Ko Phi Phi Ley

We took a boat trip out to Ko Phi Phi Ley, which is a neighboring island of Ko Phi Phi. We were led by our tour guide through what I like to call "the 'hood," and endured an almost vomit-enducing ferry boat ride across the sea, but it was worth it to get to this gorgeous island.

First stop was Monkey Beach. (Sounds just like its name: a beach with monkeys on it.)

This monkey got all up in my face!

Next we stopped in the middle of the sea to snorkel. With my cool underwater camera case, I was able to snap some shots of all the fishies. I got out early because I felt like the fish were biting me or something was stinging me in the water.

Our last stop was at Maya Bay, one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever been.

These pictures don't do it justice. My words couldn't do it either. Just know this place is breathtaking and you should visit if you ever have the chance. I could have stayed here for-ev-errrrr....

Natural beauty never ceases to amaze me and make me wonder how we become occupied with so many other things when places like this exist. I know not everywhere you go is as captivating as this. And for that reason, I'm always wishing these moments lasted for longer than they actually do.

Waiting for the sun to go down...

Watching the sunset from the viewpoint on Ko Phi Phi. Definitely worth the hike!

Long Beach

Sorry to all of you who may think all these beach pictures look the same. I still love the beach.

We spent most of yesterday traveling to get to Ko Phi Phi (pronounced Ko Pee Pee. Hee hee.) Traveling can be so tiring! Even though we're just sitting for hours, on a bus, train, or boat... We never get to rest comfortably, so it's quite exhausting.

Phi Phi is a different from the other islands we've been on. It's smaller, and seems to be a lot busier here. There is a ban on cars and motorbikes on the island, so everyone walks or bikes. Perhaps that just makes it look like there are more people here than there actually are... Whatever it is, the walkways are pretty packed. I almost got hit by a biker yesterday. He glared at me afterwards. Sorry, sir!

Today, we went on an adventure to find Hat Yao, also known as Long Beach, which is supposed to be one of the prettiest beaches on the island. We did a bit of hiking, and kept having to stop and ask if we were on the right track. Our other option was taking a boat, for about $5, but we decided to rough it and just walk instead. Our guide book said it should take about 45 minutes, but I think it took us a couple of hours. We stopped at other beaches along the way. It was fun, and we got to see some cool views.

 

We finally got to the top of the hill where we could see the beach:

And then we finally made it!

The sand is so fine at this beach... I sat at the edge of the water and exfoliated. Haha. Other than that, and the times I jumped in the water to chase fishies and cool off, I tried to stay in the shade as much as I could today. I saw a lot of burned people around me and didn't want to become one of them!

We will be back, Long Beach!

Good morning, sunshine!

Today, I woke up and a foreign brightness (which was the sun) came shining down from the sky. It's been overcast and rainy the past few days, but Mr. Sun finally came out to play today. Good thing too-- it's our last day at Ko Samui.

We took advantage of the rays and relaxed at the beach for a bit, and then ventured out to see one of the local landmarks, Hin Ta Hin Yai (Grandfather + Grandmother Rocks). How do I explain this... I'm just going to copy the description in our guide book because I don't know how to put it eloquently. And it makes me giggle.

According to an old Samui legend, an elderly couple was en route to the mainland to procure a wife for their son when a fierce storm pummeled the ship and killed the two seafarers. Their bodies washed ashore, and their respective genitals somehow petrified in the shapes of "Grandfather Rock" and "Grandmother Rock," where tourists now gather to have their pictures taken with the natural rock formations in the shape of the couple's genitalia.

 Yeah. See for yourself!

We sat up at the rocks for a long time, staring out into the ocean... The water was gorgeous and so much clearer than at the beach we were at earlier. We chatted with Australian newlyweds celebrating their honeymoon on Ko Samui, before they venture off to do a lot of volunteer work together at various orphanages around Southeast Asia. They were so sweet!

I'm tired from our long walks and all the sun, but today was a good day! Off to Ko Phi Phi tomorrow =)

He does exist!

A sign of the holidays on Ko Samui!

By the way, Santa, I've been a very good girl this year!

Don't try this at home

Foolish drunk people at the Full Moon Party playing with fire:



I think this is the best video I've taken so far. Cracks me up every time I watch it. Don't worry-- we were not harmed in the making of this video. (Just a slight buzz kill...) The brave jumper guy probably has burns on his legs though...

Full Moon Party

As much as I've been enjoying sitting around and relaxing for the past few days, I wasn't going to miss a chance to attend the legendary Full Moon Party while we're here on Ko Phangan. I told myself I had to finish my personal statement for a grad school application by the time of the party, which was good motivation for me to crank it out. So I finished my essay, the sun went down, the music outside got louder, and we noticed a lot more people were hanging out at the bar area at our resort. Party time!

So... these parties are supposed to be "crazy," and come with several warnings of being careful with drinks, drugs, and watching your personal belongings. Of course. We also heard a range of the number of people in attendance at these events-- we heard everything from 5,000 to 30,000 people, partying on Haad Rin beach. I'm not sure how many people there were, but definitely a lot! We wrote the name of our resort on our arms just in case we got lost. It was pretty insane!

But to my dismay, I was kind of disappointed with the party. First of all, I'm not used to drinking anymore and haven't really enjoyed alcohol too much lately. Secondly, people were sloppy and trashed. At any moment, I could look out on the beach and see several people peeing in the ocean. The thing that bothered me the most was how dirty the beach was... I was drunkenly upset at the amount of straws and beer bottles that I saw littering the sand =( Music was okay... No outstanding dancers in sight. I think most people were just there to get wasted. I miss going to Ruby Skye and the electro-techno-disco-love parties in San Francisco where the music is good, dance circles have talent, and I get to enjoy time with my friends. Maybe I would have had more fun under different circumstances. Maybe I just miss my friends...

Don't think I was a Debbie Downer the whole time though! Ana and I always have fun! It just wasn't as epic as I expected.

We ditched the party pretty early and ate a bag of potato chips, but still woke up with hangovers this morning and spent the day sleeping and hiding from the rain. Oh yeah, by the way, the sun decided to go on vacation on the third day that we got here. It's mostly been overcast these past few days... Luckily it didn't rain during the party, but today we got soaked walking back from dinner, and we also heard thunder! At least we got a couple of days of sunshine though. We're off to Ko Samui tomorrow, and hopefully the weather changes so we can lounge in our swimsuits once again!