Ko Phi Phi

Today Sarah (the girl from California who is staying at the same place as me) and I did a day-trip to Ko Phi Phi. It's actually two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Don is a really resorty little island that was devistated by the tsunami 15 months ago. There was still some rubble lying around from the effects of the disaster, but it appears to be recovering quickly. Phi Phi Leh is the smaller of the two islands and is a national park with no accomodation or development on it.

We got up early to catch an 8:00 ferry ride to Phi Phi Don. Sarah and I both thought that we had simply purchased the fare for the ferry and that we would wonder the island on our own. To our surprise, we were herded off the ferry to a tour group. Apparently we had paid for a longboat tour of Phi Phi Leh! We joined two couples on a longboat, one from Poland and another from Italy, really great people.

The boat took us on a trip around Phi Phi Leh. We passed by what's known as Viking Cave to take pictures of it. I'm not entirely sure what the significance is of the cave, but it looked like the kind of place that pirates would have used to stash their booty. Then we went to a lagoon to do some snorkeling - my first time! I had a little trouble with my mask, which kept filling with water. It was neat, but I came back to the boat after struggleing with the mask and swallowing a fair share of salt water.

We then went to another little bay and went onto a tiny beach for lunch. From there, we went around the remainder of the island and then stopped at one last beach to do some more snorkeling. This time, I found a mask that fit properly and discovered how much fun it is! The tour guys through left-over friut from lunch into the water, which caused the fish to swarm around it. I swam through clusters of fish, and even saw a nice big baracuda (about 2 feet long)! The coral was really beautiful, too.

We then headed back to Phi Phi Don to wander on our own. The longboat trip was good, but a bit short. It felt a bit rushed, but the scenery was just spectacular. Great towering cliffs that decend into clear blue-green lagoons.

We took the ferry back to Ko Lanta at 3:00 and arrived at the main town at about 4:15 to find ourselves in a downpour. I didn't mind, since we had been wet all day anyway. It was actually really refreshing. I think it's the only time I've felt a little chilly on this whole trip, and it was a welcome feeling.

Now it's time for supper and another movie ("Walk the Line" tonight).