Sunset Boat Trip

On Thursday, we decided to go on another trip to Phi Phi Ley island. We couldn't stay away! This time, however, we selected a sunset boat tour package that included kayaking, snorkelling, beach hopping and dinner for a reasonable price. We looked around at different companies and packages before booking our tour - as it turned out, we needn't have bothered. When we arrived at the meeting point at 1:30pm as instructed, we were informed that our company "wasn't going today" so we were joining with a different company. Same itinerary and price. I have a sneaking suspicion that, since it is low season, there isn't a lot of business and the companies take turn merging all the sunset tours together into one. Kaila had explained to us that the dive companies did this regularly, to work together and support each other. The island really does act like one big family that looks out for each other.

As it was, our new tour guide picked us up at our travel agency and we continued through the town picking up more people from other agencies. There were no more than two dozen of us in total. We boarded on a larger sized boat with more than enough space for us and left Phi Phi Don for its nearby sister island.

We stopped only once on Phi Phi Don island at a small beach full of wild monkeys. A longtail boat transported the people from the larger boat to the beach. Beau and I weren't that interested in the monkeys and asked instead if we could snorkel in the nearby coral. They gave us masks and snorkels and let us jump off the boat an explore. The small reef was somwhat deep below the surface but we were still able to see quite a bit.

Our first stop on Phi Phi Ley island was at the lagoon. We stayed there for over an hour and were given time to kayak through the lagoon and snorkel in the larger, shallower reef. Beau and I opted to kayak first, me in front and him in back. We had some sync issues as first - I blame it on two first-borns who both wanted to set the pace - but we eventually worked it out andanaged to enjoy the towering cliffs and blue-ish green clear water.

As we were returning to the boat, a cloud of doom rapidly approached and within minutes we were in the middle of a huge downpour! The rain was cool and refreshing and no one seemed at all deterred in their activities. We took our time returning to the boat and dropping off the kayak, then grabbed our masks and snorkels for some snorkelling in the rain. I highly recommend it. Rain = Clouds = not having to worry about burning your backside as you stick it in the air for long periods of time observing the underwater below. It also brings out more marine life.

Our second snorkelling endeavour was much better than the first. It was much shallower and you could easily see what was going on below you from the surface. We saw all kinds of interesting fish and plant life. Some that I could easily identify include moorish idol andcrown of thorn
starfish but there was so many more that I couldn't name. It was mesmerizing to watch.

Eventually the rainfall stopped as abruptly as it started and we saw patches of blue sky and sunlight within the hour before we continued to our next destination - Maya Beach. We approached the beach from the opposite side, by swimming to shore, climbing through a cave that could only be done at low tide and walking through the jungle past the campground, the only place on the island where you can stay the night.

Even though Maya beach is overly popular and full of tourists, it is still a beautiful beach nestled within a beautiful bay. We wandered along the beach and discovered a small, deserted beach farther along the bay but a close enough distance that you could swim to it. So we did that and had the beach to ourselves briefly before a longtail boat arrived and ruined our privacy. We briefly explored the beach before making the swim back to Maya Beach and rejoining our tour group.

After taking a longtail boat back to our big boat, we continued to circle the island and ultimately anchored right between Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don islands. Then we had dinner, a Thai buffet that included steamed rice, green curry chicken, stir-fried vegetables and fresh sliced pineapple. It was delicious.

Because of the rainstorm and the multitude of clouds in the sky, we expected a disappointing sunset. Once again, the rainy season sunset didn't disappoint. This time, however, once the sun disappeared behind the clouds and ultimately below the distant land, the sky exploded not with several different colours but with every possible hue and tint of gold. No words can accurately describe how breath-taking the sight was. Even the Thai locals on the boat were impressed.

We didn't think that anything could top that, but as people faced the opposite way and posed to get photos taken with the golden sky, we discovered not one but TWO giant rainbows arching over Phi Phi Ley island. It truly was a sunset to remember!

We returned to Phi Phi Don in near darkness and, since it was our last night on the island, decided to go out with bang. We explored the town and weaved our way through the streets, which were already full of people drinking buckets and shopping, and bar/club employees handing out flyers. We ran into Kaila in the street (small island!) and she invited us to join some other divers at Deco Bar.

We hung out there for a while before moving on to Sports Bar which was having their weekly trivia night. They had already started so we joined a group of Swedes and helped them with the North American based questions. The quiz master was a crass talking Welshman who was so self-absorbed and arrogant that it was entertaining. At least he made the questions evenly distributed amongst geographical locations to make it truly tourist-friendly. We stayed at the bar after quiz was over and grabbed a beer with the Swedes for a while before continuing on.

We followed the music to the beach bars but, as luck would have it, they stopped playing and started closing up just as we got there! It was only 1:30am but Beau pointed out that it is low season and that might account for the early closing time. We lay down for the beach for a while and stared up at the starry sky before going to grab a bite to eat from the food stalls lining the streets.

At this point Beau dropped me off at the hut and went to rejoin the Swedes at the bar. I decided to end my evening with a quiet read before bed. I eventually got sleepy and closed my book and rolled over to turn off the light - and there was Speedy Gonzalez. Crawling up the INSIDE of the mosquito net. I instantly woke back up. I tried shaking him off the net and whisking him out the front door but the little bugger held on tight!

I knew then that this was a final showdown. Speedy had to go. I looked around for some type of cloth or fabric and could only find a small paper bag. Fuelled by adrenaline and knowing I only had one shot, I struck quickly. And I got him! I squeezed extra hard to make sure he couldn't escape and then I threw him outside. Trisha: 1 Speedy: 0. Of course I was now too wired for sleep so I kept the light on and read in bed until Beau returned. All in all a memorable last night on Ko Phi Phi.