a phi phi christmas

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My christmas dinner this year consisted of raisinettes and soymilk from 7/11 consumed on a bumpy night bus with thai karaoke music videos blaring overhead. All the buses were running late that night so we didn't get going until 9:30 or so, but arrived at the Krabi bus terminal in plenty of time to catch a morning ferry to koh phi phi.

The ferry navigated through a bay teeming with speedboats, ferries, longtails as we pulled up to the island's Ton Sai pier. The scene at the dock was one of mayhem, confusion, headaches.. boat drivers, vendors, hotel reps demanding attention from the bedraggled backpackers stumping off the ferry. each insisting they were offering the cheapest/best/most fun/last available options on the island.. we ended up escaping the madness and taking a boat to Long Beach. Found a great place to stay (Phi Phi Hill) overlooking the bay for around $10/night, tossed backpacks on beds, donned swimsuits and dove into the andaman sea. and thus began christmas vacation.

Ko Phi Phi Leh and Ton Sai bay from Phi Phi Hill's restaurant


and again

walking to ton sai village at low tide

The beach where we stayed had just a smattering of few resorts and restaurants, one dive shop, one small convenience store/gift shop.. so we walked to the main town most days to pick up water and cheap food (we lived mainly on fruit, peanuts, bread and homemade peanut butter I brought from home).

aside from hikes to town, most days were spent snorkeling, swimming, reading on the beach
(and diving... underwater post to follow)

There was also a cool hike from the town, up to a viewpoint and down to the far side of the island. climbing through steep jungley terrain in the tropical heat, felt a bit like mogley

the viewpoint

the isthmus where the town of Ton Sai is built - apparently hard hit by the 2004 tsunami

After a few nights on Long Beach we tossed our luggage in a longtail and found a place to stay on Rantee, a beach accessible only by boat or a 40 minute scramble along a narrow jungle path.

Rantee Huts - where we stayed on Rantee

Rantee Hut, a beachside operation with several bungalows and a small a restaurant/bar, is run by a group of friendly, generous thai guys. A relaxing, place to spend the final few days of the vacation..

the quiet beach at rantee

high tide from the bungalow steps at Rantee Hut

longboat before a rainstorm at rantee

morning pineapple smoothie and connect 4 at the beachside bar

hot, salty, sandy with a bellyful of thai food.
this is contentment.

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