Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi… Paradise!!!

// June 13th, 2009 // 7 Comments » // Koh Phi Phi

We arrived on Bamboo Island a little after 4 pm, our top notch captain and new friend Mr Nu helped us unload all our stuff from “Hollywood” the longtail boat and get settled in a tent. A park ranger told us there were some fishermen just around the beach and if we were hungry we could buy fish from them and barbecue it, he handed us an urn of hot water and we headed quickly back to the beach to have a MaMa cup on the perfect glowing white sand, looking out across the perfect emerald and blue sea, and off to the vivid blues of the uninterrupted sky…  (more…)

Exploring Koh Phi Phi in a boat called Hollywood!

// June 12th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Koh Phi Phi

With the gruelling journey from Koh Phangan to Koh Phi Phi behind us we stepped off the boat to a gorgeous sunny afternoon and made our way through the small alleyways and streets at the centre of Phi Phi Don towards some cheap digs.

Our room was one that wasn’t instantly shabby, we checked it over and gave it the OK but by the time we’d returned from checking in it seemed a lot worse and within five minutes the girls couldn’t bear it any more. We choked the room with bug spray and made it hastily for the lovely little Sunflower beach bar we found the last time we were here to watch the sunset and get some grub (more…)

Bamboo Island Camping

// June 3rd, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Koh Phi Phi

HOW TO: Go Camping on BAMBOO ISLAND

After we returned to Koh Phi Phi on our longtail boat trip we were plotting plans of camping all the way back to our guest-house, we went out for some food and decided on a buffet BBQ with mash potatoes and pasta salads all of which we haven’t had for ages then headed back for bed…
Bright and breezy we woke up and had breakfast at a lovely cafe next door and watched the BBC news on the TV while tucking in, then went off to town to buy provisions for our trip. We managed a saucepan, instant noodle pots, beer and a bunch of bananas… what else could we need?

We met up with mr Tok again who agreed to take us over and let us do a spot of snorkelling again while he waited, so we did and took some pics on an underwater camera and then re embarked and headed for Bamboo island. We got there about 1ish i think and there was quite a few speed boats and sunbathers lined up along the beach so after we had unloaded the boat and mr Tok spoke to the ranger and sorted a tent for us to rent we headed off in search of virgin sand. At the end of the beach are crops of very jagged rocks and we humped our stuff over several and several small beaches before we found one we liked next to a solitary longtail fishing boat and a little shelter with a few people sitting inside eating waiting for the tide to come in and pick the boat from the sand ready for a nights fishing.
We got to making fires straight away and after not too much effort and about an hour we had boiling water for some delicious instant noodles… half way through eating I had noticed that the tide was in fact moving pretty quickly and that some of the rocks we had climbed over to get there werent far from the water before, so we scoffed up and headed back to the campsite stopping on the way on one beach completely empty except for a big log laying in the sand and sat on the log looking out to sea at a deep blue sky trying to sus out if it was a big storm or just the sunsetting… we had a swim and as the sun went down everything seemed so quiet and the bright colours of the sand, sea and lush forest faded away we walked around the last crop of rocks to the campsite, only to discover we were the only people camping that night and although there is a very small local population we had the paradise to ourselves and the chap who hired the tent had expertly put it up for us.
We got to making a fire and some hot chocolates and watched the last few flicks of sunlight dissapear before we realised we had forgotton to buy a torch, and the gereators powering the lights was turned off at 10pm. We had our fire and we sat around a bench half in the forest and half on the beach and watched the storm we had been hoping wasnt a storm attack the mainland in the distance with lightning so amazingly feirce and bright it lit our table up better than any torch and it was so frequent we could take pictures of the lightning with not much effort, we ate and watched the storm for hours until it seemed Bamboo Island was the only place that wasnt under it because it seemed to be all around now, and a few spots of rain started falling we took the fire (cleverly on a sheet of tin) to our tent and sat under the porch but it never really managed to get us at all…

The morning came and we got up at 6 am when its coolest to watch what was left of the sunrise and just sat on the beach and swam in the sea for 4 of the most beautiful hours I’ve ever experienced until 11 am when Mr Tok came to take us back and the tourist boats start to thunder across the sea from Phi Phi…

Phi Phi Longtail boat fun

// June 3rd, 2008 // No Comments » // Koh Phi Phi

After the 3 in 1 fun trip we were all loving the longtail boats and because Laura had been too ill to come we decided to hire one for a whole day and go exploring the islands nearby… We got up bright and early and headed down to the pier and after a few hiccups (I had left our cash card at the cash point the night before only to be found by the friendly guest house staff next door) we were on our way with our longboat captain Tok… We had 6 hours and decided on an itinerary of snorkelling and island hopping. We headed out of the bay and around Ko Phi Phi past some amazing looking deserted beaches with only a few shacks on them and locals swinging in hammocks to a spot a few hundred feet from a beach, Tok got out a pineapple and a meat cleaver and hacked some into the crazy clear water above a beautiful coral reef, there were already hundreds of fish in sight just below the boat but once the pineapple was in there was a frenzy of beautiful blue and yellow stripey fish so we dived off the boat and got amongst the hungry little buggers. It was so fun, the fish would peck anything they thought was food off of you and stare thoughtfully right through your mask inches away as if they do this every day….which i suppose they do. The reef here was much bigger than we had seen the day before with huge coral caves and big strange fish lurking around in the deeper parts, also because the floor was sand and it was a sunny day it was amazingly clear. I went back to the boat for a sip of fresh water and a snack and thought i wonder if the fishes like oreo’s, and the answer was YES! they went mad for them as they turned the water all brown and cloudy hundreds came from all sides even some bigger ones from below and it was like we were in a tornado of vividly coloured fish… We swam for probably an hour at that spot before we got back aboard our hansome longboat and Tok our captain and our new friend took us to another hotspot this time with a promise of “nemo” fish and he didnt let us down, we did much of the same for another hour or so before heading to Moskito Island which is one of 2 islands off the west coast of Phi Phi and when asked for a beach to ourselves Tok told us not many people go there so we decided to check it out. It was a lush green island with 2 massive hills jutting from the sea like a pair of giant tree covered boobies and a beach just below the low point where they meet in the middle. It was beautiful and quiet and as we messed about in the sea amongst the jumping fish Georgie had an idea we should camp there and managed to pursuade us all what a great idea it was but after speaking to Tok he told us there is no beach left at high tide and the jungle was too thick for much of a camp, not deterred Georgie asked about the other island nearby called Bamboo Island and Tok said there was fine and they hire tents too, so we asked if before we head back we can go around Bamboo island so we can pick a spot for the next days camping adventure. As we poodled around the island spotting plenty of deserted beach we were sold even though it was a tourist trap by day at sunset time it was almost completely void of people and boats. That decided we made waves for Phi Phi and our last stop was another baron stretch of sand called Ao Lo Mu Di I think, as the longboat skidded along the sand to a halt we hopped off and it was a postcard view of lush hills falling to bent old palm trees stretching over almost white sand to the emerald sea. But when you turn to face the sea it gave me goosebumps, looking out past a few longtail boats with their colourful ribbons hanging from the front over to the distant mainland with the sun setting behind a massive far away storm cloud I just sat on a log while the others had a walk along the beach. I would live here for ever more if given the smallest chance! and if to tease me more right in the middle of the bay was a spot maybe 20m square where the palmtrees almost make a perfect square back into the brush just perfect for a wooden shack… But we had to go back now for food and we were all pretty tired from a long day so we strolled back to Tok and his boat and got on our merry way… We love you all millions xxx

Maya Bay aka “THE Beach”

// June 1st, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Koh Phi Phi

After we had checked out of our lovely rattan huts on top of the big hill we went for breakfast and the girls went on a mission to find a better place to stay, it had to be good and cheap… which on Ko Phi Phi is pretty damn easy! After about an hour they came back with slim pickings so we thought we would try the place near where we had breakfast (sacha’s guesthouse) and as luck would have it they had 2 rooms left, lovely, clean, cheap and with balconies, we snapped them up and dumped our bags. The walking about with our bags on had made us all gag for the salty sea to cool us off so as soon as we were changed we popped off to the beach, we headed along to a deserted stretch so we had a slice of beach to ourselves and just splashed about in the clear warm sea for a few hours. The beach is in a large bay almost completely surrounded by massive high cliffs covered in trees and bushes and the water is so still and emerald green. We left just enough time for food before the girls had to be at “work” at the Tiger Bar as agreed the night before… They headed off and Toby and I headed for some beers, we popped along to see how they were doing and they were loving it! new people and free drinks so we went to the tiger bar to support our fair ladies and thats where we stayed until they knocked off and we all got fairly hammered and danced the night away!… For the next day we had booked a 3 in 1 tour: cliff jumping, snorkelling with reef sharks and sunset at Maya bay… And by the time we had all got up after the night before it was time to head off. First stop…cliff jumping, there are 4 heights to choose from 8,10,13 and 20 metres and after he had parked the boat and started the climb up the razor like cliffs to the 8m jump we were all already shitting it a bit and knowing that it would be pretty impossible to climb back down what was in effect a massive cheese grater we all flung ourselves off the edge with gusto…and it stung… alot. Toby went back up for the 10 and the 13m jumps but after the 13m he was done and had managed to bust his chin open when the force of the water rammed his necklace into it, and seeing as we were about to go swimming with sharks we all fibbed and told him it was alot smaller than it was so not to scare him too much. The snorkelling was absolutely amazing! we saw so many weird and wonderful fish and even quite a few sharks, the water visibility was probably 30m or so and when its that clear you reall get a sense of how deep and massive the sea is. We were out there for probably an hour just gorping at the fishes and reefs before we headed to the boat again to sea Maya bay. To get to the bay our guide took us to a tiny hole in the rocks about 4ft round where the waves crash against them and we have to swim over and nip through the hole between big waves. Once through everything is so quiet and the cliffs around it are hundreds of feet high, we followed a path through trees for a few minutes until they just stop on a beach…The Beach… It takes your breath away just how beautiful it all is and it takes a few mins and a couple of cigarettes to take it all in. We walked from end to end and just took it in as the sun went down between the cliffs as if it was the only place it was ever meant to be seen going down, then got back in our boat and headed back…