This morning we left the beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi and arrived in the thriving metroplis (AKA major tourist trap) known as Phuket. To be more precise, we are in Patong which is like Bangkok with a beach. Our guesthouse here (Phuket Erawan) is pretty basic, but the simple fact that it has solid walls makes it feel a little more homely than our last bungalow. After having lunch we went on a little knock off shopping spree. Diesel shoes, Dolce and Gabana sunglasses, and a Diesel tank top all for the price of a basic t-shirt in the U.S.. We have no major plans for tonight, but I'm guessing we'll probably check out some of the local bars.
Our last day on Koh Phi Phi was pretty action packed and sunny! We were up early to catch the boat to our dive sites. The first site (Bida Nok) was off the eastern side of Phi Phi Lai. Unfortunately, the visibility was poor thanks to some windy conditions on the surface. We were under for about an hour with a max depth of 50 ft. After that dive, the boat moved into Maya bay where we hung out for lunch and some swimming. The second dive site (Ma Long) was much more interesting. Better visibility, beautiful colors, turltes, an octupus, and more. It still wasn't the end-all amazing dive I had hoped for, but it was a nice introduction to warm water diving. If we're lucky, we might dive in the Similian Islands (fingers-crossed). Check back later this week for photos from the underwater camera Sebastian rented.
After diving, we hiked up to the island viewpoint (new photos). If you're willing to climb about 400 stairs, your rewarded with a panoramic view of the island and its two main bays. If you go up even further you can see Phi Phi Lai in the distance. At the top we flipped through a collection of tsunami pictures. As I said before, the island has bounced back amazing well, but it's still very powerful to see the destruction this island experienced just a few years ago.
We ended our busy day with dinner/movie at our favorite Indian restaurant (The Hot Spot) and then drinks and Muay Thai at Reggae Bar.
I'll definitely return to Koh Phi Phi someday. I love the pace of life and it's hard to beat the natural beauty. Phuket, you've got some pretty big shoes to fill. Good thing you've got four days to prove me wrong.
