Amazing Pics
While we were hanging out in one of the bays near Phi Phi Ley, another longboat came by close, and it turned out to be Sai and his group of tourists. I think Sai and Papa had arranged to meet up, because Papa had been using his cell phone while we were snorkling. It was good to see our friend Sai again, if only for a moment.
I love these pics that Sarah took. It really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
We stopped near the Maya Bay area again before heading back around Phi Phi Ley and back to Phi Phi Don Island. The winds had come up and the water was quite choppy, but Papa navigated the boat just great around the waves. I admit I was thankful he had his cell phone nearby.
Thank you Papa; you’re the best!
Snorkling With Papa
Next, Papa took us around the corner to Pileh Bay and Loh Samah Bay, where we were able to do some snorkling again. Of all the places we swam on our Thailand trip, these that Papa found were the best ones of all. We saw a huge amount of sea life on this one day alone, unlike any we had seen anywhere else.
We had so much fun!
Tasty Bird Saliva
Here is the map of the Phi Phi Islands again, so you can see where Papa took us in the longboat. We started out on Phi Phi Don at Long Beach and he took us across to Phi Phi Ley and clear around the island. First we stopped to get a closer look at the Viking Caves.
Believe it or not, this is where they get supplies for birds nest soup. I found this recipe.
It is one of the most expensive foods on the market (click the above photo to see how expensive). I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t care to eat bird saliva. Do you? Something about it is really creepy, but it was fun to see where some of the nests come from.
One more note — it doesn’t look very safe climbing around in this cave. What do you think?
Paradise Morning
It was wonderful to wake up in such a beautiful place. We were in the Phi Phi Islands of Thailand at the Bayview Resort.
I went for an early morning walk.
Soon it was time for breakfast on the beach, as we had a big day ahead of us. They had a delicious breakfast buffet ready for us.
We had a new companion at our side – another beach bum.
Then it was just a matter of waiting for Sai to come with his longboat, although it wasn’t Sai who came — it was his Papa. And we loved him, even though we couldn’t converse much. We were eager to climb onboard!
We also saw this curious boat right next to ours. I wonder what the story is behind this one?
Then, just as quickly, Papa pushed off and we were off on another great adventure!
View From Above
Chris also hiked up to a viewing point above the island. I would love to have gone, but knew would not get there quickly enough for the sunset. I know Sarah would’ve gone if she had realized where he was headed. I will definitely go there if I get back to the island some day. Here are some of the beautiful pics he took (click image to enlarge):
Meanwhile, Sarah and I had walked back into town to do a little shopping. We also decided it was time for our Thai Massage — a truly great experience! I especially liked the shoulder and head massage. I understand now why travelers say this is an experience that should not be missed in Thailand, and it’s so inexpensive that some locals go more than once/week. I wish I could do this at home because my neck and shoulders are always hurting.
We met up with Chris in town and the two of them headed across the narrow part of the island to observe a fire show, while I headed back to the resort. I ordered a cool drink and waited at the outdoor restaurant near our room, with a very friendly companion by my side.
When the kids returned we ordered this delicious Thai food and sat back to review all the wonderful events of the day. We couldn’t believe we were so blessed to enjoy it all. But there was more to come, because we had contacted Sai to take us on a longboat tour in the morning. We were excited and would not be disappointed for our last day in Thailand, other than having to leave a place we grew to love so much.
A Floral Paradise
As it turns out, Chris and I both took photographic journeys around our villa to film the various flowers. This was one of the reasons we felt we had the best villa of all.
Today I honor the Lord of creation in this photo essay.
The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. Psalms 50:1-2
Enjoy! No more words need to be said.
Best Seat on the Beach
We had arrived at the Bayview Resort on Phi Phi Don Island. What a wonderful place to relax, take a walk, have a meal and explore.
This was the mode of transportation on the grounds, which were a bit hilly, although we walked instead of riding one of theses.
They have separate bungalows or villas to stay in, and ours was in a perfect location.
I was eager to take off my knee brace (which I wear for chronic knee pain due to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) and relax for just a little bit.
Here is the view through our window and on beyond the deck. I absolutely loved it here.
Chris had gone out to explore and soon Sarah and I also explored the whole complex which includes a swimming pool, spa and sports center. Look where we found Chris.
Then we each took a turn on the wonderful beach swing.
I’m sure we’ll all be thinking about this when the snow gets deep here this winter.
Island Paradise
Here is a map that shows the Phi Phi Islands a little better, and an aerial view I found.
The cruise had taken us all around Phi Phi Ley, into Maya Bay for snorkling, and then along the coastline near the Viking Caves. Then we headed across to Phi Phi Don into Ton Sai Bay to land at the area where the land is narrow. Our motel was at the far right end of that bay, near Long Beach.
We thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the cliffs and forested areas of the islands. But there was something else I enjoyed on this cruise: talking with these two gentlemen from Ireland. Their names are Paeder and Aedmon and they were wonderful new acquaintances. Since I’ve traced my family lines back to Ireland, I had a lot of questions for them, and they happened to be history and genealogy buffs too. As we neared Phi Phi Don, I explained to them our arrangements to stay overnight, so they wouldn’t think we’d missed the boat or fallen in or something! I’m glad God brought us together, if only for a short time.
Finally we approached the beautiful port at Phi Phi Don. We received special stickers from the crew to be sure we could board the boat again the next day.
This is how it looked when we arrived at the pier. You have to stop at each of these ports and pay a small tax for use of the island.
Thankfully, one of the things Garrett had recommended while in Thailand was to purchase a cell phone. You can get a used one for only $20 or so in any 7-11, and then you only need a special card for each country you visit. We were able to use our cell phone the entire time we were in Thailand, and we used it now to get a longboat to take us to our motel. We had also been approached by a nice young man named Sai, who offered to take us for a longboat ride in the morning, and we decided to discuss it and call him later on his cell phone.
Our “longboat taxi” arrived and we were off to the Bayview Resort. It was just down the beach a little way.
It was beautiful! We walked into the large open-air lobby and they immediately handed us some cold fresh fruit juice! Loved it. I will definitely go back if I can.
Lunch at Sea
Here is the longboat that took us back to our large day cruise boat. The native guys that helped us on and off were wonderful.
We now had time to settle down in the air conditioning and enjoy some lunch that had been prepared on the back deck for us.
Finally we arrived in the Phi Phi Islands and stopped close to Maya Bay.
Some people got on the longboats to go to the busy bay area, but we chose to do some more snorkling in the clear blue water near the boat.
We were not disappointed. The fish were abundant and colorful (click images to enlarge)!
Isn’t that beautiful?
Another Funny Pronunciation
We arranged a wonderful tour for our third and fourth days in Phuket, Thailand. There was a day cruise to the Phi Phi Islands, Southeast of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. It takes some getting used to, but it’s pronounced “Pee Pee.” There are two main islands — Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley. We chose a boat that would do some island-hopping and snorkling along the way, but we also wanted to spend some time on the islands. Through our wonderful travel agent, Eak, we made special arrangements to take the cruise one day, stay in a motel on Phi Phi Don, and catch the same boat back the next day. We also arranged to leave our larger suitcases at Tony and Eak’s, then return to get them and head off to the airport for a late flight out the next night. It was complicated, but they helped us and it worked beautifully for us.
Our boat was a large three-story air conditioned boat, as it would be quite a way out to the Phi Phi Islands.
Our first stop was at Khai Nok, a tiny little island. To get to the island, we again got to ride in longboats. You can see our large boat in the background of the second picture.
We wasted no time looking around. Although the chairs looked relaxing, we were eager to get our snorkling gear on for a look underwater, too.
I don’t normally wear a life jacket when swimming or snorkling, but since my shoulders were starting to burn, I thought it would be best. Also, since there were so many people around, and they were feeding bread to the fish, we had a lot around us without going deeper. This little boy wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of them.
But the feeding frenzy was crazy — check this out:
Here is another video one of the kids took underwater:
All too soon it was time to leave and we had to say good-bye to this beautiful place.
I would love to have visited this other nearby island. Isn’t it cute?
Indian Cuisine in Patong
After the delightful day in Phang Nga Bay we arranged to meet Garrett in Patong at a restaurant that specialized in Indian Cuisine. It was delicious! We especially love Naan bread, and we tried several varieties of it, along with several curries.
After dinner, Garrett headed home and we decided to walk around to see the shops. Patong is known for its night life, lights, noise, shops, and bars. We were so thankful we weren’t staying here! We looked forward to returning to our quiet room near Kata Beach.
We ended up stopping again, though, for dessert at another restaurant because we couldn’t resist the pineapples they served.
I loved the flower on this dish:
Then we hopped on one of the famous “Red Trucks” and headed back to our room for some much-needed sleep.
Relax and Take It All In
On the return to Phuket, we just relaxed on the boat and enjoyed the view. The crew had also kindly put more fruit out for us to enjoy. We will never forget the delicious Thai fruit!
We also had more time to catch up on things with Garrett.
I definitely would recommend the day cruises in Phang Nga Bay to all travelers!
Surprise in the Lagoon
We walked carefully around through the lagoon, awed to see the beauty of trees and vines all around.
Our special crew member that was our raft guide suggested this photo near the sharp, pointed rocks.
Then we noticed a commotion and headed over to see what it was. Monkeys! Lots of them! There were monkeys of all ages, including tiny babies and at least one that looked like a grandpa.
As we watched, some of them got into a spat and one knocked another one into the water. This caused a big ruckus, as he was not happy at all. It was pretty funny to watch. Then it was time to get back in the rafts and head back through the dark caves to the boat.
It was our last stop of the day, and it certainly had been a special day! Here is the view of beautiful Phang Nga Bay as we came back out of the caves.
Sheep Fold