Ko Phi Phi

After Singapore, we flew down to Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is kind of a crap town, but you have to go through there to get to some of the nice islands in southern Thailand. After arriving in Phuket, we went to Ko Phi Phi or Phi Phi Island by boat and stayed for a couple days. Ko Phi Phi has some beautiful views and is a great place to relax. There is a town area with restaurants and hotels that is more developed and touristy, but someone had recommended a nice hotel called Viking Resort that is off the main stretch and is a bit more secluded and peaceful. There are a bunch of bungalows to stay in, a private beach, and a nice clubhouse to get good Thai food. We really liked it there and thought it was a great place to stay. For a bit over $10 per person a night, it's hard to beat.

Viking Resort Taxi

The Clubhouse

Path to the Bungalow

Our Bungalow with Open Air Shower on Right

Beach near the Resort

Night Thai Food Sampling

Fire Twirlers on Beach

One of the days in Ko Phi Phi we took a boat cruise to some of the sites in the area. You get to swim in some isolated bays with beautiful, clear water, go cliff-diving, snorkel along some coral, and see some neighboring islands and beautiful beaches. 

Cruising Near Rocky Islands

Clear Water Bay

Boats in Bay

Swimming in Clear Water

Cruising

The Captain of Our Boat

Another spot they take you to is Maya Beach, which was made famous by the movie "The Beach", starring the dreamy Leonardo DiCaprio. In real life, it is actually quite beautiful and a great place to visit. You have to jump out of the boat and swim to a rope ladder on some rocks, then walk for a little bit to get to the beach, which adds a little bit of adventure.

Maya Bay

Entrance to "The Beach"

Phil Soaking It In

Waves Crashing at the Beach

Lounging

My favorite part of the boat trip was snorkeling in the coral. I've never done anything like that before, so I was excited to try. It was a really great experience being surrounded by so many colorful fish and seeing the amount of life supported in such a small area. In the salty ocean water it was really easy to just float for awhile and watch the fish, periodically diving down deep to take a close look. I know that stretch of coral we saw is probably pretty plain compared to some of the top reefs in the world, so it really only kindled the beginning of an interest in diving. I would like to do more snorkeling or get a scuba license so I can do some more serious diving in the future.

Phil had a heavy-duty waterproof bag for his camera we used to take pictures underwater. We couldn't get crystal clear pictures, but it was enough to give an idea. These ones below don't really show how many different kinds of fish there were, but does show how many tiger fish were around.

Fish Underwater

Wes Snorkeling

Right as we were ending our boat trip, an extremely heavy rain came in. It was the rainy season during our whole trip in Southeast Asia. When we were in southern Thailand, it rained on schedule everyday in the afternoon, which was nice in that it cooled things down the rest of the day. In other places we didn't have such regular rain, which would have been nice when it got so hot.

Heavy Rains Coming In

Wes and Phil with Boat Driver

On the last day in Ko Phi Phi, we hiked up to the peak where you can get a nice view of the entire island area. From the viewpoint, you can see the thin strip of sandy land where the town is built. During the Asian tsunami a few years back, apparently the town got completely wiped out. Not a big surprise when you view it from above and see how unprotected it is. 

Town in Ko Phi Phi

Trees on Hike up to Viewpoint

The Sign Says it All

View of Bay

Don't Worry, This Dude Wasn't as White and Fat at the End of the Trip

That was pretty much our trip in Ko Phi Phi. It's a really beautiful island and although it is heavily touristed, you can still get some relaxation and enjoy some beautiful nature. As we were leaving the island and taking the boat back to Phuket, we had some great views with the sun out in full force. It was a nice way to give us a good lasting impression about Ko Phi Phi.

For more pics, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/wallred10/KoPhiPhi#