We got up really early on
our last morning in Phuket (which was also to be our first day in Koh Phi Phi)
and took a taxi to catch the 8 am ferry. We got on the boat and sat on the edge,
hoping to take some good pictures and catch as much of scenery as possible. And
we did. We listened to "I'm on a Boat" on my iPod a couple of times,
watching the perfect blue water and island cliffs go by, and rapping along at
the best parts (though, admittedly, that was mostly me). Then we started catching a lot of splashing
water from the front of the boat. At first it was just a little bit, but pretty
soon we were getting soaked, so we moved inside.
Before we even reached
the island I could tell, just from looking out the window, that Koh Phi Phi was
going to surpass anything I could even imagine in beauty. The sapphire water,
the large, hilly island, the perfection of the horizon line where the sky and
ocean met, which almost disappeared because it blended so well- all these
things combined to create this otherworldly splendor spread out before me. I
couldn't do anything but stare.
Then we got to the
island, and everything I had thought was confirmed. The water everywhere was
shallow, the same aquamarine of the ocean at Karon, only infinitely more clear,
bright, and blue-green. Below the surface there were dark rocks intermittently marking
the white sand. The islands all around were edged by cliffs and filled with
hills. Only one of them had structures on it. This was Koh Phi Phi. The pier,
toward the middle of the island, had many buildings around it, all small and
beachy, with the typical decor one might expect in such a locale. At first I
thought this area might be where our hotel was, but as soon as we got off the
boat we were told we would have to take a taxi to the end of the island we'd
passed on the way in. That part of the
island had a gorgeous little strip of beach, tons of hills, and only a few
hotels. Expecting to be led deeper into town to catch a car, we were instead
led toward the beach, where our suitcases where thrown into a long tail boat.
They took us to the other end of the island, and dropped us right in front of
our hotel. They put our suitcases on a dumb waiter/ roller coaster that pulled
them up the hill. It was at that point that I took a good look at the stairs we
were expected to climb and noticed that they were completely ridiculous and I
didn't want to climb them even a little bit.
Too late.
After a five-year long
climb we (being me, Tonya, and Kristen) found ourselves at the front desk.
Shannon was supposed to be with us, and had paid for her spot in one of the
rooms (we were scheduled to be 2 and 2) but she had dropped out to do just a
day trip with some other friends, so I got a bungalow to myself. Right away we
asked about excursions to Maya beach, which is famous for being one of the most
beautiful beaches in the world. They said there was a scuba trip we could take
to Koh Phi Lay (another of the islands nearby, where Maya beach is located)
with a private long boat. They would take us to Maya beach for an hour first,
and then snorkeling. The boat would take the long way and give us a tour of the
islands. We signed up, and had a few hours to spend before our tour left, so we
went down to the beach. Our whole end of the island was made up of hills, with
only a tiny bit of beach before the hills became ocean. The floor was rocky,
but absolutely beautiful. There were small striped, tropical fish swimming all
around our legs as we stood in the water. It was amazing.
Our tour left, and the
long way to Maya beach was fantastic. The islands were even more beautiful
close up, as the small boat got much closer than the ferry could. The sides of
the cliffs looked like they were dripping, with rocks hanging down in
formations reminiscent of water dripping off a body only recently risen from
the water. We finally rounded the corner and saw Maya beach. When we got to the
actual shore and got onto the sand (which was so fine it felt like walking in
flour) I turned around and realized I was standing in the exact spot where my
school computer's desktop picture was taken. Maya beach is inside a tiny
horseshoe shaped bay, surrounded on all sides by land. Straight back there were
hills covered in jungle, and on either side of the beach were huge cliffs. The cliffs
mostly blocked the sun, but the beautiful color of the ocean was no different.
I spent our entire hour in the water, floating on the glassy surface. Which
means I forgot to take pictures there. I'll steal Tonya's.
After an hour there, our
boat took us around the edge of the island to the area where people snorkel.
There was no beach nearby, but rather a rocky shore at the base of the cliffs,
with a tiny, enormously tall island keeping the shallow water protected from
the open ocean. We got our snorkeling gear on and jumped off the side of the
boat into the water. As soon as I looked below the surface of the water I was
blown away. It was only about ten feet to the bottom, which was covered with
coral. The coral was all different colors, and covered with sea anenome and sea
urchins. We saw some brain coral even, which was surprisingly cool. Everywhere
I looked there were tons of different kinds of fish in all different colors. We
saw Dory (the Ellen Degeneres fish) from Finding Nemo, bright blue with a
yellow spot. We also saw Gill (the fish in the tank who also had a broken fin).
That was my favorite fish. It's really called a Moorish Idol fish. They are
black, yellow, and white striped fish that have a thin string-like thing coming
off the top of their head. The way it moved in the water was interesting. It
looked almost like saltwater taffy that someone had stretched too far,
rendering it extremely thin. We also saw
Neon fish in all different colors. There were all sorts of different fish;
white fish, black fish, blue and yellow striped fish, black head and white butt
fish, yellow and white striped fish, orange fish, blue green and purple fish, one
fish that looked like a tiny, rounded nosed swordfish, long ones, short ones, some
as big as your head (kidding). Another favorite of mine was these schools of
tiny fish that would swim in small clumps and, when startled, all immediately
turn in exactly the same direction, as if they were thinking as one. The entire experience was incredible.
The only thing left to
express is that I'm really not doing Koh Phi Phi’s beauty justice. From the
moment I got there I noticed that the whole area was created perfectly in order
to preserve itself. With all the cliffs and hills the islands are impossible to
industrialize or even really build on. Of all the islands, only Koh Phi Phi has
enough flat areas, and even they are very few and very far between, as is
evidenced by the huge staircase to our hotel. There is nothing anyone can
possibly do with this place except enjoy it for it's natural magnificence. The
water was completely amazing too- a pale turquoise color like you'd think only existed
in swimming pools and photo-shopped postcards. Not photo-shopped. Real.
Gorgeous. The deep water was a perfect sapphire, turning aquamarine, teal, and
pale jade as it got shallower. The plants all around were awesome as well;
white flowers, orange flowers, pink flowers, multi-colored flowers, water
lilies, palm trees, banana trees, and every other tropical plant you could
image littered the hillsides. Everything was aesthetically stupendous.
The only thing I could
think was that I didn't deserve it. That no one, in the history of the human
world, had ever done anything to deserve it. I still can't imagine anything
someone could do to deserve a place like it. If there is any possible way you
can ever go, do it. Don't ask questions. Just do it.
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