November 3rd - Our first morning waking up on Phi Phi island. Item number one on the agenda was to find out the best way to Kuala Lumpur, as we had to leave PP in just 2 days! Definately could have stayed much longer as there was much to do and see but by missing stuff, we have the perfect excuse to come back!! Every other shop on PP is a Travel/trip planner so after a quick "eenie, meenie, miney mo" we sat down and talked through our options with an advisor. We had already looked on the net for cheap airline prices, so it was compare and contrast time. The agents were pushing the coach option again but after a couple of nightmareish flashbacks from the last journey and the thought of missing a whole day travelling again, we opted for the ferry to Phuket followed by mini bus to the town centre where we would stroll for a few hours before getting a taxi to the airport for a filght! We booked our own flights, as it was cheaper than what we were being quoted. Now we were sorted, it was time to relax!!

We had been walking around all morning by now and it was tres hot - despite the village being very small, its all quite samey and we found ourselves walking the same streets over and over. I (sam) needed to Pee by this point and as I didn't fancy using the sea (grosse!) I decided to ask a lady who was sat down in the food market area, if there was a toilet I could use. She was very helpful and led the way to a locked door in the middle. After opening it, for some reason unbeknown to me she looked up inside a couple of times before giving me the all clear (there was no roof). After closing the door I walked over to the potty sized loo, which was just a few inches off of the floor and opened the lid.....lets just say I wish I had chosen the sea!!! I didn't stop long but was grateful that for some reason the grosseness didn't smell!!!

Our next stop was to be the beach, but alas we didn't have any beach towels. The day before Sam had seen one with PP written on it that she wanted, but having such bad co-ordination, she couldn't remember which stall she saw it at so we walked aimlessly for a while. The mood was already a little darkened by the website playing up while we booked the flights, so not being able to find the towel, coupled with the heat...it was trouble in Paradise! "Just get any, I don't care"...so we got the first ones we saw, didn't bother trying to barter and planted our bums in the sand!

The beach and the view was B-E-A-utiful and the only complaint was the tide; as the water was so far out you'd have to walk a few miles before you got your knees wet. We had a little splash and did some sun worshiping and all the towel frustration was soon forgotten! We found that the best way to enjoy the sea was to simply lay down and pretend it was deep, being bath temperature this was not a problem, however due to the fact we were actually led on the sea bed, it wasn't long before my shorts and Sams' bikini had inherited half the sand from the sea. Sandy cracks indeed!!! A little more sunbathing and we were hungerbar (v. hungry!) Nourishment was needed so we headed along the front in search of a tasty looking eatery. We found a nice place with shady seats right on the front, just inches from the sand. Here we enjoyed fresh fruit juices and sarnies whilst watching the longboat men crack a few beers on the shore!

They say the thing about monsoon season is that the rain just turns on or off in the blink of an eye - so very true!! Half a sarnie down and a clap of thunder signalled a torrential down pour!! At first we carried on eating and giggling at the longboat men running for cover and all the mugs sat out in the open. Although it wasn't long before we were edging our table back as the water began to creep in among our toes. In the end we were pretty much sitting on the table behind - very cosy! We were somewhat relieved when they turned the lights off, as the water was streaming from the bulbs which were hanging around the edge of the roof. It looked as if the island was so laid back, even water and electricity could get along!

The temperature didn't drop with the rain, so we were happy to sit, toes splashing and watch the world go by. A little excitement ensued when I (Tom) couldn't get a comfy spot for my foot. I noticed it was because I had a small hermit crab underneath it - poor b*****! Once free from its' giant hairy cheesy foot shaped prison, it ran off and tried to climb a tree by our table. At this point a camo gecko began stalking it. We also had a visit from a massive wasp/hornet beasty which was clinging for dear life to a leaf on the same tree! The wildlife kept us entertained for a while but eventually we decided we could wait all day for a dry spell so donned our Kags (always be prepared kids) and hit the street/river!!! We got home no trouble, despite the water and found that handy breeze block stepping stones had been arranged to create a path through the deeper, muddier puddles (the bog of eternal stench scene from Labyrinth came to mind- not quite as smelly!)

Once back in our bungalow we realised we may have caught a little too much sun on the beach. Sam found my glowing red face hilarious but her shoulders weren't too far behind. We freshened up, slapped on oodles of after sun for the sore bits and partook in a little post lunch nap! It wasn't until we woke up that the devastating realisation hit - the rain stopping play had meant we couldn't do the longboat trip to Monkey bay...I think I shed a tear...must return!! We had spotted a big BBQ being set up earlier in the day so headed in that direction when we venture back out for dinner. It turned out to be an all you can eat restaurant, so I made sure I didn't disappoint. Sam made a mighty valiant effort too! From our table we could see the back area of the restaurant round the corner and watched as they prepared food, washed clothes, and stood bare foot all on the same small table. Sam convinced herself it was a one-off and that the rest were most probably more hygenic! Hehe!

We had quite an early night as we planned to get up early and do the hefty view point walk, before packing up and longboating it round to Phi Phi Island Village - a slightly fancier place in a private bay I arranged for Sams' birthday present. Roll on tomorrow!