The Beach

  Kho Phi Phi, Thailand
Friday, November 3, 2006

After my first good dose of sunburn on the ferry ride over I disembark on the idyllic island of Phi Phi. It's hard to describe just how beautiful it is and even the pictures fail to do it justice. It almost doesn't seem real, like you've walked into a postcard or a movie set, which in way you kind of have; 'The Beach' was filmed here.

Still my first impression upon entering the town is 'tourist'. Up to this point I haven't really been following the tourist trail, but the rows of guest houses, bars, travel agents, internet cafes and other farang oriented services are basically all that makes up the town. This place exists for one purpose and one purpose only. It does ruin the magic a little but it's nice to feel catered for; whatever you want you can find... for a price.

Taking the advice of my Burmese friend in Krabi I look for the Baan Tha guest house run by the enigmatic and cheerful Mrs Lee. At 300 baht with shared bathroom its the cheapest bed on this otherwise exorbitatly priced island. Sipping cold brewskis at the porchside internet kiosk swapping stories with irishmen and Mrs Lee seems to have made this a bit of a backpacker institution; the walls are adorned with pictures and thank you notes.

Seeing as I only plan to stay one night I decide to shellout for an organised sunset tour which includes a bit of snorkelling, some kayaking and a visit to Phi Phi's uninhabited sister island Phi Phi Lay which remains uninhabited due to the profitable business of bird nest harvesting. The tour was definately worth it Kayaking my way through hidden inlets in a deserted lagoon surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs is a memory that will stick with me forever. As is jumping off the boat, swimming 50 meters to a tiny cave, then trekking through an abandoned jungle path(well except for the house and massive radio dish hehe) to emerge onto the very same beach where Leonardo Di Caprio got it on with Virginie Ledoyen. It really is as beautiful as the movie makes out but part of the appeal was the isolation and here we are surrounded by boats full of tour guides and farangs it does kind of ruin the magic but hey at least there are enough of us for a game of beach soccer! We miss the sunset due to cloud cover but it was still a magical experience. I was kinda hoping for some party action that night but high season is still revving up and the bars are relatively empty. Oh well Phuket for the weekend I'm sure I'll find a party there!