2RapitenquesAroundTheWorld3: Koh Phi Phi

From Cambodia we took a bus (of course! it is the most used transport on our travels!!)to Bangkok. After spending a few days there and saying goodbye to our friend Caro (she was going home after travelling around Asia for 6 months) we made our way to Koh Phi Phi.

Koh Pi Pi was one of the most devastated places by the Tsunami in December 2004. You can still see that some areas of the island are still under reconstrucion. You can even see the signs for the route of evacuation. However, the island has fastly recovered its flow of tourism as the aquatic environment was not damaged.

Kho Pi Pi , located on the South West of Thailand, is comprised by two islands: Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Leh. The first one is where the village (Ton Sai) is. It is where the vast majority of the travellers stay. It is a small island where there are no cars... there are just hundreds of tourists walking around and locals riding their bikes and shouting ....Pi Pi!!!!!!!!! Bycicles with horns haven't been invented here yet! :-)

Here you can find all that a tourist might need: pubs, restaurants, ATMs, hotels, shops, Spas, travel agencies, etc.. but the thing you find the most are tatoo or scuba diving centres!!! Amazing... out of every 3 shops one is a tatoo or a scuba diving centre! In Thailand you can choose to get a tatoo by the usual machine (as at home) or by bamboo. This last one is an old technique very popular here.It seems to be more superficial and therefore, less painful.

Koh Phi Phi beaches have clear water... turquoise colour... and white sand. The ones further from town are wilder and nicer. The ones that surround the town are full of restaurant and boats to take you to the islands around.

If you walk a bit to the west you find Long Beach... this is a quiter beach where the water is as blue as a swimming pool!! here is where you notice that you really are in Thailand!

Near Koh Phi Phi you can find Bamboo Island. This little island is fantastic for scuba diving or snorkeling and it has a natural park to visit. We spent hours there just walking around and enjoying the landscape.... yeah a small island but charming.. you can spend there hours just walking and breathing the peacefullness that this little place by the sea gives you.

We also went to visit the Monkey beach.... literally!!! It is a small beach where you can just reach by boat and where a tribe of monkeys live. They are so funny! They lie down on the sand, swim, and just rest in the shade... just like us!!! and when the tourists arrive... .let's go for them!!! they try to steal your bag,jump on you... they even scratch dreadlocks !!! hahahaha

The other island. Koh Phi Phi Leh is a natural park without any tourist development. This is where you can find the Viking cave and the Maya Bay.
The water in this area is soooo tourquoise!!! it seems as if you were swimming in a swimming pool!!! you can see the bottom without wearing a mask!

The beach of the Maya bay is where the film "The Beach" was done and it is amazing!!! In order to get there you need to go through a little cave in the water (the boat can't go over it) and then you have to walk through a little jungle.. and when you get there.... ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The beach itself is very small but the crystal clear water and the two rocky outcrops that surround makes it special.