Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
I didn't feel nice this morning after not having a good sleep and waking up so early from my bites itching so much. Nath said his were bad too but he has been trying to resist itching them! We got sorted quickly and checked out and waited in reception to be picked up for the boat at 8am. By 8.15 there was still no sign of anything so the hotel rang and they said they were on their way.
A little mini van turned up which had bags and people crammed in. Our bags wouldn't fit in so the guy put them on the roof rack, but there was nothing to strap them so we thought we would just see them roll off along the way. I think the driver thought so too and he drove about 2 mile an hour and kept looking in his mirror for them on the floor!
We got to the pier, which was a lot different to the other piers on the islands. This had security and an immigration office and they were checking that everyone who went passed looked suitable!! We saw one woman infront arguing with them about something but weren't sure what. After walking around town for ages before to find the best place to book the boat, we found that no matter who you booked through, there was only the one boat, so the different prices of the companies was an addition to what they wanted to charge you to drop you off at the pier. We did really well with the price of the ticket though as to buy them at the pier it was 400 bhat and we paid 300 including drop off!
The boat had 3 levels, so we headed to the bottom. I think the worst boat we went on where Nath was sick must just have been a bad boat on a bad day as this boat was smooth too and you couldn't really feel anything. Nath was okay through it all and just tried to sleep for the full time.
We got off the boat at Phi Phi pier. This island has no cars so we had to walk to our accommodation. It wasn't far at all though! There are two Kinnaree houses on the island so we went to the first one we passed and asked there. They told us that we had to check in there and then we followed a lady 2 seconds around the corner to where we were staying. We couldn't check in yet- it was quarter past 11 and she told us to come back at 12.30pm.
The island seemed so small- no wonder there were no cars! For one the streets are like alleys and two it's so small you can walk everywhere. All the streets looked the same, lined with shops and bars and restaurants. It seemed like it would be pretty easy though to get around and see everything. We had a look at a couple of the ticket stalls and asked about the boat to Phuket and also about the day trip to Maya bay. We ended up finding a good one and booked both with them. The boat to Phuket and a mini bus to Patong where we were staying cost 350bhat each (£7) and the boat trip that was a full day trip to loads of little islands, snorkelling and kayaking and going to Maya bay, then watching sun set before the end of the trip cost 700bhat each (£14) plus 100bhat (£2) that we have to pay to get into Maya bay when we get there. So cheap really!!! All that sorted and it was only 12 o'clock and we couldn't even check in yet!
We weren't massive fans of the place so far! The streets were very small and all looked the same, everywhere was so busy with tourists and busy in general. People rode bicycles instead of scooters and they were constantly ringing their bell to get past on the tight streets. The place also looked quite dirty and there was quite a lot of litter. This was the first view, so will have to see what the rest of the island is like.
As we had a bit of time before check in we decided to go back to the barbers that we saw on the way in so Nath could get his hair cut. We stood outside for 5 mins whilst Nath picked up the courage to actually go in and get it done. They told us the hair cut would cost 300bhat (£6) so he decided to go for it after much deliberation! When we went in the lady (so we thought) asked what we would like...then we she turned and spoke we realised it wasn't actually a lady! Nath told her what he wanted and he sat in the chair and took the plunge and got his hair cut by a lady boy! That's one for the memory book! Ha!
Nath was happy enough with the hair cut thank god! After this we could then check in so went back to our accommodation to see what the room was going to be like!
It really wasn't what we expected at all! It was definitely the worst accommodation we had stayed in so far! It did have a safe and a fridge and air con like it said, but it was an awful grubby room! The room had no windows, so we had no natural light, everything looked like it might fall apart and the bathroom was grim too. There was no shower holder either so we had to hold the shower head over each other to get washed! It reminds me a murder scene room off the TV, the really grim ones!!
After checking in to the lovely place, we got back out of there as soon as possible! We had a walk back through the town and up to a view point- which they clearly have in every place! It was a bit of a hike up some stairs- again! You had to pay 30bhat each to go to the viewpoint but it was worth the money. There was a lower viewpoint then one further up on the top of the hill and rocks. We could see over the town and over Tong Sai Bay (which was where the pier was) and Loh Dalum Bay (which was where the main beach was). You could see how little of a distance it was between the two parts of the island- just a little strip of land where the main town area was. The other side of the island did not really look inhibited.
At the top of the viewpoint there was a picture which showed what the viewpoint looked like before the tsunami and what it looked it like after. The difference was heartbreaking. We could see now how well the island had done in rebuilding but still how much was ruined. There was still a lot of building going on over the town and it was still run down- but you could see how hard they had worked and how awful it must have been.
After spending some time up at the viewpoint we walked all over town, we saw the beach, which was very busy and a bit run down, but from the viewpoint the water and beach did look amazing. We saw all over everywhere in the Phi Phi Don Village as it was so small and easy to get around. There are shops etc in the surrounding villages that we didn't go to, but they aren't as built up and do not have as much to really see, so we didn't feel the need.
On the way walking over all town we stopped at a bar overlooking the pier to have a beer and play some pool. We also bought ourselves some new sandals to replace the ones that hurt so much! Hopefully we wouldn't just wear trainers now!
After a long mooch we headed back to our room about half 5, got sorted and ready for the next day, got ready and headed back out for some dinner.
We went to a restaurant literally on the corner from our accommodation. It was very nice and did all types of food. We promised ourselves that we would try different Thai dishes so I had chicken noodle soup and Nath had Beef Thai green curry. Naths was very hot, but was still really nice. Mine was pretty bland but was nice too! We were glad we tried them both. We kept swapping meals so we had different things and so our mouths could cool down from the curry!
After dinner we took a walk around town and to the beach, which was packed. There were some bars on the beach that had fire performers and music etc. and there were also a lot of British touts on the streets promoting bars which we found very surprising and very annoying!! Couldn't believe out of all the places, Thailand being so beautiful that there would be British people working here and spoiling it! It didn't really fit in with what we expected and definitely ruined it a bit for us! It turned it into a British holiday Magaluf sort of thing, instead of being able to appreciate the beautiful place that it actually is.
After a walk around and a beer from the shop, we decided to head back to our room as we didn't want to be rough for our trip in the morning and we could enjoy a night out the next night.
- comments