A Beach to Relax At

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  Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I bade farewell to Karon and caught a minivan over to the port at Phuket, and boarded a ferry with about 200 other holiday merrymakers headed for the island of Ko Phi Phi Don which sits in the Andaman Sea between southwest and southeast Thailand. This is the area where James Bond's Man with the Golden Gun and Leo DiC's "The Beach" were filmed. So you are pretty much guaranteed to see some of the most beautiful beach and sand and water and island flora as can be found on the planet.

After our arrival at the port of Ton Sai, which is a busy gateway town to the rest of the island, about 10 of us boarded a long tail boat to take us to our 'resort'. Fifteen minutes later we arrived - and this is where it got interesting.

I had booked a "natural" resort, and that meant that the basics of life were provided for. So when we pulled in to shore, there was no pier to step out on - guests were invited to take off their shoes, hop into the water and wade in. Resort staff waded out to fetch luggage and haul it to the 'Checking In' platform. After checking in I hiked up to my bungalow, which was perched on a hill.  It was a fine platform bungalow, with a bathroom that had an American toilet and a hand-held shower that had mostly de-salinated water coming out, so that was alright. But there was no electricity during the day as electricity is very expensive on the island and it comes from generators. So this was the challenging part for me - no fans, no breezes, just a hot room that was a stiff hike up the hill. 

The beach however, did not disappoint. You could move your beach chair into or out of the sun, and you could go to the snorkel basket, find a mask and when you were waist-high in the water you saw fish. I saw blue fish, red fish, brown fish - all kinds. I like snorkeling so well, I signed up for a snorkeling trip to Bamboo Island the next day - it was great. 

Here is me snorkeling (Think distracted Dory in Finding Nemo): Oh look there - it's a parrot fish! No, wait, it's a parrot fish family! Eating chunks of coral! OMg omg look! Over there - blue and yellow tangs! They are so pretty! And there's a clownfish - whoa, it's Nemo! And what's that down there, is it? Yes it is, a little crab scuttling along the bottom! And oh! oh! there's a beautiful butterfly fish! (OK - you get the idea - I really like watching the undersea creature show.)

So I had a good time doing recreational activities at Phi Phi Relax Beach, but I have to tell you the best part of my stay there was meeting a Swedish family who befriended me, and started including me in their meals and beach lounging. Thank you so much to Louise, Ken, and Elin Lindehoff - it was really fun having someone to share my Phi Phi experience with. Happy travels!  Diane



 

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The Reception Desk	The Restaurant at the Resort   Comments!	Discussion over the "catch of the day"	Thai boxing demonstration
Fruit shake of the afternoon - Mango	Elin and her Coconut Fruit Shake	I made Swedish friends!   Comments!

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