Phuket: Days 3 & 4

Our third day was spent touring Phi Phi and the neighboring islands. We were picked up at exactly 7:30am and we headed to the port. We waited for a few more minutes for the other guests to arrive.

We then settled comfortably in the speed boat. We fought the excitement to sit upfront thinking that it will be too hot by mid-afternoon which turned out to be a perfect decision.

It was quite a lengthy boat ride taking about 2 hours to reach the first island.

I was already dozing off by the time we reached our first stop, Phi Phi islands, the tour guide mentioned that parts of the movie "The Beach" were shot here. The sights were truly breathtaking. This first stop alone is worth the entire trip.

We were given just about 40 minutes to enjoy the waters and the island. The place was a bit too crowded since there were simultaneous trips all over. It's important not to bring any valuables since there's no place to stash your stuff. 

We then went to a couple more islands, I forgot which ones. We were not allowed to step out of the boat but we took all the scenery in. 

We also made a quick stop at Monkey Beach where we fed the monkeys. 

After that, we stopped for about half an hour for some snorkeling. There was really nothing much to see though so we quickly headed back to the boat to pass the time.

We were then taken to another island for lunch. It has quite a few establishments but we didn't explore. The heat was already getting to us and the three of us were feeling quite sluggish. Heck, we couldn't even get up to go to the boat to get our money so we can buy ourselves some ice cream. 

After a few hours of waiting, we then headed to the last island where we're supposed to stay for a couple of hours. It was a stretch of powdery white sand with rows and rows of beach chairs which you have to rent at around 150 baht so you can relax. The tour operators provided us with abundant supply of water, soda and fresh fruit to make our stay a bit more enjoyable. 

Em-J and I excitedly headed out to swim only to find out that it's really not conducive since the are dead corals which can hurt your bare feet. We didn't get ourselves some flippers at the port, the water was likewise not clear so you really can't see what you're stepping on. We decided to just sit back and enjoy the view.

At around 4:30pm, we started our trip back. Good thing that it took only about 15 minutes to get back to the port where our transpo was waiting for us.

When we got to the hotel, we continued enjoying the sun by swimming. 

We then called it a day by ordering in. There was really no place to go to and we were all too tired to still head to town plus I was also feeling a bit feverish. 

Our last day was pretty simple and quiet. For the first time, we stayed in bed and woke up a bit late. I then headed out to the pool after a quick breakfast. By lunch time, Em-J and I started packing to head to town. 

We checked out soon after. The front desk staff, Tatar, knew that our flight is not until later that night so she graciously offered to allow us to shower after spending the day out but we told her that we'll head straight to the airport instead of returning. The gesture was very much appreciated though.  

When we got to town, we looked for a cheap room to leave our luggage and our other things. We ended up checking in at a cheap room, quite literally.

Em-J didn't want to head to the beach anymore since he was already burnt so we spent the day relaxing by having a facial and a massage. We then met up with our cabbie at 7:45pm, he took us to the airport for the same price as that of our room, still a bargain though. As with any vacation, we were both reluctant to leave but we had to.