Diary for samandlucytravels


Phuket & Phi Phi

2017-06-30 to 2017-07-09

We were both sad to leave the north of Thailand, it was the best place to start our adventure here, as you really feel like your in the heart of the culture. Chiang Mai will always hold a special place in my heart, whether it's because of the people, the amazing things we did there, the beauty of the Old Town as it's littered with temples, or just because it was the first place we visited in Thailand, I don't know. But I would say it is essential to your itinerary when travelling Thailand.

We flew south to the island of Phuket and stayed in Patong, the party central. If there's one thing that Patong is good for, it's a night out. During the day Bangla Road isn't the most attractive street, but at night it lights up and the music roars. We spent an evening drinking in bars with cheesy music, and challenging the locals at bar games. Sam actually got beaten by a 60 year old Thai woman, at the German bar game, where the winner sinks a nail into the wood the fastest (mentally using the wrong end of the hammer head). The night markets were also a highlight for me, it had a buzzing atmosphere and delicious fresh food. Street vendors were stir frying, sizzling meat kebabs on the gill, preparing pancakes and Thai ice cream rolls. The best part was watching people pick out a fresh fish that had been caught that day, for them to BBQ on the spot.

We got the ferry from Phuket over to the first paradise island on our list, Phi Phi Don. Approaching the Phi Phi Islands was exactly what I had expected when coming to Thailand. Limestone cliffs piercing the turquoise ocean, and long tail boats lining the beaches offering you taxi to neighbouring islands. Like Gili T, Phi Phi has no motorised vehicles, so you can walk into the main town in Tonsai Bay or get a water taxi to other beaches and small villages around the island. We spent most of our time exploring Tonsai Village as their was so much to do and see in the area. Fire dancers would parade on the beaches at night, and in the day the shopping is heavenly (food was pretty good too!).

My favourite day in the Phi Phi islands had to be the day trip we did to Maya Bay on Phi Phi Le, famous from 'The Beach' with Leonardo Di Caprio. We met some friends on honeymoon from New York and got a speedboat for the day, with two other Brazilians guys. We went to various snorkelling spots and to the Viking Cave which is protected by the local people who live there and never leave. Finally it was time to go to Maya Bay, it was low tide so the boat dropped us round the other side of the island. We then walked through the caves and over a cliff edge by rope ladder, before going through the jungle to 'The Beach'. Other than it being filled with tourists, it is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The beach it self is huge  so it's not hard to get away from people if you want to enjoy it privately. After splashing around in the shallows our driver took us to a secluded beach enclosed by land, only accessible by going through a tight space in the cliffs. It scared the hell out of me as he raced towards it. To end the perfect day everyone enjoyed a beer on the boat as we watched the sunset over the horizon.