You Down with Koh Phi Phi? (Yeah- you know me!!)

You Down With Ko Phi Phi!? (Yeah- you know me!)

After a relaxing few days in Krabi, Pete, Jen, and I caught the morning ferry to Ko Phi Phi. Ko Phi Phi is a set of two islands, Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Leh, that are 1.5 hours southwest of the mainland by boat. Ko Phi Phi Leh is where the movie “The Beach” was filmed, and one of the few places down here that hasn’t been ruined by tourism. It is a National Park, so there has been very little development and tourists are only allowed to stay overnight there if they camp.

Coming in on the boat, we were surrounded by truly dramatic views. Large limestone rocks jut out into the ocean. The water is clear and green-blue. You can see huge pink jellyfish floating in the water. We found a great place to stay online, called the Arayaburi. As we pulled into the pier looking for our hotel sign to take a taxi boat to our bungalow, it was a little intimidating. Backpackers everywhere, Thai locals shouting to get our attention, and travel agencies set up as far as we could see. We finally found our taxi boat, and were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at our room. Our balcony overlooks a private beach, and the pool is directly behind us, there are no bars or backpackers, and we are surrounded only by the sounds of nature: waves crashing, birds singing, and wind blowing through the trees. Again, we are in paradise.

The first night, we walked to the other side of the island for dinner. We ate at an Italian restaurant that serves fresh caught seafood. Jen had the fish cooked in salt, I had spaghetti with clams, and Pete had margerhita pizza. We then shot some pool and listened to a few songs from a terrible cover band. So bad, yet confident enough to cover both James Brown and Michael Jackson! On the walk home, we came across some people lighting huge lanterns and letting them float up into the sky. They said it was for a birthday celebration, and that we could do one. So, someone lit the fire, and then Pete and I worked in tandem to set the base on the ground and let the lantern heat up. After about five minutes, the top seemed hot enough to give it a try. We waited for a good breeze, and then released. It was so exciting, romantic, and beautiful to see our lantern float away above the ocean.

Day 2

Since I had never seen “The Beach”, we bought a bootleg copy on the island. Ko Phi Phi Leh is a short boat ride away and from our room, looks like Fat Albert lying on his back. In the movie, I gasped when I saw how gorgeous and untouched it was. I couldn’t believe that such natural perfection was just outside my window. We decided to take a boat tour there the next day for some exploring and snorkeling.

We found a longboat tour guide named “Monkey”. We are a group of five, as Jen has two colleagues traveling here as well. Our boat was small, wooden, and the small propeller on the back expelled tons of black smoke as Monkey tried to start it up. Our first stop was Monkey Beach, on Ko Phi Phi Don. It is a little tiny area of beach where monkeys live. He stopped momentarily, but we wanted the real thing. We told him to go on to Ko Phi Phi Leh. It was a little rainy and there were some winds, and he warned us we may experience some waves while going over there. We decided it was worth it, and gave him the go ahead.

Well, waves we got. As soon as we cleared the southern tip of Ko Phi-Phi Don, we could see the waves coming in from the ocean. Our little boat was going up one side of the wave, and dropping down the other. It had started to rain, and it felt like we were on a real adventure. Since Pete and I had taken our motion sickness meds, we were feeling great and hooting and hollering with each up and down of the boat. Our next stop was a bay that we anchored at and got out to snorkel. It was shallow waters, and there were tons of fish. My favorite sightings were big rainbow fish, swimming through a large school of tiny white fish, and observing a fat orange fish eat off a rock.

Our next stop was Ma Ya Bay. Up to this point, the only sand or beach on Ko Phi-Phi Leh were very small. Ma Ya Bay is on the other side of the island, and the opening is hidden between two large rocks. Because of the waves, we decided not to enter by boat, but rather climb a few hills through the inland and reach it by foot. Nature makes you work to appreciate her beauty, because the walk there was treacherous and painful. First, you climb steep, slippery stairs (manmade) to a point, and the climb down steep, slippery stairs on the other side. The landing of these stairs are huge, pointy rocks that you need to navigate over. As Pete observed, watching people walk barefoot across those rocks is like watching some one walk the tightrope. Every step is carefully planned, and arms are out to your sides to prevent falling. Finally, we walked through some jungle to arrive at “The Beach”. It is as stunning and unexpected as you have heard. Truly makes you stand in awe at the beauty of nature. Pete and I raced to the water and played around. It was one of the most romantic days of our honeymoon yet.