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Although we were basically drunk/hungover/dying, we were very happy to be back on Ko Phi Phi as it was definitely one of our favourite places! We went straight to check in at a hostel where Johanna & Jesper's friends were staying, with full intentions of going straight to bed for a very long nap! When we got there we said a quick hello to Marline and Sophia (their friends) and went up to our room (which was empty - bar three single mattresses on the floor!) - We were used to sleeping in places that weren't that great but even we thought that a bed was a pretty standard requirement in a 'bedroom'! and it wasn't even cheap! We felt amazingly rough (we still both agree that it was the worst hangover we've had since leaving home!) and so we just lay down and watched greys, well, I watched the same episode 4 times because Ki kept falling asleep and I didn't know! Later that day we went for pizza with Johanna, Jesper & Marline. Sophia came to say hi and we met her boyfriend who turned out to be the Fire-thrower that I had my picture with the last time we were on Phi Phi!
A few days later we moved to a new hostel called Gypsy Village. It was much better than where we had been staying, it was about £4 cheaper a night and it really was a little village! Pink bungalows all facing each other in a square, around a big patch of grass! It really reminded me of 'Lost'! We reserved two bungalows for the lads and went to the pier to meet them (they had gone to Phuket after Khao Lak for a few 'boys nights'). When they turned up it was quite evident that they were still drunk from the night before - funny! We all went for lunch and then the boys (including Jesper) played football in front of the bungalows while me and Johanna chilled out. James hurt his foot pretty badly and it swelled up loads! Ki's team won twice, which pleased Ki quite a lot as Stuart was on the other team and he and Stu have an ongoing 'I bet I'm better than you at... (everything!)' competition - It's never-ending! That night, after dinner, we decided not to go out, but to have a civilised balcony card game instead. Needless to say, that didn't happen and it turned into a bonkers balcony bonanza with buckets of Samgson (the local lethal spirit) - great night though!
The next day we slept almost continuously, Villa-Blues was on at 3am that night/the following morning, so we needed to save our energy to make sure we made it! We got up at about 6pm and went for dinner at a proper cheap backstreet stall/restaurant; we basically ate a curry in someone's living-room and paid like £1! Yea Boi! Then we went to meet the rest of them and waited while they spent loads on their meal, hehe. Afterwards Stu went to get a tattoo at the same place I got mine on our last visit. Ki and I waited with him and got chatting to a really sound girl from Holland called Elaine. Her friend was getting a massage opposite the tattoo place and she was thinking of getting a tattoo, we chatted for ages and ended up inviting her and her friend (Natasha) on the boat trip to Maya Beach (where 'the beach' was filmed) that we planned to go on on Friday. When Stu's tattoo was finished (it looked awesome by the way - see the pics) we went to the beach party at a bar called Slinky's which was pretty cool but we didn't stay long as it's not the place to be when your even slightly sober! We went on to the bar where we planned to watch the game 'The Reggae Bar' but it was empty (it was 2am), we managed to convince the manager to allow us to stay in there, even though after our first drink we were quite evidently buying beer from 7/11 across the road and bringing it in! We even bought him one! :) the bar was really cool because right in the middle of it they had a full size boxing ring! (me & Ki had a little scuffle before the game started - he got merked, hehe). Villa lost the match, which meant that they were knocked out of the cup by Blues! Which in turn meant that I walked home with two (Ki & Stu) very drunk and very angry boys - funny though!
After another day in bed recovering, we went and met the boys at a lovely fish restaurant for dinner, before going back to the Reggae Bar (where we were the previous night) so James could take part in the 'Burger challenge'. The burger was a triple-decker with 800g of beef, complemented with masses of huge greasy onion rings, loads of wedges and a whole bowl of coleslaw (which James hates!). The plate it was served on was more like a tray! And he only had half an hour to finish it! If he was successful it was free, but if he failed he had to pay 500THB (£10). While he was doing that we were entertained by random members of the public taking part in a real fight in the ring! There were even two girls that had a go! When James' time was almost up, we could see he was struggling! But when the bell actually went he literally only had an onion ring and a few bits of coleslaw left! (take a look at the pics! - Legend!). He finished in perfect timing because just as he did, two professional Thai boxers took to the ring! They were absolutely amazing! - so fast!
The Boat Trip
Again, because of our group size - now including Elaine and Natasha - we were the only people on our boat (apart from a Russian couple who barely spoke). It was a long-tail boat which are native to South-East Asia and we'd never been on one before so it was pretty cool :). James wasn't sure whether or not to come with us because he was ill and his foot was still sore and swollen, but he didn't want to miss out so he came along :). Our first stop was a beach on Phi Phi Don (the island we were staying on) called Monkey Beach, which was a tiny little beach, only accessible by boat, that had loads of moneys and little baby ones too, that live on the island and come down to the beach to see the visitors and take the food that they offer! The monkeys get really close to you and if we hadn't worked in South Africa we wouldn't have been so apprehensive but we had and so we were trying to warn people how strong and unpredictable they could be, but no one listened! And then, when all of the banana muffin had gone, one of the monkeys that was on a branch proper went for Janek's head! He missed though and Janek stepped back and then we all left!
After Monkey Beach we made our way out to sea to do a spot of snorkelling, which we were both much better at than when we were in Kenya, and we enjoyed a lot more! In fact I loved it, the water was so clear and it's amazing how much more interesting fish are when they're not in a tank! Even the little ones! After snorkelling we went and had lunch on Long Beach (also on Phi Phi Don) which was really nice. We then went to another nice beach (not sure where it was though) and just hung out for a while, played on the swing for a bit and made some funny videos before heading back to the boat and off to do some more snorkelling. This time though we were swimming at a section where the coral came very close to the surface. Everybody scratched their feet and legs a little, including James who had only got in the water to help with the little bit of seasickness that he was feeling! He touched a sea urchin with his (good) foot which left little black dots and caused quite a bit of pain - just to add to his uncomfortable day, bless him! While we were in the water Stu panicked all of a sudden about something under him, which had a knock-on effect and we were all trying to clamber up the little ladder into the boat at the same time, the boys were so funny, I wish we'd caught it on video! Lol.
Our next stop was the one we had all been waiting for... Maya Beach (on Phi Phi Leh) - as touristy as it is to go 'the beach', it was filmed there for a reason... its absolutely stunning! The pictures don't ever do the beautiful places you see justice, but that is especially true here. We had another snorkel (so cool! - but I kept thinking about the sharks that killed the Swedes! [in the book]) before we went to the island for a chill out! We went a little further inland for a bit of an explore and, to Thailand's credit, I think they may have learned their lesson from what happened to Phi Phi Don, as no one can stay overnight unless they camp and they have built next to nothing on the island - some toilets and a reception for the campers. It still looks exactly as it does in the film! We took loads of photos and of course made our own version of the well known 'beach life' photo from the film. When it was almost sunset we were called back to the boat for the journey back. Watching the sunset in the boat was lovely but after about 15minutes of our 45minute journey back the sea began to get really rough. It was so choppy and in our little boat we really didn't have time to get scared about the fact that it was getting dark and we were in the middle of the choppy ocean because we were getting too wet! Ha, it was very fun! (for everyone except James)
Back on Phi Phi Don
When we arrived back we went straight out for dinner with Jesper & Johanna to a lovely Swedish restaurant, it was delicious! Then we went back to our bungalows and got ready for the evenings antics. Firstly, we went to Bohemian Bar (the same bar that we had gone to on our anniversary) to see Sophia's boyfriend in the fire-show and for farewell drinks because Johanna & Jesper were leaving to go to Malaysia in the morning! :( the fire-show was ACE! And when it had finished they had a game of musical chairs that Stuart took part in, and almost won! He came third and was only out because when it came down to the last few they changed the game and the contestants had to collect things from the audience; Stu went out because he needed a black bra... unfortunately, I was wearing a blue and pink one that night! Lol. We moved to the next-door bar for a few drinks and then said an emotional goodbye before moving on to the Beach party on the other side of the island. From what I can remember, it was an awesome night - we met up again with Elaine and Natasha, got covered in body paint and spent the whole time dancing on the podiums!
Needless to say, we were all very hungover again the next day! We went for lunch in a cool bistro style place that always had a film on for you to watch while you ate! We then went to Andaman Resort (where Ki and I stayed for our anniversary) and used the pool - technically we weren't allowed but, oh well :) we played lots of really fun games - I love playing in the pool - and the boys made a very impressive people tower! (see the pics again). That evening we just went to a really loud but empty bar called 'Apache' and sat on our laptops. While everyone was uploading photos and stuff, and watching the football as usual, I learned all about the tsunami! So interesting, but terribly sad.
In the morning we packed up our stuff and said goodbye to Phi Phi for the second time:( We sat on the top deck on the boat to Koh Lanta, the weather was glorious and there were people trying to convince us to stay in their nice resorts as soon as we got on the boat! We ended up having four people waiting to see if we would choose them and trying to strike a deal with us. It was pretty tough though because they all had pros and cons!
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