Our cabin at Phi Phi Natural Resort
Taking the two minute walk to the beach
View from the lobby
After a bit of a cluster-f getting on multiple boats of different sizes (and hauling our luggage in 30+degree weather) we were back on solid ground and had to check into the Natacha hotel fast so we could sign up for the afternoon snorkel trip.
Fav new snack: a chocolate pancake!
Our afternoon/evening snorkel tour of Koh Phi Phi island included Monkey Beach, a view of the Viking Caves, Maya Beach (from the movie "The Beach") and the highlight...an evening snorkel session with bioluminescent plankton!
We snorkeled up to Monkey beach
We were warned not to approach them as they bite!
Gorgeous cliffs all around us
This guy wasn't as aggressive
These two were jumping on the tree and baring their teeth if you came close...yikes!
The monkey on the right was just a baby!
View leading up to the Viking Caves
Viking Caves - about 5 locals live there to protect the area, using solar panels for electricity
After a bit of a rough swim and crawl over coral/rocks we arrived at the famous Maya Bay, via the not-so-famous back way. Apparently the cast and crew of "The Beach" did quite a number on this beach, bringing in palm trees and changing everything - and then left a big mess behind.
Apparently they stopped the overnight camping due to damage to the island
This is where they filmed the bit on the Marijuana fields
Our group - 2 Swedes, 2 Americans, 4 Canadians and 4 Brits!
After reading reviews online I was glad we decided to do the afternoon visit to the beach, apparently during the day this beach is mobbed with people (about 20 different tours visit here throughout the day). By the time we arrived there was just one boat left and we had the beach to ourselves!
After several tries...
After a few more...
As the sun was setting
The wind had come up while we were enjoying the beach so we hurried back to the boat for dinner; a freshly caught and cooked fish and fried rice! It was already quite dark and I think most of us were ready to head for home but when we saw the plankton light up from our boat's motor we willingly jumped back in!
It was a great experience floating out there and watching the plankton react to our movements; I even forgot about the sea lice (which we had also encountered earlier in the day).
We were back at the hotel by 9:30pm and made plans to meet up with the other Canadians and the Brits at a bar for a drink. It was quite a dead scene when we arrived; the drummer was warming up (thud, thud, thud...etc) but we had a good time with our new friends and even stayed out quite late once the party got going!
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