Posted by: Jenn
Our ferry pulled into the Koh Phi Phi Don (pronounced pee not fee) dock and we were ooooo-ing and awww-ing at the crystal clear, turquoise water with dark spots where rocks rested on the ocean floor. As we carried our bags down the dock and over the glistening water, the tranquil feeling quickly faded as we were stampeded by locals trying to sell us their hotel room for the night. MB and I watched the luggage while Jonathan and Mr. W walked into several tourist agencies checking out our options. (I am so glad Mr. W is here because Jonathan now has a partner to help him price shop. I am so glad MB is here because I now have a partner to sit and wait with. It sounds like Jonathan is doing all the work but luggage watching is hard...just read our post from Peru.) They found what they thought would be a suitable hotel and a local man wheeled our baggage up and down alley ways filled with tourists, bars and street stalls leading us to other side of the island where we found our hotel and settled in. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting but it would have to work for the first night.
We changed into tennis shoes and bathing suits and set off on a hike to a lookout over the island. After climbing umpteen hundred steps we were well rewarded with a spectacular view.
Our ferry pulled into the Koh Phi Phi Don (pronounced pee not fee) dock and we were ooooo-ing and awww-ing at the crystal clear, turquoise water with dark spots where rocks rested on the ocean floor. As we carried our bags down the dock and over the glistening water, the tranquil feeling quickly faded as we were stampeded by locals trying to sell us their hotel room for the night. MB and I watched the luggage while Jonathan and Mr. W walked into several tourist agencies checking out our options. (I am so glad Mr. W is here because Jonathan now has a partner to help him price shop. I am so glad MB is here because I now have a partner to sit and wait with. It sounds like Jonathan is doing all the work but luggage watching is hard...just read our post from Peru.) They found what they thought would be a suitable hotel and a local man wheeled our baggage up and down alley ways filled with tourists, bars and street stalls leading us to other side of the island where we found our hotel and settled in. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting but it would have to work for the first night.
We changed into tennis shoes and bathing suits and set off on a hike to a lookout over the island. After climbing umpteen hundred steps we were well rewarded with a spectacular view.
We then decided on the best way down, which turned out to be the hardest. We saw several signs that pointed off in different directions with names of different bays. We picked one and started down the mountain. This time there were no concrete steps; tree roots entangled the trail the whole way to the ocean.
It was a difficult climb down but the ocean awaiting us at the bottom was reassurance that we had made the right decision.
After soaking in the water for a while and enjoying some refreshing beverages, we opted to hire a longtail boat driver to taxi us back to the town instead of tackle the web of roots.
We ate a quick dinner that night as everyone was pretty pooped from our ferry ride and then a strenuous climb to the viewpoint in sweltering heat.
The next morning we boarded a longtail boat with about 15 other tourists to take us around to several different islands for beach hunting and snorkeling. Our first stop was a snorkel spot just off the coast of Phi Phi Don called shark point. We did not see sharks but we did see some really nice coral and beautiful fishies.
The next morning we boarded a longtail boat with about 15 other tourists to take us around to several different islands for beach hunting and snorkeling. Our first stop was a snorkel spot just off the coast of Phi Phi Don called shark point. We did not see sharks but we did see some really nice coral and beautiful fishies.
Our next stop was an uninhabited island farther away from Phi Phi Don where local fishermen lived in bamboo huts. They stay for a few days while they fish and then return to Phi Phi Don and their families after enough game has been caught to get them through the next few days.
The beach was beautiful. We sunbathed and swam while the bright blue water lapped up on the soft white sand.
The longtail boat then took us to a spot off the coast of another uninhabited island where we got to explore more of the reef and fish below.
Monkey beach was next on the list of stops. It took some convincing to get Jonathan off the boat but once he did he was still reluctant to walk close to the tree line. (He got bit by a rabid monkey on monkey beach two years ago.) We watched the monkeys play and eat for a while before having to board the boat again.
Next we went to Phi Phi Leh Bay. I can't explain the beauty here in words. Clear, emerald green water trapped in by sheer cliffs towering above.
We made one more snorkel stop off the coast of Phi Phi Leh Bay.
The final stop on our tour was Maya Bay. This bay was the most anticipated stop for me because it was where the movie "The Beach" was filmed with Leonardo DiCaprio. If you have seen that movie, you have longed to go a place like the one shown in the film. Well...I went, I saw, I left. There were too many tourists, the shore was overrun with longtail boats and private yachts, you didn't have to jump off a 50 foot waterfall to get there and there was not a secret village tribe living among fields and fields of marijuana. (Not that I cared about the latter but it would have been cool to see.)
Overall however, the tour was spectacular, the water was so clear everywhere and visiting different snorkel spots was so much fun. I could watch the fishies all day.
That night we needed to book a dive trip for the next day. Mr. W is a certified diver, so him, Jonathan and I were going to go together. Not wanting to leaving MB out, we tried all day to talk her in to doing a dive with us. Most dive shops offer "Discover Diving" where you go out with an instructor after about an hour of lesson and you don't have to be certified. She was pretty hesitant with the idea so we thought she should at least try it in the pool at the dive shop to see if she would be interested.
That night we needed to book a dive trip for the next day. Mr. W is a certified diver, so him, Jonathan and I were going to go together. Not wanting to leaving MB out, we tried all day to talk her in to doing a dive with us. Most dive shops offer "Discover Diving" where you go out with an instructor after about an hour of lesson and you don't have to be certified. She was pretty hesitant with the idea so we thought she should at least try it in the pool at the dive shop to see if she would be interested.
After overcoming her fear of not being able to breath underwater she said she "could see diving happening in the future but not tomorrow". We were proud of her for trying though! We ended up booking the tour with that same shop because they were so gracious as to let MB try on all the gear and try breathing underwater for free.
That night we switched hotel rooms to a nicer place down the street. The only reason I am noting this is because the bathroom was sooooo cool.
That night we switched hotel rooms to a nicer place down the street. The only reason I am noting this is because the bathroom was sooooo cool.
The next morning we were shuttled by a dingy to the dive boat. We were surprised to see a nice huge boat in front of us. Fortunately for us, their usual day trip dive boat was in the shop because it was hit by another dive boat. So we were getting to use their live-aboard dive boat (used for 3 to 4 day dive trips), which is nicer, bigger, and nicer. The dive shop promised that we were guaranteed to see wonderful marine life including Moray Eels, reef sharks and turtles. What they didn't tell us is that the adventure would start before we jumped in the water.
One of the dive instructors was reaching into a compartment to grab some BCD's (buoyancy control devices) and instead of feeling a vest he felt a slimy sea snake.
The boat took us out to Bida Nok for the first dive and Maya Corner for the second dive.
The boat took us out to Bida Nok for the first dive and Maya Corner for the second dive.
Both dives were absolutely spectacular. The visibility was about 25 meters and when i got certified in Koh Tao it was about 10 meters. I was super excited about that so you can only imagine the smile on face when I got under and could see so much. Unfortunately, our camera can only go to about 10 meters deep and we were diving at 18 meters so we don't have any photos. But during the first dive we saw two black tipped reef sharks and during the second dive we saw three sea turtles. OMG, I was freaking out underwater and probably used most of my air by breathing so much because I was excited and giggling. The underwater world is unexplainable.
In between dives we had a scrumptious lunch, swam in Maya Bay, and sunbathed on the boat.
Once back in town, Jonathan and I hiked around for a while exploring some more of Phi Phi Don. We found a rock face that was pretty easy to climb up without any gear and had a photo shoot.
We then met up with Mr. W and MB for a swanky dinner with an all you can eat salad bar. All you can eat is a rare feature in South East Asian eateries; Jonathan and I took full advantage of this.
After our bellies were content Jonathan and I hit up the town with our dive instructor from the trip and a few other instructors from the shop. They took us to a bar that has a boxing ring where tourists try to box each other. It was quite the show.
Phi Phi Don itself was pretty touristy and overrun by partying travellers, but the surrounding waters and islands were a must see. I am loving all this island hopping! The next stop on our itinerary with Mr. W and MB is Koh Lanta; another beautiful island with more waters that need exploring and more islands off the coast that need to be sun bathed on.
Also, the budget for February is finally up.
Also, the budget for February is finally up.