Our last day on Phi Phi.
We got some life jackets and snorkels from the front desk and went to one of the roped in swimming areas. We were going to swim right out to the reef but we were told that there was a chance that we’d be run over by one of the long tailed boats that frequently run through that area.
Once in the water, we found the current a bit strong so we pulled ourselves along on the ropes of buoys that surrounded the swimming area.
The fish were still awesome. Schools and schools of convict tangs and lots of white colored fish, lots of brightly colored parrot fish, sea cucumbers, sea scallops, moorish idols, butterfly fish, damsel fish, wrasses and many bright ones that I couldn’t identify.
My favourite was an area with anemones. I loved watching the clown fish swim in and out of them.
We had to be out of our room by noon. John hung around our beach restaurant reading a book and I did the half hour walk on the path back to the town where I went to my favourite health store and bought more essential oils. Note to self: I need to buy a few more essential oil diffusers/vaporizers.
I definitely want to return to Phi Phi Island.
We took a long tailed boat to the main Phi Phi pier to catch our ferry to Railay Beach. Our ferry stopped at Ao Nang where we changed to a smaller speedboat to go to Railay. This was quite a feat because we had two big rolling suitcases with us, two back packs and a bag of wet bathing suits, water bottles and snacks. I was not graceful getting out of the big boat into the smaller one. Railay Beach is a peninsula that cannot be accessed by road so boat is the only way to get there. Railay Beach West is on one side of the peninsula and Railay Beach East is on the other side.
The speedboat dropped about twenty five of us at Railay West Beach. I still had no grace and dropped one of my Mephisto flip flops into the water as I tried to hold my skirt up while getting out of the boat into the water. The boat staff carried the luggage and dropped them from on the beach. Our hotel was on Railay Beach East so John and I had to drag our luggage across the beach (luggage does not roll well on wet beaches) and down many unpaved paths with roots sticking up and through a few paved routes. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at our hotel, the Avatar Railay. Just as we got into reception, the heavens opened and it poured down.
Our room is gorgeous. We have the largest king size bed that I have ever seen (it is over 8 ft wide) and we have a deck with a huge lounge sofa that has steps going directly into a pool. There are nice touches such as a beach bag with towels.You get so much more for your money in Thailand.
We sat on the deck reading our books until the rain stopped at about 8 pm.
Then we went out yo get some dinner. In some places there were walkways with no lights. We asked a local man about a dark walkway and he said it would get us directly to where we wanted to go but to use the flashlight so that we don’t step on the snails. With his accent, I thought he said snakes but he clarified that it was snails.
We used my cell phone flashlight. The snails were beautiful; they were large with lovely pink shells , like an illustration from a fairy tail book. And the little toads were adorable. A chorus of high pitched peeps were accompanied by the bullfrog’s base.
We ate at a candlelit restaurant on the west beach and watched lightning in the distance over the water.
I can’t believe how wavy my hair goes here. Normally I have poker straight hair. Yet another thing I love about Thailand.