Kittens Like the Beach, Too!

On most ferry rides to the main islands, you are bombarded by people trying to get you to stay at their resort, offering free transport from the pier with no strings attached. For the first time we actually accepted one of these offers and so off we went!





We weren't expecting a whole lot from this place but it turned out to be really cool. They had two swimming pools(one right next to the beach), a little restaurant and bar. After not so much deliberation, we decided to stay!











Again, we snagged some beach chairs with an umbrella by the pool and camped out for the rest of the day. The sunset that evening was one of the best ones we have seen on this trip.


















That night we went looking for the town but we never found one, just more resorts and a few restaurants on the main road. Since our resort restaurant was a little over priced, we went and tried out a place called Mamma Oil down the street from our resort. It was fantastic! Good, plentiful and cheap! And the couple that ran the place were so genuinely nice and grateful.





The next day we just took it easy and lounged. It's cheaper to just buy a small bottle of rum and a liter of coke than it is to buy two cocktails, so we stocked up and went out to the beach to watch the sunset again and relax. We were accompanied by a little kitten who amused us as it chased crabs along the beach. We ate again at Mamma's and then passed out from overindulgence and happiness.





In the morning we were off to Ko Mok!

- Mattie and Julian

Location:Ko Lanta, Thailand

Phi Phi, Pee Pee, PP, etc.

Our voyage to Ko Phi Phi wasn't exactly smooth sailing. We knew that we had a few transfers to make before boarding the ferry that actually went to Ko Phi Phi, but we weren't exactly sure where they were or when they left! All we knew is that the ferry took off at 1:30pm. So we went on our long tail boat ride and he dropped us off at a pier on the mainland in Krabi Town. He says, "Wait here," so we did. And we waited. And we waited. We started to get a little concerned. We didn't know if our next ride was going to be a boat or a car. Luckily, there were some very nice boatmen with cell phones and somehow they knew where we were going and who to call. So, they got some guy on the phone, and he tried to communicate something to us in his broken English(it's much easier to decipher in person), but that just left us more confused and worried about missing the big ferry. He did promise that the ferry would wait on us, but we thought "why would a big ferry wait on two people who already paid for tickets?" At about 1:30pm, a van finally pulled up to take us to the other pier to catch the ferry, and we discovered that we are not the only ones that were late! There were about ten others in the taxi van that were trying to catch the same boat.The ferry did end up waiting on us and we made it to Ko Phi Phi without further delay!











There are no roads on the island of Ko Phi Phi, which means that there are no cars and we only saw a total of two motorbikes. This makes sense, since the only path on the island is a five minute walk from one end to the other. One may think that this would result in a really nice pedestrian-only environment, but no, you can't forget about the bicycles! Let me paint you a picture. Imagine you are walking down the street, which is about as wide as a standard car, and there are people everywhere. Then, a local person comes barreling down the road on his pink bike with a 6 month old baby sitting in the basket attached to the front, ringing their bell, and running into you and everyone else as if they don't see anyone. Another scene, same road but with only you walking down the street. Enter local on bike with the whole road at his disposal, but where does he choose to ride? Directly into the tourist, of course. It's getting quite annoying and the next time someone tries to run me over I cannot be held accountable for my actions.





Beside the bicycles, I think that Ko Phi Phi has been one of our favorite destinations so far. The beach is fantastic and there are plenty of people, but it's not too crowded. And, of course, the views are great. You can rent a beach chair with an umbrella and laze around all day reading or swimming while hearing a steady stream of music like Jack Johnson drift unobtrusively out of the beachside cafes.





In addition to the beach, we have found not only the best hamburger in Southeast Asia, but also the best pizza, too! It's true.

And of course there is the night life! On our first full day on Phi Phi, we ran into some girls that we met back on the slow boat to Laos, as well as a couple more people we met in Ko Samui. The first night was a wild one that began with us all watching an amazing fire show on the beach. Next stop was the Muay Thai arena, where drunk tourists compete to earn 'free' buckets of booze. Free in terms of money, but they usually take a pretty good beating, as you see many of them bandaged up limping around the beach the following day. After these thoroughly entertaining matches, and a few buckets for ourselves, we made our way to the infamous beach parties that run well into the morning hours.

The next day can be summed up in three words... sleep, eat, repeat.





As with most places, there are boat tours to neighboring islands. We went on one that took us all around Ko Phi Phi Leh(we were staying on Ko Phi Phi Don), which contains the famous beach from the movie, "The Beach." This tour was on a long boat and the water was a bit choppy for my taste, but the reward was great. We got to see the most amazing, clearest blue water that we have ever seen. The bottom of the sea floor was all sandy making the water look even more amazing and the snorkeling was excellent as well. So many fishes and Julian even found Mattie a starfish!
























Included in our trip was a stop at Maya Beach, where they filmed the movie, The Beach,





























































and Monkey Island where there are monkeys galore living right on the beach!

















We spent one more day relaxing on the beach before moving on to Ko Lanta. Today on the beach, we were relaxing in our chairs and the guy who rents out the chair's cell phone starts ringing. What was his ring tone you ask? Why, it was Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne! I just thought that was amusing.

Before we left for Ko Lanta, we went up to the view point on the top of yet another mountain to see the splendor. Then hike wasn't as treacherous as past hikes but the view was just as cool.

















- Mattie and Julian

Location:Ko Phi Phi

The Sweet Smell of Plumeria!

To get to the Andaman Sea from the Gulf of Thailand, we had to cross back over the mainland, and since we were headed in that direction, we chose to stop for a night in Phuket. We weren't very impressed, but to be fair we only stayed one night in Phuket Town, which is known to be pretty dull. Regardless, we left the next morning for Railay, in Krabi Province. We had only heard about it a week beforehand, but it was supposed to be nice, so we figured we would give it a shot. What a shot it was! Haven't heard of Railay? To use the defining phrase of the modern generation, "Google it."

The boat we took was probably the nicest one we have been on yet. (It's the big one.)


Arriving in Railay is something we will never forget. The scene is absolutely stunning.

Centered on beach


Left side


Right side


Down the beach


Panorama


For the record, I am writing this on Monday, March 7, 2011, and Julian has broken/lost six pairs of sunglasses while on this trip. Mattie is on her second...

When we arrived we were greeted by yet another spectacular beach and a beautiful day. After finding a place to rest our heads, we went out to the beach to enjoy all that sunshine! We learned that around 3pm everyday, the island is graced by a brief but very welcome rain shower. This really helps with the heat since the sun here is sooooo hot. We've never experienced the sun's heat quite like this! By the time the rain comes, it's a nice way to cool off and rinse the saltwater off of your body, which is quite refreshing.

The next day is our 2 month wedding anniversary and Julian sneaks out of the room early to surprise Mattie with a nice hotel for the next day at a place called Railay Bay Resort. It stretched all the way from sunrise beach to sunset beach(the beaches are back to back). More about this picture later.


We actually had our own little house with walls around it and a garden with an outdoor shower and jacuzzi!


The resort pool sits right up against the beach, so we quickly snagged some prime real estate and spent the entire morning lounging.


For lunch we ventured up the mountain a little bit to catch the views. If you look really closely you can see some climbers in this pic. Railay, along with the entire Krabi region, is known for having world class climbing because of all of the karst formations.


This is the lunch spot from where the above picture was taken.


The bays here are very shallow, so when the tides go in and out, it is quite a drastic change.





There is a third beach on the south side of the island where there is a super luxury resort with room rates starting at more than we have spent on our entire trip. This resort has a monopoly on the best beach on the island, but if you are sneaky you can still go hang out there because it's public. We imagined a perfect beach with only a few people on it since it's kind of hidden and out of the way...well, that's what we were hoping for, anyway. I think the whole island was there when we arrived. Luckily, that didn't subtract from the beauty of it. Nothing could. As you walk along the path towards it, you are walking under these huge rock overhangs which are dangling impossibly above you by what seems like only a thread.








Then, once you hit sand, it opens up to this.


(Those people by the tree on the left side of the above photo are rock climbing)

Looking up from the beach is dizzying. The rock seems to be flowing down off of the formation like dripping icicles, only much, much slower!


Further down the beach


And in both directions





This beach had quite a billing to live up to, as we had read it described to be 'one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.' It did not disappoint us. And, as such, what else would you expect when looking offshore, but plenty of islands in the distance(swimming or kayaking required).


Needless to say, spending a day at this beach was a wonderful experience.

The next morning, Julian woke up early, again, and went for a little hike up a muddy mountain. His swimsuit is still stained red from the mud, and it is now the new official hardest hike of our trip. This photo was the easiest part of the hike.


Of course, the reason for climbing it was to reach a viewpoint, from which he took the previous picture that showed both beaches back to back. Later on, his hard work was rewarded by a nice breakfast buffet at our hotel before we took off for Ko Phi Phi in our own Longtail boat!








Miscellaneous fun pics












































- Mulian

Location:Railay, Thailand