continuation from day 1& 2 and day 3
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A few of us haven't had a goodnite sleep due to the 'incident' yesterday. Admittedly Mat Jos was one of the few, and the models on Fashion TV Channel doesnt help either.
This morning, Amir woke up early to try to solve the problem. Mr Big advised him to check the Tourist Police Station first, and if no avail then a report had to be made at the Thai Immigration. The kind-hearted Mr Big asked one of his employee to help accompany Amir.
Less than half an hour later Amir is back, and his gold intention to settle down with Pak Harun's daughter (see yesterday's comment) will not materialised. Apparently last nite somebody found the passport and brought it to the Tourist Police Station....and the police was more than happy when Amir showed up. Hard Luck!
So since the problem is solved, everybody could re-focus and re-energised their mind, body and soul again. Today is day 4, everybody is eager to continue the journey.
Today's agenda: we will head to the twin islands of KO PHI-PHI DON (usually just referred as Ko Phi-Phi. We will spend 2 nites here) and KO PHI-PHI LEH (which consists of the beautiful Viking Cave, Pileh and Maya Bay). But before that a quick stop at Bamboo Island, which is located just a short distance northeast of Phi-Phi
We hired the same speedboat, and Mr Soon was our tourguide again. Bad for him. But unlike yesterday when we had the boat all to ourselves, today we had some Koreans and Europeans for company.
42km off AoNang Krabi, we arrived at our first stop at Bamboo Island, pretty much all a beach. A very flat beautiful island with blending white sand and crystal clear water.
Quite small, a complete tawaf around it will not take you more than half an hour. Spent about 45-minutes here
after an hour cruising, we should understand that some people do experience motion sickness. Just ask Syeikh Muszaphar and the rest of the Soyuz crew
_________________________________________________________
A few of us haven't had a goodnite sleep due to the 'incident' yesterday. Admittedly Mat Jos was one of the few, and the models on Fashion TV Channel doesnt help either.
This morning, Amir woke up early to try to solve the problem. Mr Big advised him to check the Tourist Police Station first, and if no avail then a report had to be made at the Thai Immigration. The kind-hearted Mr Big asked one of his employee to help accompany Amir.
Less than half an hour later Amir is back, and his gold intention to settle down with Pak Harun's daughter (see yesterday's comment) will not materialised. Apparently last nite somebody found the passport and brought it to the Tourist Police Station....and the police was more than happy when Amir showed up. Hard Luck!
So since the problem is solved, everybody could re-focus and re-energised their mind, body and soul again. Today is day 4, everybody is eager to continue the journey.
Today's agenda: we will head to the twin islands of KO PHI-PHI DON (usually just referred as Ko Phi-Phi. We will spend 2 nites here) and KO PHI-PHI LEH (which consists of the beautiful Viking Cave, Pileh and Maya Bay). But before that a quick stop at Bamboo Island, which is located just a short distance northeast of Phi-Phi
We hired the same speedboat, and Mr Soon was our tourguide again. Bad for him. But unlike yesterday when we had the boat all to ourselves, today we had some Koreans and Europeans for company.
42km off AoNang Krabi, we arrived at our first stop at Bamboo Island, pretty much all a beach. A very flat beautiful island with blending white sand and crystal clear water.
Quite small, a complete tawaf around it will not take you more than half an hour. Spent about 45-minutes here
after an hour cruising, we should understand that some people do experience motion sickness. Just ask Syeikh Muszaphar and the rest of the Soyuz crew
KO PHI-PHI LEH ___________________________________________________
1.Viking Cave
After kene Bambu, head to the triple threat attraction of Ko Phi-Phi Leh. First up is Viking Cave. Of course, the prehistoric Scandinavians never been here, but the cave wall has numerous painting of vessels resembling the Viking longboats, hence the name.
There are also pictures of animals and various European, Arab and
Chinese sailing ships, baroques, motorboats, and steamships.
They were probably drawn by pirates, who paused in the cave on their travels from west to east, sheltering from the monsoon winds, transfering cargo, or
making repairs.
1.Viking Cave
After kene Bambu, head to the triple threat attraction of Ko Phi-Phi Leh. First up is Viking Cave. Of course, the prehistoric Scandinavians never been here, but the cave wall has numerous painting of vessels resembling the Viking longboats, hence the name.
There are also pictures of animals and various European, Arab and
Chinese sailing ships, baroques, motorboats, and steamships.
They were probably drawn by pirates, who paused in the cave on their travels from west to east, sheltering from the monsoon winds, transfering cargo, or
making repairs.
The cave is revered by the local people to collect the swift's nests, used to make Bird's Nest
Soup, a popular Chinese delicacy
2. Pileh Bay
A small lagoon-like bay, nearly completely enclosed by the limestone cliffs. Entrance to the bay by boat is only possible at high tide.Tourist boats,including ours,drove back and forth in circles. Magnifico view.God is great
3. Maya Bay
A stunningly beautiful bay that's sheltered by
high cliffs on three sides, Maya Bay has become the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi Ley since
the 'The Beach' was controversially filmed here in 1999. It was always very popular before the Leonardo DiCaprio-Virginie Ledoyen starred film but then people
around the world who haven't even heard of Phi Phi have certainly
heard of Maya Bay.
Suspiciously the movie bug is felt until now,as the area was full of scenes filming
A stunningly beautiful bay that's sheltered by
high cliffs on three sides, Maya Bay has become the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi Ley since
the 'The Beach' was controversially filmed here in 1999. It was always very popular before the Leonardo DiCaprio-Virginie Ledoyen starred film but then people
around the world who haven't even heard of Phi Phi have certainly
heard of Maya Bay.
Nevermind the Hollywood mumbo-jumbo. Today poor people got to do some snorkeling
Suspiciously the movie bug is felt until now,as the area was full of scenes filming
after some 20-minutes of snorkeling + oceanic trash talk (eg: why the coral in Pulau Jerjak is black & white? the clip above has the answer), we proceed to The Beach to find out what the fuss is all about.
Meanwhile, Amir managed to blackmail the Korean Family
walked off the beach and explored more green paradise inside
So, get off Maya Bay which means the end of Ko Phi-Phi Leh marathon. But not before a final snap at the limestone cliff as background.
Cruisin north to our next destination, Ko Phi Phi Don, where we will settle for 2 nites.
All of a sudden Mr Soon the tourguide, who sensed tiredness among his charges, strucked a conversation with Farah.
Mr Soon: Have you ever driven a boat before?
Farah : No.
Mr Soon: Do you want to try to navigate one?
Farah : Ok !
Without any hint of a doubt she went straight to the cockpit
and thank god Farah does not manoeuvre the boat back to Malaysia, which was the farthest place in our mind right now with all the ugly bickering between Datuk K and his moustache trimmer going on.
Not long after, we encountered shallow water so the fake driver took over the steering wheel from Farah. Those low tide signals that we are now approaching the island
So, get off Maya Bay which means the end of Ko Phi-Phi Leh marathon. But not before a final snap at the limestone cliff as background.
Cruisin north to our next destination, Ko Phi Phi Don, where we will settle for 2 nites.
All of a sudden Mr Soon the tourguide, who sensed tiredness among his charges, strucked a conversation with Farah.
Mr Soon: Have you ever driven a boat before?
Farah : No.
Mr Soon: Do you want to try to navigate one?
Farah : Ok !
Without any hint of a doubt she went straight to the cockpit
and thank god Farah does not manoeuvre the boat back to Malaysia, which was the farthest place in our mind right now with all the ugly bickering between Datuk K and his moustache trimmer going on.
Not long after, we encountered shallow water so the fake driver took over the steering wheel from Farah. Those low tide signals that we are now approaching the island
The boat parked its way on the beach, and people started to get off. But these posers, who were envious of Farah's mastery moments earlier, tried to emulate her feat
(how would you convince people that you are manoeuvering a boat in the middle of the sea if the picture shows it is stationery on the pier with trees on the background? fail)
when we did get off, the first thing that we saw was this cute baby and his/her equally hot mum. (above left pic)
A short introduction of Ko Phi-Phi
According to LonelyPlanet guidebook, Phi-Phi is one of the most beautiful place on earth, and regarded as a 'tropical Shangri-La'. It is actually two islands joined by a unique narrow isthmus separating the two prized beaches of Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam, thus creating a global backpackers heaven.
It is here that the 2004 tsunami create the most havoc, destroying almost 70% of buildings, with a reported fatality of 4,000. Since then, the island has staged a remarkable recovery and slowly but surely will reach its glory days again.
We were informed earlier that accommodation on the island is scarce due to waves of visitors arriving. But, with some helping hand in the form of Mr Soon we managed to book 3 rooms at Gypsy Village, for 1000 Baht (RM100) per nite.
after a short rest, we went out to checkout the fame Ao Ton Sai stretch, which occupies a large chunk of the isthmus, constituting all sorts of shops and guesthouses.
(how would you convince people that you are manoeuvering a boat in the middle of the sea if the picture shows it is stationery on the pier with trees on the background? fail)
when we did get off, the first thing that we saw was this cute baby and his/her equally hot mum. (above left pic)
According to LonelyPlanet guidebook, Phi-Phi is one of the most beautiful place on earth, and regarded as a 'tropical Shangri-La'. It is actually two islands joined by a unique narrow isthmus separating the two prized beaches of Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam, thus creating a global backpackers heaven.
It is here that the 2004 tsunami create the most havoc, destroying almost 70% of buildings, with a reported fatality of 4,000. Since then, the island has staged a remarkable recovery and slowly but surely will reach its glory days again.
We were informed earlier that accommodation on the island is scarce due to waves of visitors arriving. But, with some helping hand in the form of Mr Soon we managed to book 3 rooms at Gypsy Village, for 1000 Baht (RM100) per nite.
after a short rest, we went out to checkout the fame Ao Ton Sai stretch, which occupies a large chunk of the isthmus, constituting all sorts of shops and guesthouses.
hangin out on the waterfront is not a bad idea though
Meanwhile, it
should be noted that, while very laid back, there are Muslim
community among the many locals here...and the recently built
Mosque near our place of stay is the most beautiful structure on the
island in my opinion.
To experience a breathtaking
view of the entire island - particularly at dawn or sunset, we have to
walk up to the Viewpoint, 186 metres above sea level. Going along
guesthouses, local villages and strips of shops, a very steep walk
up await us. Climbing up time ranges between 20-30 minutes, depending
on fitness and the stomach boroiness. The journey up isn't difficult at
all, the path is well trodden and paved most of the way.
There were three levels of Viewpoint; the lowest pt, middle pt and highest pt. Afraid of not being able to catch the sunset on time, we climbed only to the lowest point (read: tak larat aka old)
When arrived at the top, we could clearly see the marvel of the island's beauty. Within sight were Phi Phi Leh and
all of both Ton Sai and Loh Dalum Beach. The narrow sand strip between these two beaches made the island so unique, the main reason why it attracts so many backpackers around the globe
We climbed down, and walk along the shops. A loud siren from all 7 stomachs made their point, we have to look for a place for dinner. Find one Muslim restaurant at Uncle Harun's. Jalan tros.
Burpppp. Walk around the lively stretch of establishments along Ton Sai central to checkout Phi Phi nitelife. Variety of places like guesthouses, luxury hotels, bars, restaurants, tailors, internet cafes,
travel agents, banks, bookshops, jewellery stalls, diving shops and clothing markets were scattered all around
Had drinks at Rolling Stoned, one of Phi-Phi's most popular joint. A 4-piece local liveband was performing countless rock numbers from Oasis to Rage Against The Machine.
Not sure what is the occasion, but tonite there was a huge presence of enthusiastic Swedish tourists gathering on the front stage. One particular guy, we dubbed him as 'duracell', stands out among the crowd with his endless energetic moves and antics, with his army of girlfriends in tow.
With loud music blasting through the speakers and people drove in and off, the place is quite lively
it has been a long day, jet off from Krabi and landed in this beautiful place. It is time to call it a day...but for some people, not before a dose of cucok2 langit i suppose...
end of day 4