West Coast Is The Best Coast

Hello Thailand

Phuket

Arriving in southern Thailand felt like walking through the gates at Disneyland with a touch of Las Vegas.  It might be the second happiest place on earth where you can lay in the sun, dive,  snorkel, or cliff jump all day and indulge in any and all vices at night. We skipped the main party town and went south to a place called Karon beach.  Still VERY touristy but a little more tame.

Our first plate of Pad Thai in Thailand from The Pad Thai Place with some Kelly juice :)

The hostel where we stayed had a common area to hang out, drink a beer, or order delicious Pad Thai from the owners wife. Undoubtedly, an older Swedish couple would be there sipping on vodka/pineapples all day long.  They immediately started talking to Andy in Swedish but quickly learned, due to his blank stare, that he didn't share the common tongue. They are both 52 years old, light complected but sun kissed from two weeks in the Thai sun, and great conversationalists.  After two days, a handful of hour-long conversations, and some strong Swedish style coffee we learned a lot about their lives and Thailand.  They taught us our first Thai phrases thank you "Kapun kah (f) or Kapun krop (m)" and hello "Sawadee",  and introduced us to a new fruit called mangosteen. 

Swedish friends

One evening during a power outage, we found ourselves stranded on the porch with a small candle.  Sleeping without a working fan wasn't an option.  Around the same time an English couple found themselves inside the local 7eleven when the power cut and were physically forced out of the store.  We congregated on the main porch and exchanged stories and advice about travel until the wee hours of the night. Carl and Lindsay were super cool and are currently working in Australia where many other SE Asia travelers end up as well. 

Taking a bath during a power outage. This guy ran up and hopped in and sat for a minute before leaving. 

From Karon beach, you can see a giant Buddha perched on the top of the hill. This is one of the major attractions of the area.  We decided the best way to visit there would be by foot.  It's not a well beaten path but the hostel owner gave us a piece of paper with directions that read like this, cross the street and turn right on the next road, walk a a kilometer and turn left, walk until this road turns into a dirt road and turn right.  Hike up the hill (which used to be full of growth head-high but had recently been weed-wacked and full of giant spiders) and find a trial to the left.  Pass the tree with the scarf on it and hike up the hill.  Then it will meet up with a "road" that leads to another road that will lead to the Big Buddha.  It took a while to find all of the correct turns but we eventually made it up the hill to the main road. 

Right turn

Scorpion road kill

Koh Phi Phi pronounced 'peepee'

The scenery of Koh Phi Phi is pure paradise. On the boat ride there, it's clear why so many movies have been filmed in the area and why Thailand has become a vacation hot spot.  Karsts jet out of the blue-green water on all sides.  White sand beaches are lined with long tail boats all with colorful scarfs tied around the bow for good luck. All waiting to take tourist on an unforgettable trip around the neighboring islands and to The Beach that Leonardo DiCaprio made famous. We took a trip there with some friends from home on Thanksgiving...not your typical Turkey Day.

Long tail boat on The Beach

Thanksgiving dinner...we all ordered Thai curries!

Fire show

The habitable part of Koh Phi Phi is quite small.  It is essentially two islands with a land bridge between.  The land bridge is where you find the maze of narrow pedestrian streets lined with souvenir shops, pizza stands, bars, and 7elevens.  The beaches are lined with guesthouses and bar decks for lounging. The nights are spent watching fire shows on the beach and the days are spent enjoying the beach and boat trips around the island. Basically it is the stereotypical party paradise that Thailand has become known for.  We met 3 Aussie friends and two very well moustachioed Germans while diving who are the epitome of fun!  Every time we walked down the streets of town we ran into them and inevitably spent a few days indulging in the wild beach party the island is known for.

Dive boat basking

We returned to the mainland to a place called Krabi.  The town is situated up river from the coast and doesn't have a whole lot going on besides a huge night market but the nearby picturesque beaches of Rai Leh offer some of the best rock climbing in southeast Asia.  We intended to do some solo climbing over the water but to Andy's chagrin, the tides and weather didn't permit thanks to daily afternoon monsoon rains.  Instead, we took a long-tail boat in the morning during high tide and walked to the other side of the beach to set up for climbing.  We spent the day climbing the limestone cliffs and remembering what it feels like to use these muscles. On the way back, we had an added bonus of walking half of a kilometer in water up to our thighs to reach the long tail boat.  Half way there, a giant tractor with benches hitched to the back passed us and dropped off people at a nice enclosed motor boat... our boat fare didn't include the tractor ride. 

Western beach of Rai Leh

Or next stop is the east coast of Thailand to meet up with our friend Phil!