One Month in Thailand- Part Two- Phi Phi Islands

After experiencing the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, I was definitely ready for some relaxation. Before my trip, I was debating whether I stay in town at Phi Phi or in a resort down the beach that would require a long tail boat to get to town. I opted for the resort so I could have some space to reflect.

The trip to Phi Phi was long. A taxi picked me up from my hotel at 5am. I had a 2 hour flight, 45 minute cab ride to the pier, then a 2 hour ferry ride to get to the islands. It was definitely worth it. Pulling up to Phi Phi Don was surreal. It is the most beautiful place I’ve seen- even in the rain. I got to the island around 3pm. Unfortunately it was raining, so I took a long tail boat to my hotel, and decided to just relax. I got my first oil massage, and ordered room service. I could see the sun set from my room, and it was stunning.

The next morning I was up before sunrise (due to jet-lag, I was up early every morning), so I decided to take a hike to go see it rise. I had to walk through some people’s backyard to get there, which was kind of creepy, but I got to watch my first sunrise and it was magical. It made me reflect on how happy I am to be alive and how amazing this journey that I’m on really is. I was okay with just being in the moment, which is rare for me, as I’m always thinking about the next thing.

That day I hopped on a long-tail boat that I rented with a few guys I met from Mexico. We went to monkey beach which was pretty spectacular. The beach was way smaller than I had pictured in my head, but there were a million monkeys- even little babies with their moms. I spent an hour watching others way more brave than me attempt to pick the monkeys up. It was also entertaining to see the monkeys stealing things from tourists stupid enough to not be keeping an eye on their belongings. It was surreal to be this close with these wild animals.

After we were done, I went back to the resort and showered, then took a long tail boat to the main town. Boy was there a ton of energy there- I could feel it like electricity running through my body. A much different vibe than my mellow resort. I immediately asked where the viewpoint was because it was almost sunset, and I heard I had to watch it from there. I had no clue how hard the hike was going to be- it was pointless that I had showered because I was soaking with sweat by the time I got to the top. It was definitely worth the hike- even if not at sunset- it was the most beautiful view of the islands. After the sunset, I had dinner at an awesome authentic Thai place called Papaya, then some delicious ice-cream made on a cold slab. By that time, it was getting dark, and I decided to head to the beach to see what the fire shows I had heard about were like. WOW is all I can say. It isn’t your typical corny fire show. The venue was a dance club with flashing lights, and the guys were young, hip, clubbers. The show they put on reminded me of back in the day when I would go to clubs and people would dance with glow sticks. The beats and show were awesome. After the show I took a long tail boat back to my resort with a couple from Argentina (I feel like it was fate that I met them because I’m dying to go to Argentina next)!

The next morning I soaked in the last of the amazing sun, then took the long fairy back to Phuket. This ride was a little more miserable than the first because I was developing a heat rash on my face that was pretty painful and making me sick. When I got to Phuket I had a shared van that took forever to get me to my hotel. Once I arrived, I quickly showered and headed out to check out what Bangla street and Patong Beach were all about. I got to the street and couldn’t believe my eyes. There were bright lights and bars EVERYWHERE. There were ladyboys making people pay to take pictures with them, guys with signs saying “we know what men want” and “low price, real touch”, and women in windows dancing. I had heard about the sex scene in Thailand, but had never experienced a place where it was so out in the open. After an awesome sushi dinner, I sat at a bar with a live band, and looked out on the street to take it all in. Very touristy place, but quite the experience to say the least.

After a few hours of taking in the chaos, I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep before my flight to Chiang Mai in the morning.