Well we've been for about 24 hours on our second and last Thai island. The island of Koh Phi Phi Don on the Andaman coast of Thailand. After 10 days of lounging around with only the ocean for company, its all a bit different.
The alarm went off yesterday at about 5:30am as we had to wait for the bus to take us to the pier in Koh Samui. We were out on our porch at 6:10am with bags waiting but some goodbyes were in order. Firstly to Mama, our host at Shady Resort. The loveliest woman imaginable with the cutest laugh. Also a stickler for business, never letting us go too far from payment. Like a mama she'd make me feel a little guilty for ordering another beer. The food was amazing there for the price, even if are time there we pretty much tried all on the menu that looked appealing. Sarah will probably rave about the coconut shakes and I about the Penang Curry. Anyway saw mama and asked for a couple of waters. She said we could have them for free which was nice. Then I volunteered to tell anyone about Shady Resort, and I will do. I've already told a colleague back home who asked about it. So Shady Resort, Mae Nam Beach, Koh Samui. You can pay about an extra £3 a night and get AC if you arent like us trying to get the money to stretch longer than a few weeks.
Someone else needed a goodbye and that was my Shindig dog, and to a lesser extent his mate Fighter. Shindig is actually a girl. I sort of knew this from the pink collar, if she hadn't rolled over. Anyway I came to the restaurant to say goodbye and they seemed ok with this, but dogs don't understand. Or do they? I returned to the porch to wait for the van and they both came and said goodbye properly. Sarah said they were looking for food, but she's a liar, they were wanting to say goodbye to me properly. Shindig was a mess emotionally.
The boat ride back from Koh Samui to Surat Thani was a fast boat but it seemed longer. The waves were high and going out on deck seemed a risky operation but I did it. Already on the boat were the Koh Pha Ngan lot, the party island. They obviously boarded an hour or so earlier and were crashed out everywhere. At Surat we didnt have to wait long for the coach, and when it arrived it wasn't bad at all. Old but comfy with reclining seats and good AC. I whacked on a few tunes and felt myself drifting asleep to wake seeing a sign 'Krabi 32km'. The coach kicked us all out in what looked like a driveway to someones house. It turned out to be the waiting point for those who had onward buses to Krabi pier for Koh Phi Phi as we did or buses to Railay beach in Krabi. Incidentally the day was miserable in weather. Weary backpackers got off the bus as ordered and were captive audiences in a small shed which would sell you accommodation and snacks. I see no reason why the bus couldnt have taken us to the pier, bar this chance to sell us food and other touristy stuff. Still the wealth of tourist opportunities is what makes Thailand so travel friendly. You do not have to book a thing. The trade off is the constant sell, and the trade off is fair in my opinion.
The boat to Koh Phi Phi left at the expected time of 1:30pm and the journey was very choppy. No one was allowed outside even in the covered bit. A gentleman in front looked very ill from sea sickness and was lovingly attended to by his wife / girlfriend. Arriving at KPP our first welcome was a loudspeaker saying "fee for clean up KPP; B 20 per person" so not a few steps off the boat B 40 gone. This I would later think is a rip off. During a walk today, there is garbage and shit everywhere so where is this money being spent. Public bins also seem few and far between meaning you have to carry an apple core for a km or two. They should come clean and call it a tourist tax as that is all it is.
Waiting for us on the shore are hundreds of pushers for accommodation. The ones I wanted in Samui. One sold us a place near the beach for B500. The place unfortunately is bad smelling and the view out the window shows another place where the 'clean up' fee hasn't reached. When I say bad smelling, I mean its negative aroma therapy in that I woke up with a blinding headache, and considered checking for a murdered corpse. The man said that if we don't like it, he will give our money back, sure he frickin will. The good news is we searched for a place today, with time on our hands and away from the hard sell and free from backpacks on our back hurrying our decisions, we found a good place for the last three nights. Airy, clean and B100 less than this shit hole.
Also today we got tickets back to Bangkok for Friday £12 each for 2 hour boat trip and a 1278 km coach trip is VFM. This will get us in on Sunday 3rd June and Monday morning straight to the Chinese Embassy to pick up tourist visas. Mine about $50 and Sarahs $150. If America hadn't spouted off about commies so much it would have been cheaper.
Tonight we are off the the Reggae Bar, and as you'd expect from a Reggae Bar, we are watching a Thai Boxing match. Actually that isn't what expect from a Reggae Bar. You'd expect pictures of Marley smoking happy stuff, 'Stir it up' on repeat and Jerk Chicken just like moma use to make on the menu. So looking forward to the violence.
I visited KPP 10 years ago and the thing that has jumped out at me is it has changed a lot, compared to Khao San and Samui which seems identical. However, this seems largely due to the Tsunami. What was called the Tourist Village with smelly fish stands is now called Tsunami Village with nice restaurants. Also noticeable are signs marking Tsunami Evacution route. I remember hearing about the tsunami hitting KPP, 2.5 years after I visited and remembered where I stayed and how completely helpless I would have been had it struck while I was there. I think the clearly marked routes possibly show the panic and turmoil when an island of tourists and locals were all heading for the one few high grounds. Very sobering.
Anyway in other news; I have become a fully fledge Thai traveller as I am now the proud owner of a Singha Wife Beater vest. I took off my shirt on the walk today and my bare chest offended Sarah, and possibly many others, so a vest is a good compromise.
I think the night was a mini date night as that what we feel we should do even though spending time together isn't an issue. Still we started on the beach and found some bean-bags to sit down and drink while the sea sent gentle waves in. This was good for a while until the heavens opened again and we retired to the sheltered bit of the bar, which was also playing cheesy pop. We are of that age where comfort and conversation take priority over banging choons, but the rain kept us put. Anyway there was a point to tonight, we were off the see the Thai Boxing match at Reggae Bar, scheduled for 9:30pm.
Firstly it was free to get in which was pretty good, but we knew the costs would come somewhere. Our obligatory drinks cost B300 for the first round of two. Then spying the menu we noticed that for B100 you can get yourself a bucket of whiskey and coke, which is what we did and what we didn't end up finishing. The actual Thai Boxers were thin on the ground and the filler was a sign and patrons urging (mostly girls) to get the gear on and into the gym for a quick bout. This proved to be hilarious. Young 20somethings half-way through a bucket of booze were not about to take it seriously. Added to that the cheesy choons of Lady Gaga and a dance version of Adeles 'someone like you' it seems that the girls were more preoccupied with their co-ordinated dancing than fighting eachother. Their reward was another bucket of whiskey, priceless entertainment. The actual fighters came on later and neither possessed a miligram of fat on them. The grace and power behind it made Sarah and I debate whether it was choreographed or not. However, every now and then a huge smack in the face with an elbow or knee kept that theory in doubt. In any case an amazing night and while I was bit tipsy, I had no hangover. This is just as well as tomorrow was the boat trip day.
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