Near the end of our trip, we arrived in the area of Krabi. It was a pretty long bus ride across the country, so we spent one night in Krabi town before heading to Koh Phi Phi. We didn't see much of Krabi town, and I am not convinced that there is much to see. There was another amazing market though, and I had a great evening trolling for delicious treats. There was a performance going on as well, and we were treated to little break-dancers doing their best moves and mini pop stars belting it out. It was hilarious and super cute. Mostly hilarious though. The area was affordable, and probably would have more to offer if we had more time.
The Krabi area is one of the hottest in Thailand, and it was definitely a change from the cooling breezes of Samui. We had one morning in Krabi before getting on the ferry, and so we tried to explore. We had to keep stopping for ice cream and slushies though, so we did not get farther than the park.
The greenery of Phi Phi
After a quick jaunt on the ferry we arrived on Koh Phi Phi (pronounced P P). We had booked a hostel ahead, and there was someone waiting on the pier with a sign for us. PP has no roads, and so it can be a bit difficult to navigate if you are not sure where your hostel is located. The man led us to the edge of town and loaded our bags up into a push cart. He disappeared for about half an hour, but we figured he meant for us to wait (you quickly get used to this travelling in Thailand. People are always pushing you on busses, sticking colour coded stickers on your shirt, and shoving you onto ferries). When he returned he jetted off pushing our giant bags in a metal cart, and we breathlessly chased after him. At high speed he pushed our bags all the way across the town (not a large town of course, but a decent size!). He then loaded us and our bags into a mini little truck to drive up the mountain side. We were dumb enough to choose the view hostel, and it was a pretty steep climb to the top. The mini truck only went up and down the hill all day long. However, it did not go down the hill, turn around, then go back up. It simply went down the hill, was eased into reverse, and then navigated slowly back up the tiny path. It was a sketchy and tiring trip to the top - but we made it. Our poor little bell boy was drenched in sweat and ready to pass out when he delivered our bags up the many steep steps to our room. It was quickly agreed that we would not be going up and down those stairs any more than needed!
The boxing ring where tourists can fight each other. A very classy place.
After a swim in the pool to cool off, we headed into the village area. PP was hyped up for me as the most beautiful place I will ever see so I was pretty excited. However, when we arrived at the beach the tide was out and it was so ugly! We had to wade out about 400 meters for the water to be over our knees, and sustained many cuts and scrapes from dead coral on the way. I was filled with dread that we had made the wrong choice in coming to PP!
After our disappointing jaunt to the beach we wandered through town to find some dinner. The town area is actually really neat as it is just a jumble of small walking paths. It is easy to walk in circles and get a little disorientated as the paths are only wide enough for about four or five people across. I love the idea that the island runs without roads and I thoroughly enjoyed checking it out. We even found a boxing ring that we hoped contained Thai boxing. However, it was just a show for tourists to fight one another for free food and drinks. We did not participate!
Seeking out fishies
Found them!
The next day we headed out early to rent a kayak. When we arrived at the beach we were relieved that it actually was ridiculously beautiful. The sun was shining, the water was clear and turquoise, the hillsides were green - it was amazing. We kayaked to Monkey Beach (actually full of wild monkeys) and snorkelled for about an hour. We were able to spot some pretty amazing fish, even though the water was pretty busy with swimmers. Then we headed over to a more hidden beach for some suntanning and more snorkelling. Unfortunately the camera died before we got there, but it was awesome. There were about three other people, and giant rock jutting straight out of the water right in the middle of the little bay where hundreds of fish were seeking out some shade. We slowly made our way back to shore, and arrived exhausted from the paddling and the heat. All in all we were out for about 6 hours. It was a tiring adventure, but well worth it.
What you picture when you think of Thailand
Kayaking!
We spent the evening checking out the city again, and the next morning we just relaxed by the pool and then headed to the ferry. We could have spent much longer on PP kayaking, snorkelling or learning scuba, but we had to keep going because my parents were coming to Thailand! After an afternoon on a boat we landed on the largest island - Phuket.
Monkey island!
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