Ko Phi Phi

From Siem Reap I returned to Bangkok by minivan, which took about 8 hours. The next day I travelled to Ko Phi Phi. Realising that it was a 12 hours bus trip to Phuket, followed by 1 1/2 hours on a ferry from Phuket to Ko Phi Phi, I instead flew from Bangkok to Phuket and took the ferry from Phuket.

Ko Phi Phi is an island in the Andaman Sea and part of a national marine park. Nearby is Ko Phi Phi Ley, the location of the beach in the movie "The Beach". The islands are famous for their spectacular scenery. Ko Phi Phi has some beautiful beaches but it is a lot busier than I had imagined (perhaps wishful thinking on my part that it should be otherwise). However, it is very laid back, with no vehicles and an island vibe. It is still rainy season so it has rained on and off. Nevertheless, the rain has had very little impact on what I have done. I spent my first day at the beach.

Ko Phi Phi is packed with outfits offering diving and scuba courses. I decided to take the literal plunge and signed up for a two and a half day PADI dive course. This involved quite a lot of reading and an exam (which was a cinch). The hard, and scary part, was the diving. In most respects it was all a lot simpler than I had imagined and I was comforted by the "safety first" attitude that appears to apply to diving. I had a total of four dives, all of which included learning drills as well as "sightseeing". The deepest dive was to 18m, which is part of the requirement for the diving qualification. It was amazing to be able to go under the waves and to view the coral reefs and multi-coloured fish. The instructors were great, being patient and very helpful. My first instructor was Cliff from New Orleans. He looks and sounds a lot like George Bush! It did not seem fair to mention it. Cliff had to pull out after a day and half because of sinus troubles. My new instructor was Julien, a young Frenchman. I really wanted to say that New Zealanders had had bad experiences with French divers (an allusion to the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland by the French) but I held my tongue.

I have stayed at a basic but adequate guesthouse- cold showers are not a problem in this climate. I went on a long-boat tour today out to Phi Phi Ley and had a great time snorkeling and chatting to fellow travellers.