This has been our paradise for the past three days.
It’s beautiful here and we’ve been lucky enough to have great weather despite it being rainy season. The island is quite small, being 3×8 km though losing much useable land due to limestone mountains.
We spent our first day lazing on the beach and exploring the town. There are no motorized vehicles here, just little cobblestone streets. It’s basically a vacation destination so it’s full of cafes and shops.
The main beach is lovely, though tends to be busy. So, one day we decided to wander over to a quieter beach. By wandered, I mean that we got semi-lost, ended up on a different beach, and then wandered along the coastline – literally either trudging through the ocean waters with the camera held high over our heads, or climbing rocks on cliff edges that with every step disrupt hundreds of little black creatures to scatter in all directions – until we found the one we were looking for. It was quite the adventure!
The beach we ended up on was almost completely uninhabited. Other than crabs. There were hundreds of them. Though we were disturbed at first, we soon realized the entertainment that a crab colony can provide. We watched a bully crab plug another crab’s hole with a fruit, while that crab was diligently away gathering goods. The hard working crab struggled hopelessly trying to get into his home past the fruit. It was sad to watch, until eventually Andrew got fed up, took a stand, and picked out the fruit and trapped the bully in his own home.
After that drama, we headed back into town and got ready for a night out. The bars are all along the beach with their dance floors in the sand. Everything is lit up with fire torches and it’s common to drink out of buckets (literally), made with a mickey of alcohol and some drink mix:
The world is your oyster here, as any tour is available for pocket change. Today we spent a whole $7 for a boat trip to Phi Phi Ley (the tiny sister island of Phi Phi, and the location of the movie The Beach if you’ve seen it) on a longtail boat, including snorkelling, food, drink, and a tour of the island. Easy!
Though touristy, the island is incredibly beautiful and you can completely understand the draw for visitors.
We had a fun time snorkelling here as the water is so clear and a beautiful aqua color. Not to mention the colorful tropical fish! At some point we ended up on Monkey Island, an island where monkeys galore roam. It was pretty random, and they quickly came after my pineapple…
