Phuket - Phi Phi Island

On my second day in Phuket I had booked in for a day trip to Phi Phi island. Was a chance to see some really beautiful beaches and do some snorkelling.

Up early for a 7:45am pick-up. Unfortunately my hotel doesn't start breaky till 8 so I was pretty hungry by the time lunch rolled around :) Headed to the marina and jumped into a speed boat bound for Phi Phi island. Met a couple Aussies from Belarat - Cindy & Paula, they were really nice and spent most of my time with them. We were lucky to get a spot up the front of the boat which meant we had fantastic views. We were up there with a couple from Finland and a young teenage girl who didn't want to sit with her parents in the back :) Thailand seems to filled with couples, honeymooners & families so its tough to find people to hang out with.

First stop was Monkey Bay. Unfortunately it didn't live up to its name as the monkeys decided not to surface that day. After that we headed around the corner to do some snorkelling. Basic fish spotting really but I think it was just a chance for us to test it out in deep water and see how we went.

After that we headed to Maya Beach which is where the film 'The Beach' is filmed. We got to have a good swim there and lax on the beach. Absolutely gorgeous. The boat took us out for a little sight-see after that and we saw some beautiful islands and cliffs.

Next stop was Phi Phi Lay for a buffet lunch on the beach. This place had been devasted by the Tsunami a few years back and many of the locals had died but looking at it today you would never know. It was beautiful.

Final stop was a different island entirely on way back to main land. Can't remember the name will come back later and write it up. Some more swimming & snorkelling here (plus some yummy pineapple & watermelon nibbles!) but the difference here was our guide (Lek - a very funny and cool guy buy the way) asked if we wanted to go snorkelling with some sharks. Quite a few of us said yes so we headed out around the other side of island - swimming of course and I'm not a strong swimmer so I was thankful for grabbing the life jacket off the boat in a last minute decision. Took us quite awhile to get to the other side but on the way saw some gorgeous coral reefs and some really pretty fish.

I found Nemo! Hehe yep spotted some clown fish and the yellow one that was in the movie also (the scarface fish). In the end I spotted 3 reef sharks. About 1-2 metres long but they don't come very close to you.

Back on the beach (very tired) we got some bananas and feed the fish around the boats. They were pretty keen for the food and ate it straight out of our hand. Was really neat! We got to stay around the last island for a good couple of hours just laxing so it finally felt like a holiday.

On the boat ride back to the marina it got really choppy and the boat was bouncing around like crazy! More than once my whole body came off the seat. My back was pretty sore by the end of it but it was so much fun!

Later on I headed into Patong Beach for dinner. Yesterday I had spotted my perfect place - a mexican restaurant & margarita bar! hehe. Invited Leigh, Cindy & Paula to come have a drink with me but all were no shows. So I enjoyed a happy hour margarita, a yummy dinner and then a second special margarita. It was so cheap - about $30 for all of it and the margaritas were so strong I was pretty gone by the end of the second one! Had to go for a walk afterwards to try and wear it off before coming to write these posts :) I have to say though the second margarita is quite possibly the best margarita I've ever tasted! It was tequila, triple sec, fresh strawberrys, blackberrys & lime juice. So tasty! I will definitely head back for another one if I get a chance another night.

Took a stroll down Bangla road but didn't head into any of the bars. Not really a place a girl on her own should be wondering around I think.

Some lightning has started up outside. My second so far. I also got one on the plane ride over, absoluetly amazing (and scary) to watch lightning out a plane window.

Better go catch a taxi back to the hotel now. Catch you again soon!