Phi Phi Phree

11.2.08

Just polished off a breakfast of French Toast at the usual, feeling extremely full and not like moving very much. They tend to have a dangerous tendency here of cooking foods in far too much butter and I have the guilty pleasure of devouring them. I ordered a delicious ‘hot plate chicken’ last night, which is meant to arrive in a sizzling hot pot spewing forth both over-the-top steam and wondrous, mouth watering aromas - that which drew me to finally order it after several nights of seeing said dish served into the hands of many other ravenous and lucky, lucky guests - but disappointingly mine turned up only with a whisper. However, it still proved very tasty - I couldn’t place the sauce, only that it had a hint of barbeque mixed with lashings of caramalised butter, naturally - and was a nice way to wrap up a day of tanning (burning?) on the beach, swimming and finishing reading the revelation that turned out to be ‘The Fountainhead’.

In the end I didn’t take up the offer of scuba diving: I didn’t take to the slightly conceited attitude of the diving teachers, nor the inflated prices - Thailand is meant to be a cheap option for gaining a diving (PADI) certificate, but it appears there are cheaper options available in Australia. I don’t know, perhaps I’m making excuses: I had in the back of my mind that I wasn’t sure I wanted to use up the rest of my days here diving and not exploring the island, plus I’m still not in a very sociable mood right now.

Having spent all of yesterday afternoon on the quiet confines Loh Moo Dee Beach - a bit busier this time, with up to ten visitors at one point - I’ve managed to acquire a nice, all-over (generally) brown ‘coat’. My plans are to try and top this up as much as possible, whilst trying not to burn myself (my back isn’t best pleased as of now). I’m going to take a walk into town to sort out my trip back to Bangkok - I’m planning on leaving for there on Thursday - and while I’m at it see if I can find some other less explored beaches. One in particular that’s grabbed my attention is ‘Rantee Beach’, as I’ve read that the snorkeling there is meant to be excellent. The owner of my guesthouse informs me you can’t get to it overland, but I’m not sure I believe him! Finally, I want to make sure I get out to Shark Point sometime before I leave.

The last couple of days have been slightly overcast, with wispy, cotton-like clouds pervading the sky, turning it white and hazy. As well there has been a slight, cooling sea breeze, helping to keep the humidity low. At night, the wind turns into a gale - it’s still warm but makes evenings really pleasant and I can sleep with the fan switched off. Today, the sun started out in full force and the sky was blue, though that ‘whiteness’ has begun to creep in again. Still, I feel it’s going to be a scorcher.