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Thailand Page 2: Phi Phi Islands
George went to Phi Phi in March 2002 to take the PADI Instructor Exam so he could get certified as a scuba instructor. He spent a few extra days on the islands beforehand to take a refresher course and brush up on his skills.
Some of the longtime Thailand hands will tell you that the Phi Phi Islands have gone to hell in a handbasket ever since being used as the setting for "The Beach". But it's not like they were utterly pristine before that, and they're hardly in dire straits now.
Koh Phi Phi is a couple of hours' boat ride east of Phuket (which is on the west coast of Thailand). The Phuket ferry piers aren't particularly close to most of the hotels, and the local authorities decided to put the airport a good, long (expensive) ride from anywhere. So expect to spend some time getting around.
The islands themselves are almost unbelievably picturesque. Sharp grey and green mountain tops sticking out of the sea, with the occasional fringe of beach nestled in a pale blue cove, and caves worn right through the rock by wind and wave. The biggest island, and the only one that's inhabited, is hourglass-shaped, with most of the town nestled on a narrow isthmus between the two steep peaks. And the water is crystal-clear.
As you can imagine, Phi Phi draws its share of tourists. There are a lot of backpacker hostels and cheap rooms (like the one I shared). There are also some newer resorts/hotels that, despite trying to fit in, do diminish the exotic-island ambience. The cruise ships do too, in addition to dumping their raw sewage straight into the water (which is where most of Phi Phi's probably goes anyway). And you do start to wonder just how much tourism these little islands can take. The good part of this (sort of) is that there's an ATM, internet access, and other amenities on the island.
The village is a dense warren of dirt alleyways, hole-in-the-wall shops, eateries, and homes. It's charming despite its grubbiness - if nothing else, it's authentic in a way the resorts aren't. To me, it had the feeling of being there that, for instance, I felt was missing during our stay on an otherwise excellent island in the Maldives.
The people on the island vary as much as the accomodation - lots of backpackers and long-term travelers, plenty of package tourists (Germans seem especially fond of Thailand), some 5-star resort folks, expat shopkeepers and bartenders and nomadic divemasters, and of course the locals (tourism is the big industry but there's also some fishing). There are plenty of "longtail" boats to ferry people around - they're basically canoes with car engines in them and a long driveshaft sticking out behind with a propeller on the end, and they make a godawful racket. Constant boat noise is probably the single biggest impediment to achieving Island Relaxation here.
Aside from sunning/snorkeling/partying, rock-climbing and scuba diving are the biggest activities on Phi Phi. Since my daytime activities were mostly limited to studying, sitting in lessons, practicing skills, and assembling/disassembling/cleaning/carrying/storing gear, I didn't have time to try rock climbing, but the outfits here look serious (i.e., like they wouldn't get you killed), and they cater to everything from hardcore climbers to complete novices who want someone to belay them on a safety rope.
I did get a couple of fun dives in, when all us new instructors went out for a day of fun after finally passing our exams. As I said above, the water's clear, great visibility, nice easy dive sites with plenty of corals, critters, and the occasional extra like a swimthrough or a little fishing boat wreck. You can just about circumnavigate one of the smaller islands in one dive if you manage it right. Phi Phi gets a lot of pelagic visitors due to its position away from the mainland. In fact, while I was there, two whale sharks were spotted in a shallow bay by snorkelers. What more can I say?
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