Phi Phi Praise

I know I hardly painted the rosiest of pictures, but really, Ko Phi Phi grew on me. Yesterday was my last day there, and Michelle and I took a sunset snorkel cruise out to the sister island, Ko Phi Phi Leh (technically, we were on Ko Phi Phi Don, the inhabited resort island).

Ko Phi Phi Leh I believe has a contract that specifies the name must be followed by "where they filmed The Beach," because that's how every sign, tour, and sentence uttered refers to it. Phi Phi Leh is part of a natural reserve, and it technically has no inhabitants, save park rangers, but man does it get a lot of boats and tourists there for the day. Maya Bay, which was the actual The Beach, is in fact stunning, if a bit shallow-watered, but maybe it's the heaps of people that make it maybe not the bestest place I have ever ever seen. The snorkeling is also crap, with deep and murky water. There were some pretty fish, but not many. Great Barrier Reef it is not - though one of the boat workers opted to feed the fish when i was swimming in them, putting me in a feeding frenzy of striped angelfish. Man, that feels weird!

So Ko Phi Phi definitely grew, but I think three days was enough. Today I am back in Phuket for 2 nights, awaiting my overnight train to Bangkok - which was a feat to get, by the way. Everything is booked for the New Year here, and at first they were telling me that I couldn't get to Bangkok until the 20th. With some fancy footwork and some convenient cancellations, I got a berth on the sleeper, though, so all is well.

I am now going to digress a bit onto the food on Ko Phi Phi. I am sure it will be the same in other parts of Thailand, but I have to rave a moment for the pancake and shake stands that are everywhere on this little island. The Thai pancakes are essentially crepes, made slightly differently and fried in butter - not too shabby. They have sweet and savory, they are all less than $2, and when it is stiflingly hot, a light and tasty meal, or a Nutella breakfast, is so handy.

Did I mention it was hot? Because it is. Thailand is hot. So what goes better with a pancake, or a walk, or being alive enough to breathe, than a fresh fruit shake. They make them everywhere, and I've had a mango, a lemon, a coconut, a pineapple and a banana, and I love them. They are all made with incredibly fresh fruit, the ice is like manna from heaven, and why aren't there fresh shake stands everywhere on earth?

On an unrelated note - I have taken gobs of pictures, but the computers here are not great at uploading, so it's on the agenda for Bangkok. Wait patiently!