THAILAND: Phi Phi Island

Trust me, it's paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it. 

-Richard, The Beach (2000)

Close to Phuket Island (Ko Phuket) in Thailand is the beautiful, almost unreal, Phi Phi Island (Ko Phi Phi). It became famous for being the fantasy-like beach in The Beach, a film that will surely catch the fancy of travelers and adventure-seekers. From Patong Beach in Phuket, I took a short mini-bus ride to the port and rode a speed boat to Phi Phi. It was a bumpy ride so I was glad our tour guide gave us anti-seasickness pills beforehand. Nonetheless, the sight of the blue sea and the green islands from the speedboat was a treat in itself. The scorching sun made the water glisten as we were speeding by.

At the waiting area for the speed boat

Boat men sitting on the motor

And we're off!

Turn left at the second island

Waterworld

As part of the tour, we went to several islands. The first stop was Maya Bay of Ko Phi Phi Leh, otherwise known as The Beach.  It was crowded with tourists, mainly Westerners, trying to escape the bitter bite of winter in their part of the world. As expected, the throngs of vacationers disenchanted The Beach of its mystique and intrigue as shown in the movie. I doubt, though, if the island is ever totally empty -- its popularity is both its bane and boon. Fortunately, despite the crowds, I was still managed to snatch some post-worthy photos of the lovely coastline.

Parking Lot

Mountainside

By the shore

Phi Phi

Crowded

Packed

Our tour group snorkeled and fed the fish bread before heading off to the following island. Sadly, the corrals were drab and almost lifeless probably because of unregulated tourist activity and lack of environmental protection measures -- quite precarious for a region that depends greatly on the tourism industry for its income. Up next was was Ko Phi Phi Don where we stopped by to chill under the colorful umbrellas set up by the locals. From above ground, the island is wide on one end then it becomes extremely thin in the middle before it gets wide again towards the end. This was briefly shown in the movie. Our boat stopped at the thin portion of the island. It was a welcome respite from the heat of the sun and perfect time to enjoy fresh coconut juice. It takes only five minutes to cross to the opposite beach of this small island.

Chill Spot

Less crowded than Maya Bay

The opposite beach

Coconut-nut

The whole Phi Phi Island tour lasted until about 4PM. I have finally ticked another destination on my "Places to See" list. Admittedly, if it weren't for the movie that made Phi Phi famous, I don't think I would have found myself there. Nonetheless, Ko Phi Phi definitely deserves a visit especially for nature-lovers out there.