After a pretty long trip, including taxi, night boat, bus and boat again, we arrived in Phi Phi, where it was immediately clear that the island had lost his authentic Thai flavour and looked like it was embracing a Western look and feel. For necessity and/or for touristic reasons, the results is not great, I have to say!
Too many English-type bars, young people (again looking for buckets and ladies) and families; many Italians too - not a bad thing, though!
Mainly, we didn't enjoy the night life, except for a nice (ONE) place called Carpe Diem, which, because nice, chilled and cool, it was pretty expensive (at least for Thailand!).
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| Photo by Maria Teresa Salvati |
Anyway, we booked a bungalow from Krabi just to make sure we had a place to stay! Well, if another tsunami had invaded the island, on the top of the mountain nothing was going to happen: we were so high up, that carrying rucksacks or just walking up there after a few beers was as dangerous as a tsunami! :)
After the first night and 20 mosquito bites we decided to move to a more central and easy to access place. It was there where I started to be named (officially) "flashpacker"! I had enough of cold showers and beds full of bugs! I think we found a good compromise, 900BAHT per night for air con, hot shower, clean and very central place! Jongs Guesthouse, really great place if you go to Phi Phi! Darren, however, didn't think it was a good compromise! Too expensive :)
We also got really familiar (every day) with a restaurant just in front of the guesthouse: Garlic restaurant. The place doesn't have a cool look, but the food, the prices and the people are really great! The place had been wiped away from the tsunami and re-built thank to the help of foreigners and locals; and the owner, which was there trying to talk with customers and tell them the tsunami stories, was so thankful and enthusiastic about the fact that he had managed to rescue people and re-build the place! He was so generous with tourists that as soon as he heard that the green curry and the tom yum soup were my favourite Thai dishes, he gave me the origial step by step receipes so I could cook them for my friends back home!
Darren and I decided to buy tickets for an excursion around Phi Phi that involved: Monkey beack, Bamboo Bay, Maya Bay, snorkeling and sunset seeing! It was definitely the highlight, not only of Phi Phi, but of the all Southern Thailand!
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| Photo by Maria Teresa Salvati |
Just amazing! White sands, it seemed like walking on silky carpets, turquoise waters where fish swam on us, the snorkeling was so great: I saw so many different, coloured and fun fish.
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| Photo by Maria Teresa Salvati |
The Maya Bay is the beach featured in the movie "The Beach": just breathtaking, stunning. We went for a walk in the inland and the colours of the plants and trees were just amazing. A huge ant decided to bite me between toes! Such a big pain, I thought I was going to faint! Well, it swollen and become red, went to the pharmacy, got the antistaminic lotion and when I asked if I had to worry, the pharmacist said: 'if you can't breath, worry!' That's good to know, I guess :)
Anyway, the excursion ended with a stunning sun ready to set on the sea, admired on the boat! Words can't explain!
The last 2 days in Phi Phi we met Daniela, a German girl, Rebecca and Nicola, two English girls, with which Darren proceeded his trip to Koh Lanta, while myself started a long trip to Australia...stopping to Bangkok at Rod's place...and passing by Singapore, where I stayed at Steve's (ex-Enfatico colleague)! Thak you to both for taking great care of me, even just for a few hours!
So far my Thai adventure has been fantastic! I met great people and seen amazing places!
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