Whats Up,Dan and I went to Thailand this last weekend. We arrived at Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand Friday night with the hope to see some of the towns crazy night life, however it was raining... So we ate some dinner at a Lebanon restaurant, pictured right, which was really good and then hit the hay with the hope that it would be sunny for the rest of our trip. We woke up Saturday morning to a little drizzle although it cleared up pretty quickly. We walked around the Patong beach, had some lunch, and then caught our taxi to the ferry terminal located on the other side of Phuket which took us to Koh Phi Phi, a tropical island paradise. By the way Koh translates to Island.
After a short ferry ride we arrived at Koh Phi Phi. It was amazing, there were limestone cliffs that shot straight out of the water with blue water surrounding them.
That evening we walked around the island which is really small and for the most part compromised of only paths, and thus no cars are seen unless you venture out of the tourist haven. It was by far the coolest atmosphere I have ever been in, very relaxing, with very friendly inhabitants and visitors. After walking around a little bit we decided to visit the fish doctor. A pic of this can be found to the left. We had seen this in Bali, Indonesia but never tried it. Basically you walk in and have your feet scrubbed by friendly staff so that later when you put your feet in to the fish tanks you don't harm the fish. As you put your feet in the tank you feel a bunch of little slippery things attaching to your leg, which are teeth-less fish that suck along your leg and improve circulation and remo
ve dead skin. It was scary at first but then became very comfortable. It was definitely a high point of the night. We then got some ice cream and then headed to one of the beach parties to discover Phi Phi's night life. It was pretty cool. The next morning we woke up somewhat early to go snorkeling. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever done. The fish were so colorful and the water was so blue, clear, and endless (we could see 50 feet down with no trouble). Our tour guide asked if anyone wanted to see sharks and so Dan, I, another guy on our boat said yes. And sure enough after following him for a while, we came across a group of sharks measuring 15 feet or longer, and looking just like greatwhites, but our tour guide called them sea sharks, so not 1oo percent sure if they were, but nonetheless it took my breath away. To the right is Dan and I on our long tail boat, which can be seen if you click the link at the bottom of the post. Long tail boats get their name because of the huge tail they have which is a shaft with a prop on one end and the engine on the boat side. Its the only way of getting around and is pretty efficient. They carry 5 to 12 people. After a little snorkeling at two different places our tour guide took us to maya bay, a tourist favorite and then cliff jumping, which was also wild. Then right before we headed back into shore he stopped so that we could see some monkeys which can be seen at the bottom. Soon after getting back to Phi Phi we caught a ferry to Krabi, where sadly the trip turned for the worst. The tour book that I have for Thailand really recommended eating at the street side shops along the pier. The food was really good, although around 430 am I thought differently when I got to taste it all again. Dan and I both got pretty sick and since we had already bought tickets to Railey beach we woke up early to ride a long tail boat to Railey beach which was really beautiful, although Dan and I just laid on the beach for the 6 hours until our ferry came to pick us up to head back to Phuket. It was a bit of a downer, but we definitely got in some good relaxation on the beach. Overall our trip to Thailand has been my favorite yet though, especially Koh Phi Phi. The locals were amazingly friendly and didn't beg for our business, a completely different atmosphere then Bali, Indonesia. More pics can be found if you click here.
We have 20 days left until we head home, however these next three weeks are going to be the hardest. Finals start Saturday and go on for two weeks, however we both have our last final on the 1st and so we are going to go check out Vietnam before we head back to the states on the 6th. I probably wont post again until after our Vietnam trip. Thanks for reading and hope all is well in the states,
Later,
Brett
It was pretty wild. A pic of us on top the Resort can be found to the right. Sunday they toured my campus and then we did a 5 mile hike through a bunch of parks connected in the city. In addition to these little adventures they toured a Budhist, a Hindu, and a Islam temple along with China town and Little India. They learned a little about the history of Singapore at the Singapore Museum. Overall it was a really fun time and I am glad they could make it. More pics can be found