Phi Phi Phlu

Wow, so it’s been over a week since my last update. I didn’t intend to write much in Bangkok - having been there couple of times before I wasn’t planning on doing much that would prove noteworthy. I’m writing now from the huge terrace balcony that makes up the restaurant/lobby of the ‘Phi Phi Hill Resort’ (it's actually pronounced 'pee pee', but don't tell anyone as that ruins my title). Sadly without wifi and also lacking electric plugs in my room, so I’m back to shuttling memory sticks to and fro internet cafes. However, if missing power in my room means having to type on this terrace, I’m not complaining. Behind my laptop’s screen, I can see quite possibly the most beautiful bay I’ve yet witnessed in South East Asia. The terrace I’m on is built high up on the top of a mountain at one end of a bay, on the north side of Ko Phi Phi Island. From here, I can see trees - mainly mango and coconut - stretching down the steep hillside which surrenders itself suddenly, violently into the bright blue waters of the Andaman Sea. The bay itself is beautiful, big and blue: it cuts an almost crescent-moon like shape into the island. Steep, limestone, tree-coated, jagged mountains jut out into the sea at either end of the bay, facing one other, which feed into a centre comprising of a thin strip of flat land that is the island’s centre (as well as its only town: Ton Sai). There are no actual vehicles or real roads on the island: the town has a main street which is only a dirt track, lined mainly with dive shops, bars and guesthouses at either side. The track ends as the land begins to climb, then one can only rely on walking along the beaches that stretch, mainly uninterrupted, along the whole front of Ton Sai all the way along to where I am now. And what beaches! These are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen: a clean, white strip of white sand, feeding into the aqua blue, almost transparent waters of the shallow bay. Interestingly, the sea remains shallow for a large part of the bay - making swimming remarkably easy - before offering up deeper waters along with beautiful stretches of coral, making Phi Phi one of the most attractive diving locations in Thailand.

Ton Sai is the lowest part of the whole island and also one place which was completely devastated by the infamous Tsunami in 2004. In fact, most of the island was - I’m told that every building here now is either new or rebuilt. The disaster does not appear to have put anyone off visiting here - it appears as popular as anywhere I’ve been in this country, especially with couples and young families. It’s most likely a top package tourist destination, further reinforced by its hiked up prices - from food to massages to accommodation, prices are two to three times that of say Bangkok. (However, it’s worth bearing in mind that considering the beauty of the place, holidaying here is considerably cheaper and more pleasant than its Mediterranean competition.) I’m harping on about how stunningly beautiful this place is, but tourism has and is ruining it. Every building is a bungalow that belongs to a guesthouse, some of these actually sit on the edge of the sand. There’s for hire deck chairs and sun loungers lining most of the large strip of beach nearest my guesthouse (known as ‘Long Beach’), as well as tables/chairs for dining and massage tables. Next to the tourists, I’ve seen little sign of natives living here, bar a couple of shacks hidden way off the beaten track inland. This is definitely not a place for mixing with the locals.  

I’m staying in an enormous bungalow (a good 12’x15’, raised on stilts and looking suspiciously like a cleverly disguised warehouse container) positioned to the side of the mountain opposing the bay, facing west towards the unadulterated ocean. It’d be pretty beautiful come sunrise if I could ever get myself up in time. Unfortunately, I’ve been sick with a nasty cold for the last couple of days: wasn’t feeling at all myself on Wednesday, then barely got out of bed yesterday. Much better today although I’m still a little distracted - excuse me then if this entry is disjointed. My illness was probably as much my fault as anyone’s: preceding this I had a delayed, sleepless 24-hr trip from Bangkok to Phi Phi, followed up by more drinks than I needed with a couple of Australian girls I met on the boat over. I’m still glad I did it though: the evening culminated in an amazing fire show at a - naturally - expensive beach-side bar (we were lounging at shin-height tables across multiple cosy cushions, watching Thais who were no more than teenagers juggling burning pins and javelins barely feet from our faces, on the smallest strip of beach, against the calming background of the dark, still ocean and twinkling lights of the clear night sky). My trip back from Ton Sai to my guesthouse wasn’t so much fun - I had boat taxi drivers trying to exploit 500 baht out of me for a 5 minute ride back across the bay (that’s a whopping £7.50, by the way) and so I trudged back overland in the direction of Long Beach, determined to make my own way. Doing this, I passed through most of the ‘party’ town, witnessing one too many horrible all-night beach bars and drunken holiday-makers - not my scene, at all - and promising myself not to bother returning to this town, if at all possible. In the dark - and with my torch - I managed to find my way back to ‘my’ beach, though not before getting lost through several resorts as well as along some unlit mud paths, across a long stretch of wet rocks and down a very steep set of ‘steps’ (dug-up tree roots and a dodgy, lose, dangling rope for support).

My journey getting to the island was pretty exciting: I almost missed the bus from Bangkok, thanks to a last min dash to the laundry to collect clothes I had forgotten about. Despite running so fast my lungs were at bursting point, when I got back to the parking lot, the bus had disappeared, my bag with it. Fortunately, after some frantic screaming and shouting, the travel company were able to accommodate me, letting me jump on the next bus and swapping to my bus later on. Having set off at 7PM in the evening, we made Surat Thani’s pier (on the east coast) by 6AM the following morning, leaving us with 2 hours to kill doing nothing before the next bus would arrive to take those traveling west - i.e. me - to the west coast of Krabi. That journey was then delayed and almost turned into a disaster thanks to the driver falling ASLEEP at one point (I only noticed our vehicle spending an inordinate amount of time in the wrong, right-hand lane, it was thanks to a more observant and thankfully loud Israeli that we didn’t end up in the bushes). After all that excitement, we turned up late at Krabi, missing our connecting boat and meaning a further 4 hour wait until we could leave for Phi Phi. Arriving to the island made it all worth it though. The sight of the wide beaches, glittering, still ocean and enormous rocky, green mountains confirmed I’d found the right place. 

One thing I really like about where I’m staying is that it offers access to both the popular ‘Long Beach’ and then also an aptly titled ‘Small Beach’. On the one occasion I’ve so far had to visit it - before the man-flu really kicked in - I arrived on the small strip of sand to be greeted by the ocean and nothing else at all. Laying back completely alone on this beach, reading my book (‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand: really enjoying this magnus opus, though not quite sure why) and trying my best to get a tan was really something else. About an hour into it, I met a snorkeler coming out of the sea. He told me just how great the corral was further west along the coast, and that heading that way I’d find lots of large, empty beaches. After going for a swim, I struck out in this direction, jumping and sprawling over the huge collections of rocks that dotted the coastline. After about twenty minutes I head a small cove with such a beach, at its head the ‘Last Paradise’ guesthouse (several bamboo bungalows and a shaded bar, run by a French staff and remarkably chilled out). I spent a couple of hours there relaxing in the shade, before deciding to set off back (it was 5PM at this point and I didn’t want to risk the tide coming in and blocking my return route).

Today, now that I’m feeling quite a lot better, I think I’m going to hit the ‘small beach’ again, along with some snorkeling gear (available from the guesthouse at 50 baht for the day). Further good news: have managed to find a weak, free wireless connection at Phi Phi Hill’s restaurant. Doubt it belongs to them, but it’s better than nothing (when it works!).