IT IS TIME, HIGH TIME!

Phi Phi for us was the epitome of 'same same but different'. It really isn't that much different from many other resorts you find the world over and notwithstanding the amazing scenery on Ao Lo Dalum beach we found that it lacked the character of some of the other places we visited. You have to give credit to, and admire the resilience of, the local people to rebuild the resort after it was levelled by the tsunami in 2005 and there is barely a trace of it to the tourist now besides the odd picture in hotel lobbys and the anniversary T-shirts.

On the Ocean Waves...Gaarr!

Land Ahoy!

It was an hour and a half trip from Ko Lanta which was pretty much plain sailing. As we approached Phi Phi it did look great from the boat. Rising up out of the sea like a rocky monster as we got closer, the limestone cliffs were a great sight. We cruised into the bay through a small armada of fishing and tourist boats and took a smaller longtail boat to Hat Yai (Long Beach), just around the headland from the main pier. We were happy enough with our room which was one of about 100 similar bungalows dotted around a big garden just off the beach. The water just off shore was full of coral and although much of it has tragically been damaged by the tsunami there were still good opportunities for snorkelling.
On our arrival it was bucketing with rain and we had to wait for it to die down until we checked into our room to save us getting soaked. It cleared up soon enough and we went for a walk along the beach picking up shells and paddling in the clear water. I had some delicious mussels for dinner.

Boats in Phi Phi Harbour

The next day we took a trip over to Ao Lo Dalum which is the main sunbathing beach. It is a stunning curve of soft sand with high cliffs on one side and a huge limestone column standing out of the sea in the distance, but it's lined with deckchairs all the way along and quite crowded with people. We sat for the day and watched the paragliders shoot out over the bay on the back of speedboats until the tide went out so far that you could walk about 1 kilometre down the beach and the water would still only be up to your knees.

The View from Ao Lo Dalum Beach - Sweet!

We were in a dilemma for what to do the following day as we couldn't decide whether to stay and do a trip to Phi Phi Lei, which is the main island's national park sister and where the film 'The Beach' was shot. I've never seen the film on account of hearing that it is utter shite and I don't know if it was that or whether we just fancied a change but we pushed on the following morning.