World-Famous Beach (Koh Phi Phi)

It had to be done, right? I’d heard nothing but amazing things about Koh Phi Phi, so it had to be worth going to, right? And I wanted to see the so-called “perfect beach”…

Beach sunsets never get old

I caught the day’s first ferry to the crowded island and had reasonable hopes of finding the best budget accommodation available. I love shopping around for cheap accommodation, even in the heat and with a backpack. I squeezed through the crowded streets of Tonsai Village until finally I found a cheap place that I liked (and it was even kind of clean). I was hot and sweaty after my long search, so I dumped my backpack and stepped under the shower.

Dammit. There was no water.

I told reception, and the lady promised she’d get someone to fix it. Someone came in to look at my shower, then left. 45 minutes passed, and still no water.

I told reception again, and the lady promised she’d get someone to fix it. Someone came in to look at my shower, then left. Another 30 minutes passed, and still no water.

Now, I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure you need water to have a shower. Keep in mind that I’d been travelling for about 24 hours straight and hadn’t had a shower in that time.

After my third unsuccessful wait, I packed my bags and told reception I was leaving. I didn’t shout at anyone – what’s the point? I simply asked for my money back, returned the key, and hit the swarming streets of Tonsai Village once again.

By this time, more ferries full of tourists had arrived, and most of the budget accommodation was full. The heat had also risen a few notches.

All right, so maybe I don’t always enjoy shopping around for cheap accommodation. But I did eventually find someplace to stay, further inland – and finally got my shower!

The layout of Koh Phi Phi went something like this: restaurant, hostel, diving shop on one side, restaurant, massage parlour, pub on the other – with noisy beach-goers packing the spaces between. It was all a bit repetitive for my taste.

So I set out the following day on a snorkeling tour off some of the nearby islands...

Dropping backwards out of the boat was easiest!

Trying to hold my breath...

Clown fish

Cuttlefish

A spiky untouchable

Stunning area

Time for a nap...

Bombs away!

Our little crew

Maya Beach - the "perfect beach"

Leaving Koh Phi Phi Leh (Maya Beach is behind)

Sea turtle!

Shark! About 1.5m long

While the underwater sights were incredible, the island itself wasn’t my cup of tea. I found myself wishing for someplace quieter, where holiday novelty didn’t overwhelm Thai culture.

After just two nights on Koh Phi Phi, I woke up early to catch the ferry to Koh Lanta. I made it all the way to the dock before learning that the early ferry didn’t exist. I could still use my ticket for the next ferry, three hours later, but I’d been very careful to check with the man who sold it to me the evening before that the ferry time was correct.

“Sure, sure,” he’d replied. “No problem.”

No point hunting him down and shouting at him – what’s the point? I simply lay back on the beach, enjoying the relative peace before the next wave of tourists rolled in for the day, and waited.