day 13 - ko phi phi, thailand

day 13 - now this is paradise. after the bizarro world otherwise known as phuket, ko phi phi (unfortunately pronounced "pee pee") is what i signed up for. crystal white sands, gorgeously clear turquoise waters and world class scuba diving, all wrapped up in a naturally beautiful island.

in addition, everything is within walking distance of the pier, so there's no wasted transportation costs on taxis or tuk tuks. our hotel in phuket arranged the boat trip, which was one of the few things they got right. most funny was me trying to check out and pay the bill w/my credit card. the dude kept swiping my card w/the magnetic strip visible, so i stood there and watched in amazement. he kept trying, then turned it sideways 180 degrees, so that the strip was still visible, only on the other side. isn't there a point when common sense kicks in? i mean, what exactly are you sliding if you can still see the strip? homey even asked me if i had another card, so i had to grab his hand, place my card in the proper position, then let him have at it once more. and whaddaya say, voila!



we caught the 8:30am ferry from rassada pier in phuket, arriving in ko phi phi don just after 10am. there are in fact six islands that comprise the phi phi islands, but phi phi don is the only one w/inhabitants. the second largest - phi phi ley - was made famous by danny boyle's "the beach" starring leonardo di caprio, and it's where i'm headed tomorrow.

below left is our boat approaching phi phi ley, and opposite is the pier in phi phi don.



feenin for some grub, we hit up this aussie grill joint that had burgers! i know that i'm in thailand and shouldn't expect much, but i've been craving one real bad so i rolled the dice. and safe to say the bacon cheeseburger was the bomb shiz, along w/the tall pineapple cooler.



now officially sweating my @$$ off, it was time to hit the beach, so we walked over to loh dalum bay, an idyllic and breathtaking opposite ton sai bay. my subpar digital camera can't begin to capture what the eye can process, but the below is a poor attempt. loh dalum is distinguished by its very shallow and pristinely clear warm water. i walked out a few hundred meters and still found myself only thigh-deep, so for a non-swimmer i was in heaven. oh and as reference, my hand is two feet under water...



and lest i forget to mention, our hotel (p.p. palmtree) is pretty sweet too. more pics are coming, but here are a few of the central pool and outdoor bar with poolside seating. is there a better place to enjoy your chang beer? the only downside is, the hotel doesn't have wifi access throughout, which is unheard of in this day and age. that is why yours truly is banging out today's post on the terrace of a sports bar as we speak...