I actually skipped to describe Kho Lanta, which was an isolated experience in terms of Thai people trying to rip us off. The place was beautiful though, the beach beautiful, but by check out time they tried to charge us for food we never ate, drinks we never drank. They didn't get away with it, but it left us unsettled for a while, since we picked up some kind of vibe already to begin with. It's always good to write things down when you order - especially in a country with an unfamiliar language.
Now Kho Phi PHi -in all it's touristy glory- was a surprise. Kho Jum was the best and I thought it couldn't be topped.........The Ao Pho bungalow (more like a crawling space where you curl up to go to sleep) were even more primitive (though more expensive)but more idyllic then imaginable...
The always giggling women who ran the place where part of the charm (as it seems all over the country, when women are in charge..)
The bucket showers had water containing so much iron, that our clothes turned a rusty brown and everything either tasted rusty or salty with sand crunching in your teeth. There wasn't a time during the day or at night with out feeling a layer of something on our skin.
One night I slipped into my pants, only to find out two seconds later, that they were infested by tiny little ants and they were biting my buns!!! Ants in my pants.......never really thought about that kid song and what it REALLY means until this time! With buns on fire for hours afterwards...as well as itching sensations for days to come.
Oh well, a small price to pay for a paradise like this, in my oppinion.
Snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, jumping over rocks and through the water on the "commute" to the little village can't be beat. The coral reef is astonishing, especially after having been to the Barrier Reef. I have never seen so much variety and beauty under water.
Thank god we live in a world like this!!!
