Phuket and Koh Phi Phi

We left for Phuket on a Thursday night from Singapore extremely excited. On the way there, it was Alex Menter, Jay, Andrew, Bagi, Arthur and me. In the morning, we were planning on meeting up with Juliana, Lucas, and Krista (Lucas' friend from home). Additionally, a few others were already in Phuket waiting for us to arrive.

When we got there, we took a cab to our hotel after running into a few other NTU students. Our hotel was surprisingly cheap, and extremely nice. We each got our own beds, and very clean bathroom (with hot water!!). That night, we spent some time wondering around the area. After getting lost, we finally found the night food market. Since were were absolutely starving, food definitely tasted better than usual. I ate some thick noodles with marinated chicken, and it was exactly what I was craving. After, I got a few 17 baht ice-cream cones, before heading to sleep.

The next morning, we met up with everyone else at the Rassada Pier. We learned that it's cheaper to buy a ticket from a private travel agent; however, since we didn't know that at the time, we spent a few extra bucks. The ferry took about two hours, and we soaked in the sun. They had some pricey snacks and a bar in case we needed some refreshments.

Koh Phi Phi was more beautiful than a postcard. The mountains and clear water lined with long-tailed boats provide an unreal view. Getting into the dock, we realized that we had no place to stay. Jay and I decided to run off and to find accommodation; however, that message was not given to anyone else. Therefore, when we finally haggled down a cheap, somewhat nice place for all 9 of us, we lost the rest of the crew. Since its better to stay in one place when people are looking for you, we set up camp on the floor of the tour shop. We bought a few beers to pass away the time, and ended up with a few more. We played cards for an hour, before stumbling upon our unhappy friends. They had gone off to find accommodation too, because they did not know where we were. After hassling the guy again, we finally booked the Sunset Pavilion resort--several cute huts with mosquito nets and a toilet/sink/shower room that just sort of blended together.

After settling down and freshening up, we went out to eat at a delicious Thai restaurant, where I ate my first of many plates of Pad Thai. Feeling pretty incredible, we explored Phuket late into the night. Phuket is a bit of a tourist trap, so everyone there was either serving a tourist or from Europe/North America.

Karen organized a tour for us the next morning on the famous Thai long-tail boats. There were 6-7 island stops, and some places were only accessible by swimming. Luckily, Alex brought her underwater camera, so we have some record of the amazing places. The boat itself was a fun ride, because the water was pretty rough. Also, our captain (Him) was hilarious! We passed by some interesting caves before heading to our first stop.

Jumping off the boat with our snorkeling gear, we swam to a secluded beach. We exerted most of our energy on the first stop, because we were all too excited. Getting back on the boat covered in salt, we were already exhausted. With 5 more beaches to see, we built up energy and continued on. Since I waited a few too many days to write this, the order is probably way off. The following account is what I remember!

Next up, we went to Maya Bay. Most boats went straight into the bay, but we were unlucky and the tide was too high. Instead we parked in this little rocky area, jumped off the boat, climbed a ladder, and walked a few meters. Maya Bay was in no way a disappointment, but the crowds slightly ruined the beauty. I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio as we looked around the area. Since we had so many more places to see, we stayed for only a few minutes. The way back to the boat was extremely difficult. The tide was rougher, and we had to hold on to a rope in the water while being swung around rocks and sharp objects. All of us were pretty cut up and bruised, but I guess that's part of the adventure.

After, we went to snorkeling sight, which was my favorite stop. The water, being incredibly clear, was filled with brightly colored fish. Hopping off the boat, a few of my friends noticed a bright blue school of fish. The fish stayed in straight rows and spanned the entire side of the cave! I swam through them a few times, felling like a character in Finding Nemo. I tried to touch them, but they moved way too quickly completely in sync with one another. The water underneath the caves is so bright that it glows.

The famous Monkey Beach was our next destination, and I could finally take pictures here. They had mango shakes--my favorite! Monkeys literally swarmed the place, which I don't really prefer since they are so rude. We relaxed for a while, before heading to another beach.

By the end of the day, we were pretty exhausted. Captain Him was driving as usual, and our sketchy car motor broke. Calling for help, we finally got another boat to tow us. Moving at half the speed, Him had a few too many swigs of rum and passed out. Gotta love Him!

Getting back, we took some time to freshen up before hitting the Koh Phi Phi night life again. We ran into a few of my favorite people, Pascal and Teo! I waited in line for a mango drink for a while, only to have a man and monkey snatch my drink and throw it on the ground. Monkey man felt pretty bad and offered to buy me another, but I didn't feel like waiting. We ate some more Thai food, went to a party on the beach, celebrated Pascal's birthday, had some more Thai pancakes, and called it a night.

We had to leave the next day, because our flight was early the following morning. Ferries only run at certain times, so it wasn't worth the risk to try and extend our time. We were also pretty exhausted, so it was fine.

Our boat was much nicer on the way back to Phuket, but it was HOT. Beyond hot. I felt like I was going to faint the entire two hours, so I lost myself in a book to try and pass away the time. Luckily the Hunger Games series is a good distraction. We returned to our same hotel in Phuket, expecting a quiet night.

We were wrong. Stumbling upon a small little bar, we played some pool and had an Egyptian Ratscrew card competition. After, a few went home, and the rest of us continued exploring. Pretty tired, we wanted to head back; however, there was a karaoke bar right ahead! How could anyone say no to that?! So we stumbled in; loud and clear we announced that we wanted to sing karaoke. To our surprise, they escorted us to a private room with a few microphones and TV. Perfect size for the few of us, we decided to get our karaoke on. We sent some of the boys out for refreshments, and they hopped on the back of local's scooter to 7/11. Coming back with the basic karaoke necessities, we had a wonderful time. We spent a few hours singing our hearts out to Disney songs, the Beatles, some popular Thai tunes, and some fun classics.

This was a great way to spend our last night, and we left Thailand in the best mood. Alex, Juliana, and I left pretty early in the morning after eating our hotel's complimentary eggs and toast. Sleeping most of the way back, I felt pretty refreshed upon landing.

I really enjoyed Thailand, but I do think it was overrun with tourists and, therefore, more expensive. I didn't feel very culturally exposed, but I don't think that Southern Thailand is the place for that. Nevertheless, the beaches are beautiful, and its worth a short visit!