Same Same But Different

The thing I've discovered about Thailand's islands is that although they resemble each other in many ways, each one has it's own unique character.

Yesterday we arrived in PhiPhi - arguably the most idyllic of all the islands we've visited but also very spoilt by tourism. We hadn't been here 24 hours before Marcus and Gordon were already saying they wanted to cut their time in Phi Phi short because of the touristy atmosphere an head to Phuket early....I'm not sure I understand this logic.... But more on that later as I set out to change their minds!

Being the most expensive islands we're visiting, we knew we'd be slumming it a bit (I use this term in it's lightest sense... We are still in paradise!) we're staying in 'UpHill Cottages' which really is a climb up the mountain as it overlooks the town of Tonsai below us.

While I enjoy the slow and relaxed pace of island life, Marcus and Gordon have started to et itchy feet, trying to cram as much into a day as possible, almost as if to check it all off on a 'been there done that' basis before moving on to a new destination. Today I was determined to slow us down and limited our activity to simply visiting the islands 'viewpoint' to take in the scenery. This involved a huge climb to the top of one of the towering cliffs overlooking the islands strip below. There are 3 viewpoints, each one with a more challenging incline than the last - an extremely gruelling challenge in mid-day heat! Of course the boys left me trailing as I'm not too fit so I dropped back and took in the scenery as I rested on numerous rocks! The view was sensational. You could make out the gorgeous change in sea colour as the turquoise blue enclosed by the alcoves merges into a dark green followed by deep blue. In the distance Phi Phi Lay lurks mysteriously, inviting us to visit. Below us the town looked peaceful and in the gift shop, along with ice cream and water, you can purchase DVD's of the tsunami that hit the exact spot just years ago, playing on the consciousness of Phi Phi locals to this day.

When we all finally reached the top we realised just how far up we were - we could see all sides of the island and the views were breathtaking. Signs at the top pointed to 'Phi Phi Relax Beach' and not really knowing what this was, we decided the name was inviting enough and decided to set out in pursuit of it.

I'm not sure if we got lost or fell into a tourist trap intended to put the average back packer through their paces, but either way, what followed was the adventure of a lifetime. We found a small path in the jungle, so steep we needed o go down on our bottoms. There was barely a path but a price of rope guided the way down the vertical drop. In turn we steadily made our way through the trees (it was too late to turn back now) and reached a stream of fresh water hidden amongst the bushes. Red ants scoured our ankles and we all jumped into the water to rid ourselves of the painful bites. Wounding if the track to the bottom would ever end and feeling slightly scared we could see no one in sight or let alone a beach, I felt a lot like Richard in alex garlands 'The Beach' in pursuit of a private paradise.

Several mosquito bites, a bleeding toe and some broken flip flops later, we were rewarded. Glistening through the trees we saw turquoise water, White sands and an empty beach. we all collapsed onto the sand, we'd made it!

The boys, in awe of their day exploring, may just be beginning to realise that there is more to see and do on these islands than they think! As we sat in our idleness on the beach we ate together and swam until the sun wet down....... (if you haven't yet noticed the problem with this sentence then here is comes....)

It was pitch black. We had to get home. To save myself a telling off from my mother I think I'll save the details of the return leg. Instead I'll give you a few details:

We had a torch. When this was off we couldn't even see eachother.

The noises in the jungle were deafening... Hissing, crickets rubbing their legs, monkeys howling.

We saw a monkey, a glow worm, a toad and several crickets.

We all made it back in one piece.
Sorry mum. Xxx