Day 1- Koh Phi Phi

On board a 2-hour ferry ride and finally reached our destination! Koh Phi Phi, Phi Phi Ko, Phi Phi Island, whatever you choose to call it. 

P.s. Island entrance fee of about a dollar SGD required to help in the preservation of the island.

At the ferry point, there were a lot of people alongside the bridge holding up the placards with the name of the hotel/resort that you're staying in. Go the right one and wait for the shuttle boat service.

Enjoy the real thing after looking at the numerous pictures we had seen online prior to the trip.

J & I

J, L & I

These boats are called longtail- for its features (look on the right), and they turn out to be one of our most common mode of transportation for the days to come.

Koh Phi Phi in sight!

The colours were so splendid and rich- no filters and photo editing required.

At the front of our resort.

Each resorts were quite vastly spaced out so choose your resort location wisely. Ours were quite far out giving us a lot of privacy and space but going out to the market and central buzz of the town was quite a pain. 

Our living space was really spacious, like a bungalow on its own, completed with a balcony. It's worth a recommendation if you're one that is not afraid of the hike up and down each time. And just a word of caution, one should not throw used toilet paper into the bowl to flush. Instead, throw it into the bin. It sounds quite absurd but you really should do as you're told. Some of them had their toilet bowl stuck or others overflowing with unsightly objects. 

And you know it's not the usual short 2 minutes walk when you get a van service to send you to your room the first time you check-in. Hi there, roomies! 

Undeterred by the distance and altitude, we went to explore the island a little but were too tired from all the travelling and eventually settled at a dinner place right outside our resort. Of course, it cost us a bomb and weren't exactly fantastic. To my absolute horror, they did not serve thai ice tea. But the tropical fruit shakes were pretty delicious and wholesome. Plus the views totally made up for all the bad.

Dinner with a view.

Sunset. 

Phi Phi Bayview Resort - Phi Phi Islands
69 Moo 7, Laem Hin Beach, Phi Phi Island, Tambol Ao-Nang, Muang, Krabi 81000, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0)75 601127 – 31 | Fax: +66 (0) 75 601126 
E-mail: bayview@ksc.th.com

Day 0.5- Phuket Town

I know this update took forever, but here goes:

Departed for Thailand on an early flight at 8am in the morning and reached before noon. Coming out of the gates of Phuket International Airport, we were greeted by the prepaid SIM booth. Really, it cannot be any more strategically located than it already is. You should have seen the crowd gathering around the booth. Thailand is really one of the countries with the most affordable telcom rates to ensure that you're connected even on the go. All of us eventually bought the TrueMove 7 days unlimited data plan- which costs only 300B (~12SGD). The service is quite impressive too where the staff will set up the phone for you, all ready for use!

Just like how you get swamped by drivers when you get out of the JB customs, it is the same when you step out of Phuket International Airport. But we managed to snag up quite a good deal at one of the booth. Getting a bus ride to Phuket Town for lunch and then a  return ferry ticket to Phi Phi Island for 1000B (~40SGD). Quite reasonable and save us the hassle of trying to figure out how to get around bit by bit.

Our bus to Phuket Town. Definitely thankful for the aircon and comfort in the hot sun.

A trip is not complete without a visit to its capital. So, here we are at Phuket Town for a short afternoon before embarking on our Phi Phi adventures. Phuket Town is a vastly modernised place with shopping malls stocked with numerous international brands. You probably will feel right at home except for the unrestricted shopping and the presences of overhead cables. If you ever see any store selling waffles, grab them! Too yummy. Cheap yet satisfying snack for a hot afternoon.

After spending much time walking around, camwhore-ing and absorbing the rustic vibes of Phuket town, we eventually settle down in a nice quaint cafe nearby. Unlike cafes in Singapore with ample staffs, this cafe only has 1 staff. I'm guessing they don't usually handle big groups like us. Our drinks took longer than usual but the taste made up for it. Thumbs up. Not the cheapest thing though, at about 4-5SGD each.

By late afternoon, we were finally making our way to the ferry point, via a PICKUP. Such a refreshing way to travel, it's quite unlikely to happen in Singapore. The 3 girls took the cabin seats while the rest of us bask under the glorious sun with the wind in our face (literally). 

And I unfortunately did not take any photos of the ferry because we were busy trying to keep our balance on it and then settling down into seats which were very much like cinema seats. About 10 seats on each side which makes getting out to take pictures quite a tedious process. Also by this time, the motion sickness is pretty much getting to me. *nauseous*  

 

Some googled images to make sense to what I'm saying. And it's true that the upper deck is filled with caucasians in their swimwear and some conveniently in their lingerie. 

Views from the ferry were so astonishing already. Seeing it for real for the next 5 days was even more amazing.

Koh Phi Phi, here we go. 

post vacation- Ko Phi Phi; Phuket

HELLO!

It's incredible how I've survived one working week after an entire week of vacation (thanks godness for having a public holiday in the middle of nowhere). It had been almost a week since the vacation. Emotionally, it felt so long ago but physically, it is clearly evident that vacation merely ended. I'm more sun-kissed than I originally wanted to! This was despite applying and re-applying sunblock numerous times throughout the day, we were just short of down-ing the entire bottle into the tummy. We even left our aloe vera gel in the fridge just so that we can cool our heated bodies at the end of each day. During one of the nights, our gel actually iced up in the fridge. (Opps!)

When asked by J if this was my first beach holiday, I readily agreed. But on second thought, this is actually my THIRD holiday. First at batam; second at kelantan- albeit no real water activities were done. So technically, this is my very first real beach holiday. I remembered how I was so hesitant about going on a beach holiday initially but I'm so glad I went ahead against all my rationality. I really deserve an applaud for doing all the water activities and extreme sports that I would never had imagined myself doing, especially when I am a true hydrophobic. But I guess your travelling companion brings out an inner side of your self that you've never known existed. So proud of my friends who conquered flying fox and ladders despite being afraid of heights.

Seriously, the glistening waters, warm sand and natural sights are too unforgettable. I could easily sit by the beach and spend an entire afternoon there. Despite the recurring fear of the unstable longtail capsizing, I very much enjoy the boat rides now. And for once, I truly understood why the boy loves his diving trips so much. Man, I wish I could swim like a fish.

Travelogue updates soon.