On the fourth day, we set our sights on the sister islands of Koh Phi Phi– touristy but stunningly beautiful beaches situated in the Andaman sea. From the beach of Koh Jum we could see Koh Phi Phi clearly, but the [expensive] longtail boat ride proved that our eyes can easily deceive us.
longboat trip to Phi Phi, seen as a silouette in the background
About 1.5 hours later our boat pulled into the turquoise waters of Phi Phi bay and skimmed the bright sands of the shore. After an exhaustive search for decently priced lodging, we finally coughed up 1,000 Baht to stay in a small guesthouse. Phi Phi is an island shaped like a barbell, with sprawling cliffs and trees on the larger ends and beaches, shopping, and tourist traps on the narrow middle area. The first day, Alex and I perused the shops along the narrow sidewalks and spent some time exploring the beaches.
Enjoying the Phi Phi beach
Everywhere we went, there was always someone shouting ‘TAXI BOAT’ at us, even if we clearly just said no to the last taxi boat guy 5 feet behind. These longtail boat drivers spend long hours trying to milk the tourists for some profit. Ugh, even if I DID want to hire a longtail boat, I’d probably choose the most quiet & unannoying driver anyway. The next day we booked a group sunset tour around the neighboring island for a change of pace. We left around 2pm on a double decker motor boat with about 20 other tourists.
Our guides first dropped us at Monkey beach, where we were able to witness the ecological disaster that Phi Phi was rumored to be. Actually, we were supposed to be getting a cool photo op with some of the local monkeys but the experience was disturbing instead. Monkey beach was small and isolated, but tourists had managed to make a horrible mess of it over time. Pepsi cans, plastic bags, and wrappers littered the treeline and the monkeys looked all too comfortable with the humans– indicating they’d been fed one too many times. Motor boats churned the water nearby, disturbing the reefs in the shallow water below. To top it all off, a group of douchey Euro-trash meatheads were terrorizing the monkeys by whistling, screaming, and shaking tree branches at them until they reacted. The worst part is, the short strip of beach would be so easy to clean up, but it seems like no one really wants to claim responsibility for it. To elaborate on just how bad the environmental situation is on Phi Phi, Alex and I also stumbled upon a condom in the shallow waves of the main beach. About an hour later, I spotted the wrapper floating in the surf. NASTY.
trash tarnishes this monkey's pretty beach
Moving on, after Monkey beach our boat took us around the island to see the “Viking cave“. This cave is the home of a handful of Thai people who spend their days harvesting the nests of the cave swift bird, which is a delicacy to Chinese people. The swift bird makes its nest from saliva, the product being a strong bowl shape with an orange hue plastered to the side of the cave walls. The Thais climb dangerously high on unstable ladders to harvest the nests & sell them to the Chinese to be made into a soup for the health. Mmm mmm bird saliva!
viking cave & swift's nest harvest area
Next our boat dropped anchor in a small quiet cove to allow us to snorkel and kayak. It was my first time snorkeling in the ocean, and it was a really interesting experience. After I finished struggling with my mask (it was threatening to scalp me by gripping onto my hair) I drifted slowly on the surface of the turquoise water. Below, coral reefs of a stunning variety swayed in the tide and swarmed with life. It was amazing– like watching a nature show on the Discovery Channel. Except this time… I was there! I spent a lot of time just hovering over a particulary busy section of coral and watching all the sea life. Spiny urchins, parrot fish, angel fish, clown fish, and even a poisonous lion fish. I really kicked myself for not buying an underwater camera!!!
An hour later we moved on to Phi Phi Ley, a small protected sister island of Phi Phi Don. The movie “The Beach” with Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed in the pristine privacy of Maya Bay in the center of the island. There, we waded in the clear waters and marveled at schools of fish and sea cucumbers until it was time for the sunset. Our group gathered on the boat one last time to eat dinner and watch the sun go down over the ocean.
Upon returning to the port, Alex and I decided it was time to try the popular bucket drink that the tourists all had. Here’s how it works: street vendors lay out plastic beach buckets on a table with various combinations of alcohol flasks and mixer cans/bottles inside. You pick a bucket that sounds good, and the vendor will mix it up for you. He’ll take out the bottles, fill the bucket with ice, and pour the entire bottle of liquor + mixers inside. Top it off with a handful of straws and you’ve got yourself a cheap night of drinking. The bucket we chose contained Mekong whiskey, diet coke, and red bull, although we stopped the guy from pouring the entire bottle of whiskey in our bucket (that would’ve dropped me to the floor after one sip)! Alex and I took our bucket to the beach and watched the tide come in. Later, with warm cheeks and an empty bucket, Alex decided to test his sandcastle building skills. I’m pretty sure this entertained us for a solid hour, and it was a ton of fun!! I went back to the hotel with skinny jeans full of sand.
sunset over the Andaman sea
In the morning, we slept late and booked a boat ticket back to the mainland (Krabi). We had about 3 hours in between our ticket purchase & departure time, and had absolutely no idea how to kill our time. #1, we were trying to be huge huge penny pinchers on this trip so shopping was out of the question. #2, neither of us was hungry. #3, we were sunburned to a crisp and really couldn’t imagine going back to the beach. #4, it was like 11am & it would be sad to go get a drink. So… we ate. When all else fails, eating out of boredom is what I’m great at. I had a delicious chicken sandwich at a bakery & couldn’t stop staring at the doughnuts in the window. Somehow, I resisted. At 2pm, the ferry departed for Krabi and we left Phi Phi behind. I was upset that it would be the last of our beach time but also ready to leave the tourism behind. In Krabi, we bought a bus ticket to Bangkok for 4:30pm. We’d be on the road for about 12 hours into the wee hours of the morning…
Side note: Koh Phi Phi is an incredible island that must have seemed like an unbelievable mirage to whoever first discovered it. As you look at the island & surrounding area it’s hard to believe that nature can produce something so awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, it seems like the local government hasn’t quite figured out how to preserve the ecology in and around the island while maintaining it as a tourist attraction. No doubt Thailand benefits from the tourism industry, but as a developing country they are still more concerned with maintaining the cash flow rather than maintaining the beauty that drew people there to begin with. I hope that someone will eventually take the initiative to regulate the human impact on Phi Phi’s environment.
Port of Phi Phi
Maya Bay
1 Comment
March 5, 2009 at 2:25 am
I can assure you that bird’s nest is disgusting. When you cook it/make it, it’s a slightly off-white color and you eat it as a thick soup base. Gross…