Ko Phi Phi

see all photos »

I'd been warned that I probably wouldn't like ko Phi Phi...and at first I really didn't. Once on the jetty , theres the assault from touts for ' bungalows' to battle through , then a trudge through the town in the search for cheaper digs than the touts offer.

At first I was depressed with the town. its all tourist restaurants , dive centers and boat cruises.I must have seen at least a dozen , all offering exactly the same tours.

By the next day I can appreciate it for what it is - bold and brash. If you're not expecting any local culture here , it can be fun for a couple of days.

Fat Monkey
see all photos »

That's made easier by the real beauty of the coastline and the surrounding islands. I took one of the said boat trips and saw the wealth of natural beauty here. The snorkeling was good and saw some lovely colourful fish new to me.

We had lunch on Monkey Island. Which , funnily enough had some monkeys on it. These were the fattest , laziest ones i've ever seen. Tourists were hand feeding them fruit , when they could be arsed to take it, and it didn't involve actually moving.

One of the highlights of the day was Maya Beach. Since 1999  also known as ' The Beach' after the film of the same name. Of course i had to view it with scores of other people ,but , heh , I expected nothing else.

' The Beach '
see all photos »

I also took a longboat taxi to a beach, the ' driver ' was in a good mood -  I had just caught him having a toke on his pipe!

Next stop will be Phuket for some more island life.