Adventures in Paradise

23rd August 2006
Well what can I say...we are in paradise all right.
We have spent our first full day on Phi Phi island and I am truly at a loss for words when it comes to describing the beauty of this place. We awoke to the lapping of the waves about four metres from our front door. We scored the best bungalow in the whole complex. It was the last one in the row that fronts on to the beach. All the others are behind us or slightly up the hill.
Can you believe it??!! We can open our front door to see the ocean.
We have a hammock tied up to a tree and lounge chairs out the front.
We went for breakfast at he hotel restaurant – as usual too much to choose from including the usual eggs, bacon, toast, yoghurts, fruits and pancakes and waffles.
Then there was the thai food and the sweets – danishes, banana cake, chocolate donuts…
We then went for a swim, just outside our bungalow ( did I mention that?) in the warmest water I have ever swum in. Aleks and I both learnt how to snorkel and we spent hours in the water.
The trip was a long one and it was nice to have a rest today. We had a eleven hour flight to bank, then a three hour wait a the airport to board a domestic flight to Phuket. That was another hour. Then we got picked up at the airport by a local touring company that took us to the ferry. I swear that they had time to kill so they took us on the scenic route of the back streets of Phuket. I remember getting there somewhat quicker the last time we were here. Anyway, we made it in plenty of time to get the ferry which was my personal nightmare as I know I get very seasick.
But the water was as flat as a pancake and the gods were smiling on me as that’s how it stayed for the rest of the trip.
Thank goodness as it took us three hours to get from Phuket to Phi Pi as there were a number of drop offs along the way.
We were taken very close to the location and then the boat stopped…ok, what was going on here?
At low tide the boat cannot go in close so a long boat came to pick us up. We loaded on with all our gear and rode in the final 1/3 km where we stopped again just metres from the shore. Time to get off and walk through the water for the final few metres.
Never done that before…..
After 24 hours of traveling we were quite tired. I slept like a rock that night.
One thing I must say, Everyone should do this once in their life time.
This is what it’s all about. This place is so stunningly beautiful that you cannot take it all in. No matter how many photos you take it will not be enough.
I need to take hundreds to sustain me through the rest of the year, so I can sit down when things are not going too well and remember that I was there with the beach just outside my front door ( did I mention that?).