Phuket - Phi Phi Islands: Day 3

Phuket - Phi Phi Islands: Day 3
27th February 2009

7:19am Phuket time...
We board an A/c minivan alongside a couple of other tourists bound for the Phuket Pier. Had booked for this transfer the day before through Ohaya Tours and they arranged for our pick-up in front of our hotel. Was told to wait between 7:00am - 7:15am. The driver was very punctual. Trip to the Phuket Pier takes 60mins and it brought us through the Phuket City. Phuket's main city isn't an ideal tourist hotspot. So dun bother.
We paid 700Thb only for both person for the Hotel-to-Pier transport + the Ferry Tickets (usualy price 800Thb for 2 pax). Ferry tickets alone cost 300Thb/person.

Ferry starts at 8:30am Phuket time. Somehow, there were always delays here and there, and the ferry only departed at 8:50am Phuket time...Trip from Phuket to The Phi Phi Islands is approx. 48km and took about 1hr 30mins. Its ideal to bring along some bread and drinks. There were free coffee/tea on board too.10:09am Phuket time...
The waters got more and more emerald and the scenary got nicer by the minute. We also start to see more leisure crafts and speed boats...Got an Ang Moh to take our pictures~10:26am Phuket time...
The Phi Phi Island - Phi Phi Pier @ Tonsai BayFinally reach! (I start to realised that my gf takes nicer photos than me...)
(^__^")>
Background is a view towards the bay from the pier...
Tonsai Bay is where the Phi Phi Pier is located. The water here is beautiful. Not ideal for swimming as there are many long-tailed boats zipping in and out, and there are no safety-buoy markings meant for swimmers.
Below is a video footage I took at the jetty. The water is crystal clear and we could see schools of fishes beneath. Tourist swarm into the island and many hotel staff stood at the mouth of the jetty with their hotel boards welcoming their guests and ready to provide porter services.

Here's the first sight we see as we stepped onto the island. We could see many information booths and tour agencies here. All the hotels available on the island are pinned on a gigantic board. Tour agencies lined the left and right ahead and rates are very competitive. Further in, long-tailed boat operators hawks you by offering their "Taxi" services or day tours.

We booked our stay with Phi Phi Island Cabana Hotel. Rated #3 from the Tripadvisor.com. (Which by now, has its #3 spot overtaken by a Viking Palace Resort; some straw-huts accommodations with nice beach view).

Cabana Hotel was some 100metres walk from the Pier, so we didn't have to carry our heavy luggage a long way.

10:44am Phuket time...
This is room #1115. The room is opened by a magnetic card. What was good is that we do not have to slot our card at the door, unlike most hotels, for the lights and a/c to run.
Sawadee.com delivers yet again! I actually placed a special request when booking through Sawadee.com telling them that I'm on a honeymoon trip with my wife, and they done up the room for us! xD
A dressing table with hair-dryer, a 19" TV, a mini bar stocked with beers, cokes, and mineral waters, a huge bench with shoe rack underneath, a hot water flask, coffee cups, and an assortment of sugar and creamer satchets above.
A floor-to-ceiling wardrobe with a safety-box inside... oh, and there were 2 umbrellas too!
The room was filled with these frangipani flowers~ real flowers! The hotel grounds have numerous frangipani trees with an abundance of flowers~ really nice.
Bathroom is a luscious green.
Toilet bowl big enough for my bum~ keke
Shower~ with hot /cold choices. I like the sliding doors, so water doesn't get splashed out... One thing to note: The water from the showers and the sink tasted... salty~
Basin was already like this when we arrived. Nice. (Note: I couldn't figure out how to turn this photo landscape... I tried. Really).
Toiletries were generous...
so are the hand/face towels...
Here's an all round footage of the room and the view outside at the balcony...

I drew open the curtains to let the lights in...
There was even a nice wall painting...This is the view from our balcony...
and to the right of the balcony is a glimpse of Lo Dalum Bay... My lousy digital camera didn't do the scenary justice as it failed to capture the right colours... the waters were more blue than what you see below...
2 wooden chairs and a coffee table with ashtray... ideal for laying out wet clothings to dry in the sun!
1:19pm Phuket time...
Hopped outside to Lo Dalum Bay with my camera... this view is right at our doorstep!
Beautiful scenary with crystal clear waters~ You got to see it with your own eyes!

2:34pm Phuket time...
Late lunch @ Tonsai Restaurant of the Phi Phi Hotel Group...

Shrimp cocktail (salad)~ I like the layout.
Tom Yum Goong... (this one here tastes great!)
Pineapple rice~ one of my favourite staple food...Steamed sea bass with plum.
Seasonal fruits... HUGE servings. (We've been having one too many grilled/BBQ/fried/spicy food these few days, so we decided to go light on this meal by ordering steamed fish and fruits).The restaurant we ate in gave a beautiful view of the Tonsai Bay...3:35pm Phuket time...
Done lunch and begin to stroll the streets. Tourists come in either day-tours from Krabi or Phuket, or were there for a couple of days stay. Most are in backpacker-mode and many simply strut around in their swimming trunks or bikinis.
This gigantic bouganvilla tree can be seen from a distance away~ beautiful~
So stunningly beautiful it warranted a video clip~

Tonsai Bay
(This photo joins the one above...)
3:49pm Phuket time...
The locals at the seafood restaurant were seen hauling in the day's catch... huge gigantic fishes...
wait.... MARLIN FISH?!!
This sight is unbearable to behold... many passerbys stopped by the fish too... what a pity.Street view~ sourvenirs and souvenirs~ the locals lived behind these shops...Scuba diving shops were everywhere~Some were operated by the locals while some by Ang Mohs themselves~Beach wears, bikinis, beach towels, and boardshorts are common~
We explored further behind the main streets and arrived at what seems like a fresh fruit stall... We kept buying coconuts from this stall until they ran out of big coconuts and start selling the smaller ones.Water and Ice transport. Ice is like a luxury commodity there. Most operations there does not make their own ice, and seafood restaurants order these huge packages of ice daily for their dinner operations. You'll start to wonder why these heavy load of ice and water are manually transported...
Phi Phi Don has no vehicular roads. Its all pedestrian footpaths or beaten tracks (so the air there is very fresh). There are no cars at all. Yes, NO cars. The locals travel via bicycles, except for the occasional 100cc motorbike with a carriage attachment at the side carrying exceptionally heavy goods. Throughout our 4 days there, we only spotted motorbikes 4 times, and a crane-lorry (for hauling purposes). Most locals simply push their loads via pushcarts like the ones below... its everywhere.Behind the main streets... the locals' market... fried chicken wings and a variety of fried stuff lay out in the open and housefly hover around...
spotted these fried fishes... looks freaky~4:08pm Phuket time...
If there is one thing you should buy, its these Dry Tubes. Made from heavy-duty Tarpaulin and radio-frequency welded seams, these versatile and durable bags keeps your gears dry even in adverse weather conditions. Shut out water by rolling down the top a few times and snapping the side release buckles together. Semi submersible and will float if sealed properly. Ideal for all outdoor activities: boats, personal watercraft, camping, motorcycles, etc...
Available in red, blue, green, yellow, orange, white and black~ and in sizes from 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 litres. We saw countless shops selling these and prices are super competitive. Ask around, bargain, and haggle. You'll get lotsa savings. These Dry Tubes come in 2 brands. One like the above, and the Karana brand below. I got a 15L Ocean Pack on my last Ko Samui trip for something like 700Thb (approx. S$30). Its selling at some S$36 in Singapore. There at Phi Phi Islands, I was offered as low as 400Thb (approx. S$17)~!4:27pm Phuket time...
Walked out to Phi Phi Pier for a good view of Tonsai Bay...
Here's the video~

The island has two ferry timings, once in the morning and a second time in the afternoon. Other timings, the pier is used for goods transportation... like drinks and ice.Long tailed boats lined the Tonsai Bay and they served as many day-tour taxis on the cheaper side... (still as good, though they dun travel as fast as the bigger speed boats, its still as fast and you get to see more stuff; let the locals earn their living!).
A map of Phi Phi Don Village. (Note: If you ever have a chance to get this map, keep it. Its hard to get a copy).
At the head of the pier, this hotel board provides contact information and photos of all the hotel available on the island. There's more than enough room for everyone.
Can't wait to go kayaking the next day~5:22pm Phuket time...
Lo Dalum Bay Low Tide
Back to our hotel premise... this is Lo Dalum Bay in the late afternoons.... low tide...
If you fancy a swim at this hour, you might have to walk some 100 metres out to reach the waters~
The high tide at Lo Dalum Bay comes in at around 10:00am Phuket time and starts to go back out by 3:00pm Phuket time... so plan your water activities wisely~ Most long tail boats just lie on the beach like this until the next day.
Here's the video clip of Lo Dalum Bay at low tide~

10:21pm Phuket time...
Packing my OceanPack for the next morning trip~ this waterproof disposable camera served me well~ costs S$17+ in Singapore. Better get one in Singapore as it costs more at Phi Phi Island.