Once again we had an early start and at this point I’d gotten pretty tired of waking up early but was looking forward to going to the Islands. We had saved the best for last!
We woke up at 6:30 am and had a delicious American breakfast at the hotel coffee shop: omelet with toast, ham, and fruit. Then, we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Krabi via Bangkok. We passed through Bangkok so many times on this trip, we were wondering just how many times one can go to Bangkok in a matter of two weeks.
When we arrived in Krabi, we were greeted with a huge group of Muslims waiting for some important religious figure to arrive, at which point my friend remembered that this was the Muslim part of Thailand. It was intimidating and a culture shock we weren’t expecting. We rushed along and tried to get out of the small airport as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, because of the arrival of this very important person, the traffic was insane and it took us a very long time to get to the hotel.
The hotel was a beautiful cabin style resort in front of a mountain, by far the best place we stayed at the whole trip. The cabin was a cozy and modern one-bedroom apartment with a patio and picnic bench for relaxing. Unfortunately, we were only there one night, not even a full day.
As soon as we got settled in, we went to the beach just in time for the sunset. Absolutely breathtaking….this is Thailand! The beach, the clear water, the huge rocks in the water, the surrounding mountains, the gentle but constant waves slowly washing up on the shore, the magical sunset – the Thailand I would picture while planning our journey. This is the image that comes to mind when I think of this country and what it’s famous for: just stunning.
After admiring the sunset for a long time, we walked around looking for a restaurant and decided on a nicely-lit, large establishment overlooking the beach. I had noodles with seafood and vegetables accompanied naturally by wine.
Our second day in the islands was once again an early one; this had become a terrible habit by now, but we had to catch an early ferry to Ko Phi Phi Don. Unfortunately, we had only planned three days in the islands so wanted to fully take advantage of the limited time.
When we arrived on the island, there was a man with a sign for our hotel and a list of guests’ names to give people a ride to the hotel. A water taxi steered by a dark-skinned, oriental version of Jack Sparrow took us on a long tail boat to our hotel. To get off the boat, we had to take off our shoes and step into the clear, cool water. We were then greeted by our hotel staff to get our luggage and were given a welcome drink. The service in Thailand was absolutely impeccable. Our resort was amazing: a large plot of land covered with beach shacks set in the woods…just like paradise.
After having settled into our rooms, we went to the beach for a swim in the beautiful water and took a nap on the soft, white beach. We then had a drink at the hotel bar on the beach. The best part of the hotel is definitely the private beach and bar on the beach. In the evening, they offered their guests some Thai food tasting, like a happy hour with appetizers.
To go into town, it was a 20-minute walk down a dark path that runs along the water. At one point, it was completely dark that we needed a flashlight to see. The town is a cute touristy one with nice restaurants, bars, and hotels everywhere. If I ever go back to Phi Phi Don, I will stay at a hotel in the town rather than away from it. Even if it was very peaceful being away from it all and having a private beach, I’d rather be more centered.
On our second day in the island, we went snorkeling. We took a boat around the Phi Phi Islands. First stop was Monkey Beach, aptly named for its residents. The monkeys are accustomed to people, so they were friendly and came to greet us.
The crossing from Ko Phi Phi Don to Ko Phi Phi Lee was rough as it was a windy day and the water was far from calm that day. Hence, I started to get sea sick and felt my huge breakfast which I had scarfed down earlier in order to make the departure. We passed by Viking Cave, but we didn’t stop or go inside. I imagine the cave is full of bats so it’s just as well.
Then, we went to Phi Leh Lagoon, where we went in the water with snorkeling gear to explore. The water is exceptionally pristine, the fish exotic. Swimming and snorkeling eased the seasickness; I find snorkeling so incredibly calming.
Next was Loh Sa Mah Bay. We tried snorkeling there, but there was nothing to see. However, the seas were calm and everything beautiful and relaxing. We also got a chance to stop on the coast and hang out on the white sandy beach. The setting here was absolute paradise.
Final stop on the itinerary should’ve been Maya Bay, but it was closed for a few months to restore the beaches from all the damage done by tourism. I wish people would respect places more, but I suppose it’s inevitable for a place not to get damaged when it’s visited by so many people yearly. Regardless, the rough seas made it impossible to even pass by it and see it, which is unfortunate.
The afternoon was spent back at our hotel relaxing on our terrace for a bit, then the resort bar.
Shortly before sunset, we impulsively started following a sign we had seen earlier to a viewpoint. To our surprise, this path turned out to be a one-hour hike up the mountain going through the village where only the locals reside. For a good part of the hike, especially the second half when we barely saw a soul, we started to doubt whether we’d find this viewpoint and, worse yet, whether we’d make it in time for sunset. I became very much aware of how dark the second half of the route through the woods would be at night and wondered how we’d make it back down safely.
Finally, after a tiring hike, we reached the top and what an incredible view it was. It was actually so crowded that it was a difficult to believe we had barely seen anyone along the way. As it turned out, there was another route up there from the city center, obviously the more popular route and much less secluded, which we took to go back down. Nevertheless, the view was totally worth it!
For dinner, we headed back into the town and chose a restaurant on the water with live music, where I had chicken curry; it all seemed appropriate for our last night in the islands. We explored the town some more and realized it’s actually much bigger than we had realized the night before. We even made it to the other side of the island (it’s actually a pretty short walk).
The next morning was my birthday and our final day in Thailand. All I had asked for my birthday was to sleep in a bit, which we did – until 9 am, what a treat. We finally had a slow, relaxing breakfast without rushing. We relaxed at the resort bar for a while playing cards and having one last delicious mango juice. Ending the trip on the beach was the perfect way to finish off a wonderful vacation, giving us a chance to relax and reflect.
After some relaxation time, we had to say goodbye to the islands and go back to Bangkok to eventually catch our flights back home. My birthday was spent reminiscing and reliving the whole trip as it was coming to an end. Dinner was spent at the airport in Bangkok, keeping my friend from Miami company as her flight was leaving in the middle of the night, while our flight to Rome was the next day.
What a wonderful two weeks we had had. What a great journey. It felt like we had been there for a month because of everything we’d done. The culture shock I’d experienced arriving in Bangkok or taking that overnight bus to Chiang Mai seemed so long ago. Being surrounded by Asians and their culture didn’t feel strange anymore.
The Thai are such nice, kind, peaceful people, just lovely. Plus, the service is just exceptional. Even before I had left Rome to go there, I had already been planning in my head my next trip there, and after this experience, I stand by it. I will definitely go back to Thailand and definitely Southeast Asia. Not since visiting Italy and Europe for the first time have I had such a desire to go back to a place and explore it further. I hope to go back next year and bring back more stories…
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