phi phi view point

ok...

this is the LAST post about phi phi, i promise.

there is a great little hike up to an amazing 

view point on ko phip phi.

we didnt plan it perfectly as the tide was out,

making it much less picturesque, 

but it was still fun to step away form the beach

for a while and do something active.

on our way down we played a game we made up

"count the kitties".

there were TWENTY FOUR

cats on the short walk back form the viewpoint to our hotel.

this island might have a problem...

the first views, half way up the hike

all the orange kitties made me miss my niece. she would have loved this island and it's many four legged inhabitants...

steven getting a great shot of the viewpoint

all of this resorts and guesthouses are located on that sliver connecting to two big bodies of land. you could walk in between them in five minutes

the east bay

so many kitties...

monkey beach

in this post

i mentioned that we went to monkey beach

and got to spend a little while feeding and playing with 

monkeys,

something i'd been looking forward to for quite a while.

i didnt take my nicer camera

as we had to swim there from the boat,

but i did take our little waterproof point and shoot.

so here you go,

monkeys in thailand...

-e

soi 38 night market

we somehow got lucky and

ended up staying at this great hostel in bangkok.

one of the best features was the fact that it was located

on the same street as the soi 38 night market. 

after 5pm half of the block gets crowded with street 

vendors selling incredible food and drink.

we ate here every night for three days and we never regretted it...

-e

i'll never get sick of mangos

duck and dumpling soup

duck over rice with chinese cabbage

mango with coconut sticky rice. i ate this... several times...

the lady who is smiling recognized me and would start preparing one every time she saw me!

sunset cruise

our last evening on ko phi phi

steven and i decided to splurge and

board a sunset cruise around the two 

islands of phi phi

(the trip cost 30USD total).

the boat sailed off at 1:30

and took us to monkey beach

where we got to feed and "play" with

some pretty aggressive monkeys.

the boat then took us to loh samah bay 

where we went snorkeling and kayaking.

after that we were taken to maya bay

where the movie the beach

was filmed.

it was much different then we had been told,

in a very good way.

the tide was out which made it much lass idyllic

but that also meant there was tons of sea life to investigate in the little tide pools.

after that the boat went to pileh bay

where there is a huge coral garden.

we went snorkeling again,

this time for about an hour and a half.

we saw so much incredible sea life

and for the first time i wasn't scared

so i really got to enjoy it.

finally the boat sailed slowly through the waters between

phi phi leh and phi phi don while we ate dinner

and watched the sun slip down below the horizon...

-e

sailing out to ko phi phi leh

there are adventure packages where you spend the night on maya bay. in one of these great tents :)

"the beach" with some tourists in the way...

us at maya bay. trying to spot leonardo de caprio

sea life in the low tide

steven and i can't get over how incredible the rock walls are here. i think we'll be back someday

dinner

always watermelon for dessert 

capturing the sunset on an iPad

adventure day

steven and i have been wanting to try

deep water soloing for years.

when we began planning this trip

we made sure to hit up places 

where we could try this extreme sport.

we booked a half day

trip with a local company on phi phi island

that takes you deep water soloing,

cliff jumping,

and snorkeling. 

it was a nice small group-

just steven and me,

two fun australian boys,

a rock climbing guru and a boat driver.

i didn't take many pictures with my nicer camera

so this post is a bit lacking,

but we got plenty of great videos 

which i'll try to post soon.

it was an epic day that i know we'll always remember...

-e

at the dock waiting to leave the island and find adventure

the rock here is horribly sharp so we all had to tape up.

crossing the sea from phi phi island to ko phi phi leh

that rock is begging to be climbed

the water in the cove where we went climbing

deep water soloing- steven just finished a route and is about to jump in. 40 feet up

cave

falling from 45 ft up

we all jumped together... shane got scared

after jumping 25ft

our group :: mitch, steven, shane, me

paradise

we landing in ko phi phi four days ago.

we booked a hotel room for two nights

but we haven't left yet.

since we both felt under the weather

our first two days

we decided we needed

to stay longer.

the main reason being

because our focus for this

part of thailand was climbing

and snorkeling,

neither of which we've been able to do yet

due to sickness.

so for now we're here

until we feel like leaving. 

which is never...

the first two days  it was pouring rain

but now the sun comes out every

morning and stays until evening.

the food is wonderful and cheap,

the people are welcoming,

and the beaches are plenty.

tomorrow we head out on a day trip

full of deep water soloing,

snorkeling at maya bay,

and playing with monkeys on the beach...

-e

goodbye rainy phuket

a rainy and rocky ferry ride over

welcome to rainy phi phi

there are cats EVERYWHERE are this island.

there are usually a couple of these friends hanging around during dinner

it's a party beach so there are lights everywhere

the cats eat the food offerings

cats love sun bathing on the beach too

had to

enjoying some fresh pineapple shake on the beach