Hey, everyone! I’ve spent the last few nights on Koh Phi Phi, a little well-known island four hours(ish) north of Koh Lipe. I was prepared for the worst because I’ve heard mixed reviews but I ended up really enjoying my time there. I was originally going to combine this post with the next place I’m going to but figured I’d write up a short post for once haha.

A few housekeeping things:

1) If you’re interested in my art, have a look at my merchandise on RedBubble!
2) If wanting to read my first novel, Eclipse Me, you can find the link here.

Koh Lipe to Koh Phi Phi

The day after Christmas, I took a ferry from Koh Lipe to Koh Phi Phi. The process was relatively smooth.. relatively. I was on a speedboat and I nearly got a concussion from the boat crashing atop the waves so often. YUCK! I disembarked briefly at the Koh Lanta pier. We had to switch boats and wait a little over an hour. It felt completely disorganized but eventually I made it on my boat. While at the pier, though, I had a surprise when I bumped into my friend Zarko from Koh Lipe! We chatted for a few minutes. I then took another ferry to Koh Phi Phi – it took about an hour.

By early afternoon, I’d arrived on Koh Phi Phi. What a beautiful island it was. The karst cliffs rising out of the ocean were incredibly photogenic. I was immediately impressed, especially coming from Koh Lipe where the island is, for the most part, flat. I tend to like places that have polarizing views. I’ve been to a number of places now where people have said they’re overrated, overcrowded, etc. and really enjoyed them. Gili Air comes to mind.

After checking into my hostel, I grabbed lunch and retired to my dorm to rest up briefly. It was overcast and I had a feeling it might rain. Sure enough, a brief downpour covered the streets. Once it calmed down, I decided to walk to one of the three main viewpoints near sunset. The walk was on paved road mostly the whole way. I passed Viewpoint #2 (didn’t even see where #1 was) and continued on to #3. I figured the highest viewpoint would likely be the best. A very light drizzled joined me throughout much of the walk.

I had to pay a small fee when I arrived at the viewpoint platform. Worth it! Such an incredible view of the two pieces of the island joined by the small isthmus/main town area. Very cool.

I hung out for maybe an hour. People came and went, snapping photos and taking selfies with the gorgeous surroundings. Rainclouds came and went and during the better pockets, I took more photos, hoping to get one really good shot.

As I looked over the railing, I was shocked and delighted to see… an ornate tree snake! What a surprise! It was my very first Thai snake sighting. Yahoo!

I came back down before it got too dark and found a place for dinner. I ended up getting something I haven’t had in ages: a burger and fries. YUM!

In the evening, I walked along the beach, where crowds of people were sat outside bars, watching people putting on fire shows. One guy was doing, a firework show, dancing with a pole that had what seemed like roman candles/firecrackers on either side. It was insane.

The music blaring was so loud, the people sitting there all night should be wearing protective ear plugs. I got my taste of the Phi Phi nightlife and… it was chaotic but fun. Were I with friends or just not getting up early for dives every morning, I would have enjoyed going dancing.

Koh Bida Nok & Malong Bay

When I arrived on Phi Phi, I remembered hearing that it was a good spot for seeing leopard sharks in the water. My aunt Julie gifted me some money for Christmas – thanks, aunt Julie! – and I thought it was a perfect way to use her gift. I booked two dives for my second day. I woke up at 6.15am and headed to the dive shop, where I was greeted by the staff. By 7am, or group was on the boat.

The girl I’d been speaking with the day before, Thayna, ended up being my dive guide. Our group was small – her, me, and an Israeli couple. Thayna did a great job briefing our group on the dive sites we would be going to and explained the situation with the leopard sharks – they’re wild and change their feeding areas so we would have to be quite lucky to see them. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side in regard to the leopard sharks but it DEFINITELY was in some other ways.

It took maybe half an hour to get to our first dive site – Koh Bida Nok. The views of the karst islands on the way were something else.

The waves I was about to hop into were choppier than any other dive entry I’d experienced before – but this was good for me. I need experience in lots of different conditions since I’ll be going on the seven day liveaboard in a few weeks. Give me that experience, baby!

There were maybe fifteen divers (not counting staff) on board but our group was the first in the water. A moment later, we were descending. The water didn’t have the visibility I hoped for, but that’s okay.

Our first sighting was of a blacktip reef shark, common visitors around the Phi Phi islands. Because of the visibility, it was hard to photograph it clearly. It came and went.

And then – a jellyfish, a lobster, even a sea snake! I was thrilled to see the sea snake, especially since I’d only ever seen one before back in the Philippines. I was the only one in my group to have spotted it – the others were a little too far ahead and I couldn’t get their attention in time.

We descended further and began our adventure along the sandy bottom, searching for leopard sharks and other interesting creatures. There were a few nudibranchs sighted and… yet another sea snake! These are called banded kraits and they’re very venomous, although super docile and have small fangs so its quite difficult for them to pierce human skin. Possible, though.

We found a school of lemon-colored fish and Thayna used my GoPro to get footage of me. That was nice because I rarely have footage of me diving.

And we saw a colorful eel, too!

After, we observed the turtle before making our ascent. What an amazing dive. Thanks, Aunt Julie!

Once we’d finished our first dive, we had lunch and then took the boat to see Maya Bay. Maya Bay is a super popular spot, due to a movie called The Beach that came out in 2000. Thailand has actually restricted entry in Maya Bay, because the bay itself is home to a blacktip reef shark nursery. People are no longer allowed into the water, which is great for conservation. C’mon, Thailand!

While talking and ahead of our next dive site briefing, Thayna complimented my diving and suggested I get my advanced certification. I explained I would be getting it while on the Similans liveaboard.

An hour later, we’d eaten lunch and were back in the water. I was happy that I wasn’t having any issues equalizing whatsoever and in general, I felt my diving was really improving.

During our second dive, we had other great sightings. Lots of cool fish, more nudibranch, but then… AN OCTOPUS! While I’ve seen octopus a few times at this point, especially at Coral Bay in Australia, this was only the second time I’ve seen one on a dive. It was so well-camouflaged, I could hardly tell what it was at first.

A porcupinefish, more large schools of fish, and then we had circled back to our entry point, where we would be making our ascent. Before doing so, our group went to check out a turtle. I was, again, last in line and this ended up being very lucky because I was the only one that spotted A CUTTLEFISH! This was my second time spotting one and I had it all to myself. The sighting was unique for me because the cuttlefish was active. Back on Tioman Island in Malaysia, the cuttlefish I’d seen was resting and not moving much. This time, I got to see it swim through the water and even change color. Such a crazy creature!

Our group had enjoyed the dives with Thayna so much that we all agreed to book the next day, asking for her as our instructor again.

Back on Phi Phi, I went for lunch and then laid down for a couple hours. Diving really knocks me out. Once I recovered some, I did a thorough exploration of town. It’s pretty small, but lots of little alleyways to get lost in. Plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants, weed shops, etc. There is a beach on either side of the isthmus.

In the afternoon, I walked 30min down to Long Beach. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it ended up being a really long beach crowded with people tanning and swimming. I sat down to read for a little while and then went to another beach on the north side to watch the sunset.

I had dinner then retired to my room. I had to be up early again for the next morning’s dive.

Dive Day Two

I originally was only going to do one day of diving but after realizing we stopped at Maya Bay already on the dive site and I didn’t need to spend money on a separate tour, I figured I’d use that money to help pay for another day of diving. Plus, I enjoyed all the sightings the day before so why not try for more? I also need more practice ahead of the liveaboard.

I was hoping we would be going to different dive sites the next day, but we ended up revisiting the same. Thayna took us down different routes, though, so it was new enough. The water was calmer and the visibility was slightly improved although not at all at the point I was hoping it would have been. Fingers crossed it’s better on the Similans liveaboard. Something tells me it will be.

Our first dive site was not as plentiful as the day before. We did see a few more blacktip reef sharks but again, with the shitty visibility, it wasn’t a great observation. It was also a very brief sighting.

BUT! I saw a cuttlefish again, while everyone was looking at turtle… AGAIN! AND I was the only one in my group to see it. I didn’t mention seeing the cuttlefish to the group because otherwise they may have felt disappointed they missed it.

This time, it was very close to me. Not changing colors, though. Another diver had proper camera equipment with him and was filming the cuttlefish. Sometimes people get a little too close to marine life. Even someone in my group had hit their dive tank on coral while filming the turtle. They also got way too close to it and Thayna had to try and vocalize “NUH-UH” underwater. Eek. Always keep your distance from wildlife, people.

Before the two dives were over, we saw a different eel, plenty of schools of fish, and a giant pufferfish who was very friendly. Too cute!

Again, I went back to my hostel to have a nap. It was much needed. I was exhausted and also hadn’t slept well the night before. I was met with a rainy afternoon. I went through videos/photos, relaxed, and before sunset I decided to hike up to Viewpoint #2 this time to see what that was all about.

Viewpoint #2 is superior, if only because it offers a less obscured view than #3. It was very crowded, though, but the sunset was quite pretty. Koh Phi Phi!!!

I grabbed khao soi for dinner (YES!) and then went back to my hostel where I relaxed for the remainder of the night.

The next morning, I checked out and walked to the pier to commute to Railay Beach, my next spot. On the way, I spotted the teeniest, tiniest snake I’ve ever seen! It’s a wolf snake, a species I’d seen once before in Indonesia. Non-venomous. What a great farewell from the island!

Overall, I’d definitely return to Phi Phi, if only to go on more dives. I felt the four dives I did there were better than those on Koh Lipe even despite the visibility. What a great time!

Miscellaneous

Just some other random photos from Koh Phi Phi.

Art of the Week

Another drawing from Koh Lipe. Inspired by the bright pink jellyfish I’d seen on Koh Lipe. I’m sure I’ll work on another drawing while I’m here in Railay!

Reflections

Not much to report here. Now on Railay Beach. Unfortunately, accommodation is pretty expensive here and so I had to stay in a hostel yet again. BLEGH! Koh Lipe, Koh Phi Phi, and now Railay. By the time I get to Krabi, I will be READY for a private room. Cannot wait.

I’m not quite sure what I’ll be getting up to on Railay yet. It’s a small area, accessible only by boat. But it is BEAUTIFUL. I think I will likely spend my days swimming and maybe even catching a tan… eek! There are supposedly dusky langurs and hornbills here, so I’ll go on a hike, too. Looking forward to checking it out.

It’s nice to have a short(ish) blog post for once! I wish I could make that a regular thing but these weeks are always so packed with content to share. A good problem to have.

Until next time, sending you all my love.