Life is a Beach

Memo to: Brad, Wes and Tyler

Mom and I need to have a serious discussion with the three of you. We have decided unanimously, that we will not be returning to Canada. As I write this, Mom is having a $4 per hour Thai massage at the local bamboo beach hut and I am quaffing down a cold quart of  Singha beer at the local beach bar while watching the parade of blonde Swedish girls strut down the beach in bikinis. Paperwork will be forthcoming to allow you to sell the house and send proceeds directly to HSBC branch in Kao Lanta.

We have been in the south for about two weeks now and things keep getting better and better. After moving down the coast from Patong we ended up at Karon Beach. Just a magnificent stretch of prime Thailand real estate. The swimming and walking on the beach was fabulous and the people watching very interesting as well as can be witnessed by my 1st Youtube video http://youtu.be/MOMEVehiwC4

We eventually succumbed to curiosity and decided on the daily excursion to James Bond Island which was the site of an infamous scene starring Roger Moore in The Man with the Golden Gun. One of those things you have to do but not one that needs repeating. Kayaking through caves in darkness into a mango grove was also on the agenda at another stop. Good thing we didn't know about this ahead of time as we had to lie down in order to pass through a150 meter cave before reaching the mango grove which was surrounded by high volcanic walls encompassing this unique ecosystem. We had to get out of there quickly as the tide was to start to rise and we would have been trapped with no way out as the caves would eventually become completely flooded.

After spending the following day back at Karon Beach we headed out to catch the 1 1/2 hour ferry to Phi Phi. Unfortunately, Phi Phi which was a beacon for adventure travellers 20 years ago has become a destination for unruly, arrogant, drunken backpackers who party at the all night raves, with music blaring till 3 am. It is a haven for massage parlours but the thing I found most disturbing was the number of both male and female subjects getting large and grotesque tattoos over large parts of their body by the seemingly limitless number of tattoo artists plying their trade with bamboo needles and no respect for any health safeguards. These places are ripe for hepatitis outbreaks but no one seems to care.

All that being said though, Phi Phi was the location for one of the most memorable outings I have ever experienced in my lifetime. After breakfast in the morning, Jennifer and I went for a walkabout and happened on one of the local long tail boat captains who was trying to sell an excursion to another island, Phi Phi Lay and a trip to Bamboo Island, in addition to a circumnavigation of Phi Phi Don. We bit the bait and agreed to meet back at 10 am. At first I was somewhat concerned about our boat on the open sea but my concerns were soon put to rest as we approached the magnificent walls of rock jutting out of the sea. Absolutely spectacular! And the swimming and snorkelling with the tropical fish wasn't bad either! See 2nd video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGaZh_zIkYw These cliffs were also home to some form of seabird and the locals would scale these magnificent walls by bamboo scaffolding poles through caves in order to reach the bird nests where the eggs would be hijacked for the rich Chinese looking for some form of medical cure. After spending the morning here, our captain ferried us across the strait for our luncheon destination at Relax Beach. Just a wonderful find at a small isolated area where life was taking a breather and the pace was slow to stop. Back into the long tail, we were off again on just a beautiful afternoon to take in the Marine Natural Park at Bamboo Island. And that’s where it hit me that I had finally found what I had been looking for! Just the most pristine beach and the most sparkling water one could find anywhere. The brochures hadn't lied to me after all and the swimming and snorkeling was absolutely incredible. See my third video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66usQY8qzn8 We didn't spend nearly enough time there but alas we still had a way to go to get back to Phi Phi Don and our trip back around the other side. We both excitedly agreed all night long that it had been one of the most amazing experiences ever.

Glad to bid adieu to the backpackers but sorry to say goodbye to Phi Phi we were back on another ferry two days hence, after having spent the following day just lying around the hotel pool. We were on our way to Ko Lanta. I'll talk about that on my next entry.