didn’t have air condition. We stopped at one Ice Cream place, which was air-conditioned only to be told that we could not sit at the tables, she would only allow take out only.  We finally found an air-conditioned place called the Mango Garden that sold Mango desserts and cold drinks.  We paid western prices for what we got, but it was well worth it for the air-conditioning.

Although the town was crowded, the beaches and views were great.  There was a lot of construction going on.  I just hope it doesn’t become too touristy.

We had dinner at the Oasis again and we loved it.

Phi Phi Island

January 06, 2016

Ko Phi Phi is an Island in the Andaman sea.  There are plenty of small Islands in the area famous for the beautiful  beaches.  Off of Ko Phi Phi is another Island where they filmed “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio released in 2000.  While researching where to go and what to do, I noticed that pre 2000, when the film was released, people described Ko Phi Phi as a small sleepy fishing village. Since the movie, tourism has taken off despite being heavily damaged, in the 2004 tsunami.  The main town is filled with clubs, tattoo parlors and shops.

When we arrived at the pier in the main town (Ton Sai), it was clear that the demand for tourism had outgrown the infrastructure, the narrow pier was crowded with people arriving and departing. It was chaos but somehow we found the longtail boat that would take us to our hotel.   We arrived at the Phi Phi Island Village Beach resort about a half hour later during low tide.  I was wondering how we were going to get to the front desk with our luggage when I saw a tractor with a large wagon coming to get us and our luggage.  I have stayed at plenty of hotels, this was a first. Continue reading →