Phi Phi: On The Island

I went to Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) with two friends and no concrete plans. I knew I would be happy doing just about anything. I spent most of my time snorkeling and swimming, but I managed to make some new friends and squeeze in a few nights of bar hopping, a massage, manicure, kayak and boat trips, and great food.

We flew over Koh Phi Phi on the way to Phuket. Monkey Beach is the little bay on the far right of the island. The main beach is on the right. The ferry pulls into the beach on the left of the strip. Our hotel was up in the mountains towards the bottom of the island. 

The ferry pier. The only way to get to the island is by ferry. There are no cars on Phi Phi and the only motorized vehicles are scooters that police use to go from one end of the island to the other. 

Everything is within a 30 minute walk or long-tail boat ride away.

The streets of Phi Phi are lined with massage parlors, t-shirt shops, tattoo shops, diving centers, and restaurants offering food from all over the world.

Buckets are offered nightly for consumption.

There were a few of these taxis... but they were mostly used for luggage.

Our hotel was one of the higher accommodations on the mountain. The climb up the stairs was brutal.

But the view from our balcony was worth it. We were above all the noise of the village and the rowdy backpackers.

The island is filled with backpackers from all over the world. There were many European twenty-somethings spending a few days here or working at the dive shops. There were also many Chinese tourists, but they would only spend a few hours on the island before returning to mainland Thailand. The island is tiny and you could pass the same person two or three times a day. This place makes me want to drop everything and play and explore all day - every day. The Thai locals are friendly and helpful and the visitors are all young, relaxed and happy to be part of the spring break atmosphere.