Kho Phi Phi, (2/3)

Trip to Thailand, Part Two of Three

Our next leg of the journey took place in the south of Thailand, on the Malay peninsula. We flew into Krabi, a city on the coast, and from there took a combination ferry/boat ride to Phi Phi Island. It's a tourist hot spot, so the pier on Phi Phi was teeming with young, sunburnt Westerners, but our resort was thankfully peaceful and quiet.

We did lots of snorkeling around the various islands. Most of the coral was sadly dead, but the fish were plentiful and colorful. We didn't have an underwater camera, but as my mom points out, the pictures wouldn't have done the sight justice. The fish came in the most amazing spectrum of colors, and we happily spent our mornings with our heads under the water watching them.

Kho Phi Phi was the site of the movie The Beach, chosen for its idyllic, beach-paradise vistas. I've heard the movie is rather awful, but the scenery - as we can vouch for - is fantastic.

The island was uninhabited until the tourism industry arrived though, so there is no town or facilities besides resorts and boat rentals. Everything has to be shipped in from the mainland, so there were always boats coming with supplies and leaving with trash. Below you can see a picture of a boat being unloaded with supplies for a small restaurant next door to our hotel.

And, as always, Buddhism was a constantly in view. In general, Thais are devoutly religious, and you can see temples and shrines everywhere. Most buildings have a smaller "house" built outside for spirits to reside in. Some are more elaborate than others, but I think my favorite was our hotel's (pictured below.)