Thailand: Phi Phi Islands

Today, after too many days spent lounging on the beach, I decided to fork over way too much money to take an all-day boat tour around Phi Phi Islands.

I met the speedboat around 9:00 am, and we first did a drive-by of Viking Cave. After checking out the cave from the confines of our boat, we headed over to a beautiful lagoon for a spin through the water.

The next stop was another beautiful lagoon where we donned snorkels and masks and jumped in to swim with the fishies. It was absolutely gorgeous down there, but of course I have intense ADD, especially when it comes to snorkeling, so after five minutes I had already taken off my gear and was swimming laps until everyone else was finished.

After snorkeling, we finally headed to the the place I was most looking forward to see: Maya Bay. This is the site of the filming of "The Beach". It was just as beautiful as it was in the movie (albeit crowded with speedo-wearing tourists), and well worth the visit, even if it was only for about thirty minutes.

After Maya Bay, we drove by the main section of Phi Phi Island that was hardest hit by the tsunami. Unfortunately, the boat did not stop, and I was disappointed not to be able to go onto the island to survey the damage that was still very much apparent.

By this point, I was completely bored and regretting the insane cost of my so-so trip. We went to another beach for a quick swim, and after a hearty lunch at the Holiday Inn (I tried very hard to get my money's worth!), we went for another swim in the middle of the ocean with more fishies...this time we fed them bread, so they were swarming!

Our last stop was an hour on a beautiful sandy white beach before finally heading back to Tonsai. It was nice to get away and do something with myself, but these packaged tour things are just way too overpriced and overrated!

On another note, my knee is feeling much better...still swollen and sore, but I am ready to get back to climbing tomorrow!