Ko Phi Phi

Had a great 4 days in Ko Phi Phi with my friend Laura.  The island is so beautiful, but sadly quite crowded and Westernised.  There are guesthouses blanketing the beaches, restaurants called 'Little Britain' advertising 'Full English Breakfasts', strips and strips of bars hosting drunk guys in vests flirting with drunks girls in mini skirts, and promoters line the streets handing out '2-for-1 bucket' promotions for various venues. Pretty shocking given that less than 10 years ago the island was devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami!!

The Thai locals have certainly seen us tourists coming too.  As you arrive on the island you are hounded by locals asking you 'where you want go miss?'.  Some one is always trying to sell you something.

Really hate to say it but I think the Joni Mitchell kind of sums Koh Phi Phi up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwUJH70ubM (copy and paste into URL). Kind of like Asias answer to Magaloof! 

Sunday 15th August was the Queens birthday - or mothers day as it is known in Thailand - and everything on the island closes down.  Laura and I traveled to one of the un-inhabited islands with a group of about 30, and some wicked Thai tour leaders.  We spent the night on Maya Bay, the beach where 'The Beach' was filmed.  

Paradise!

Amy, Laura, Me, Laura & Kate. Really nice group of English girls we met on the trip.

Wit & Art, our tour leaders. Art would NOT stop stealing my sunglasses, so when we got back to Phi Phi Don (inhabited island) I bought him some as a present.

After snorkeling, watching sun set, enjoying a delicious Thai curry, making new friends, drinking far too many buckets of a savage local alcohol - Samsung, singing to Arts (Thai guide's) guitar, racing land crabs (hmmm!), and midnight swimming, we slept on 'THE beach' under the stars. We were stupidly under the illusion there might be a tent or 2 kicking about. Don't be ridiculous; Mat, sandy sleeping bag, hard pillow, and the most beautiful sky. I saw 4 shooting stars.

Next day on Koh Phi Phi Don we had a Thai massage, and Lau's masseuse was a Thai Lady Boy!! Hahahaha.

On Phi Phi I was re-united with Fruit Shakes, an ice blended smoothie type drink. Scarlett and I fell in love with Watermelon Shakes when we traveled here last year.

 
On the journey home the ferry caught fire! Not even kidding. No one came and told us why the deck had filled with smoke or why flames were coming out of the machine room, the ferry just stopped for 5 mins and then started again. Smoke still filling the deck.  Health and safety is literallty a non-existent concept over here.