The Beach: Ko Phi Phi
While total disasters as we landed in Ko Phi Phi directly from the full moon party on Ko Phangan, a 9 hour trip of ferries and buses, we were happy to be there. We dropped our 16 bedroom doom like a bad habit and got ourselves our own room, with our own bathroom, our own AC and small balcony (for drying out our wet “bucket” and ocean ridden clothes) right next to the beach.
Other than knowing that The Beach was filmed just a quick boat trip away on Maya Beach, and that this would be, albeit not as party as Ko Phangan, a party island, I didn’t know anything about Ko Phi Phi. We stepped off the ferry, had to pay some toll (BS) in order to make our way from the dock to the island, and headed straight into town. The town is small. Bars mostly line all the narrow streets, some pubs serving up western/hungover food, but there were also high market seafood restaurants that could be had. There are no cars, tuk tuks or scooters allowed, just the every once in a while push bike or man powered cart.
There were also tattoo parlors. LIKE A LOT. I couldn’t get over it. The street went like this bar, tattoo place, bar, tattoo place, massage/”massage” place, massage place, bar, tattoo…you get the picture. I thought, “this place just screams regrets” and during our 4 days I would be astonished to see almost all these parlors filled in the wee hours of the AM. I would close my eyes or have Aaron shield me. “Kids you are making a bad decision here!” Seriously though it’s not just about the tattoo. The KPP version of sterile is putting a needle over a lighter and I’m sure they are using the same ink bowls that they used from the patron before. Well, what do you do? I guess the “cool” reason to get one here is that the artists use a bamboo stick where the needle is attached and it is all done by hand, so its named a “bamboo tattoo.” I mostly kept my mouth shut except when one of the artists asked me if I would like one and I shouted something to the effect of, “I have a brain.”
Note: I am not knocking tattoos. They are not for me but I can and do appreciate them. I just feel bad for kids who are out of their mind wasted and decide on a whim to do something crazy and they end up with their whole arm tattooed and it’s infected the next morning…we saw a lot of this.
Bamboo tattoo, *this is not my image
Speaking about more bad decisions, there was a bar that allowed you to “Thai box” another amateur for a free bucket of booze. Yes, you read that right – two drunk guys (and some girls) go at it and beat the crap out of each other while a crowd cheers them on. For a bucket of alcohol!!! (and likely the ego). While I didn’t video, here’s one if you are interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9fqN1mawWU
But I digress. During the day KPP is soooo relaxing. It’s quintessential Thailand island beaches: long tail boats harboring in the aqua water, with nearby mountains and rocks sticking out of the sea.
The main beach is basically a bay. Pristine white sand and gorgeous neon green water. When the tide is low you could walk over 1 km and the ocean would barely come to your knees, making the beach one large sand bar. The bars during the day were mellow, playing reggae music. Our first two days we just stayed on the beach drinking coconuts and Chang beer, ordering Pad Thai. The beach bars had internet access so finally we could blog and manage to do a little housekeeping – right on the beach!
Chang and Coconut smoothie
Aaron, chillin
Our favorite bar, the Stoned Bar, so relaxing and mere feet from our hotel
My absolute heaven
During low tide
Quintessential Thailand Beach
I liked it here so much that I begged Aaron to “please let me stay” an extra two days. I felt that we hadn’t done anything and KPP, like Ko Tao, was known for its diving spots and I had finally mustered up the courage to go for my first dive. I have always been scared. I can get claustrophobic and easily excited with anxiety as scary stuff goes through my head, I am nervous I may panic. But I was ready to do it.
Unfortunately the weather turned on us those last two days I had begged for: our planned active days. First we had booked a full day long tail boat tour that would take us to several islands including The Beach island, while snorkeling in key spots. The weather was bad. It was rainy, grey and just did not live up to a beach experience. But we carried on and had a great time. I loved snorkeling. At one point I had a hundred tropical fish surrounding me. I also loved seeing the beautiful rocks. It was really an “I’m in Thailand” moment. But the day would have totally been optimized had there been sun. By the end, our long tail boat was really getting tossed around. I felt some relief when we made it to shore.
Heading out for our long tail boat tour: dark, rainy and gloomy
Long tail boats at the dock
Getting out there, snorkeling among tropical fish
Jumping off into the cold, but clear water
Our long tail boat
At Monkey Island, those monkeys are nasty
Off to the next island
Bamboo Island on the National Marine Park
Landing at the National Marine Park
Aaron and me at “The Beach” location: Maya bay on Koh Phi Leh
Aaron at swimming at The Beach
Koh Phi Leh, it started to get crowded
Sun worshipping
Still…though, I can’t believe I am here!
Final ride out
The next day, there would be no diving. The weather got worse. We had a late afternoon boat out. At one point, as we were leaving on the long ferry ride back, it looked like it was going to clear and be a beautiful day. I remember pouting, wishing I had more time and that the weather was going to change, but boy was I wrong. The next day we read that the weather got so bad that one of the ferry boats, like the one we were on, sunk that afternoon. Luckily no one was on it. The story went that the island and was flooded with rainwater and that many beach seekers’ vacations were ruined. A man on vacation in nearby Phuket with his wife was swept away by the current and drowned just feet away from her.
The main street of the town. starting to flood
And it only got worse
Things got hairy for us when after we had gotten off the ferry, to a mini bus, to a big bus to take us to the train station for our overnight train. The rain poured harder and harder. It was, to say the least, not ideal traveling weather. When we arrived at the train station about an hour or two before our train, the storm poured on. We got soaked running from the bus to the station, where we sought refuge in a cafe. The station had about a hundred or so other wet souls…waiting. This did not look good. Aaron and I had first class tickets, our own room, a purchase which at first we shrieked at, since all the lower class tickets had been sold out, but our own full size bed in our own compartment had started to warm up to us and I must say I was excited to experience it, no matter the cost, after this long day.
But it was not in the cards for us. We found out that our train was at first delayed and then *possibly cancelled – no one would tell us anything other than there is an indefinite delay. Well, I didn’t want to sleep in this cafe or the station in the rain, so we did our best to scramble for whatever tickets were available. It turned out that there were tickets left on the 6:30pm train, (it was nearly 11pm), but it was in 3rd class. This is lowest class. No sleeper, just upright seats. We really had no choice, we bought them and saved ourselves about $80, which I would have gladly paid for again given the opportunity to upgrade. Our fellow riders, who also pre booked on higher class trains decided to take the initiative too and so we had about 30 people ready to get on the 6:30pm train in 3rd class, when it came into the station around 1am.
Quickly we found out that the 3rd class car was filled with locals who never purchased a ticket at all. It was incredibly uncomfortable negotiating with people, mostly older ladies, that were in our seats. And remember it was not just us it was 30 or so other travelers. And so, some got up and sat on the floor, or put their kids in their laps, some cursed us under their breath as they were tired and they had ridden from god knows where, suffered many delays and now were getting kicked out of their seats. But it was a difficult situation. We had tickets, they didn’t, it was 1am, and so it felt extremely awkward when visual and immediate gentrification hit that car and hit it hard. It didn’t help that the train would continue to delay throughout the night in these very uncomfortable seats.
A crowded third class, uncomfortable in many ways
Later, when people were in better spirits and the daylight hit, we noticed the locals were wearing Thai flag tshirts, bracelets, ribbons and pins. They started shouting and chanting as we neared Bangkok. We weren’t sure of what it was, but we would later put it together. They were on their way to Bangkok to go to the protests that would occur in two days. And well, are still continuing today.