Krabi to Koh Phi Phi
I was split on my next move; Koh Tao or Koh Phi Phi. I didn’t rally want to make the decision but when I got left off at the bus station I chose the bus going to Krabi. Koh Phi Phi is an hour and one half away by boat. The bus took around six hours to the station conveniently located out of town, but have no fear, they created a taxi service industry out of this economically wise decision. They did the same thing in Luang Prabang, Lao. The boat used to let you off right at the rivers edge of town where there is a road and a dock. Now the boat lets you off up stream maybe 6 kilometers out of town so you have to pay for a taxi truck to take you in. Anyway, I pulled into the Krabi Grand Towers, 300 Baht/night for a few nights and sort out Phi Phi for some diving. I don’t much like Koh Phi Phi due to how built up it is but I heard good things about the diving and I did manage to meet some awesome people.
I like Krabi Town, it’s close to many islands on both sides, the Andaman and the Gulf, it seems to be a cheaper town all the way around, room prices are cheap, food is good and cheap and it’s rather calm in relation to Phi Phi or Koh Tao. I hadn’t plugged in very often lately so I thought I’d sort out some emails and maybe put in a blog or two. Nice room with a fridge, tv, and a fifth floor view of the street corner below and over the fences to usually a few dusty bags of
rubbish hiding in the brush. And there’s a pool table up the street, good to know.
I got my ticket from the in house travel agency over looking the street corner and a couple ATMs. They picked me up at 8 am and off we went to the ferry dock for Koh Phi Phi. A couple hours later I was talking to John, a South African scuba instructor/guide for Island Divers. www.islanddiverspp.com. He asked if I needed any information. As a matter of fact I did and we sat for a few minutes but I couldn’t get his accent; some words were Aussie, some Brit, maybe a Kiwi, they talk funny. I had to ask. So we talked about South Africa and hiking trails and dive sites worth exploring. John mentioned a place called Sodwana Bay and that ‘Mile 7’ is a MUST dive. I had already booked a couple dives with PP Scuba. www.ppscuba.com. I told him I would dive with them the day after and we got down to booking me in and paying a deposit. Jon pointed up the road and gave me simple directions to K House where I got a rather expensive room, 700Baht/night and got what I get in Krabi for 300 Baht/night. I get it, it’s an island and all but still. I really wasn’t into the nightlife so much but definitely into the diving. I had heard some great things and wanted to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised on all three nights.
I took a quick shower and took off sort of wandering to the far end of the beach and back. Lots of changes are going on here. There seems to be a rush to build, that goes for Koh Tao, Koh Samui, almost all of them are bolstering infrastructure as if new legislation was being written up or a ‘halt, cease and desist’ order was on the horizon. There were a lot of people, more than I had seen in awhile, and walking on the pathways usually means a lot of dodging, swerving, slowing, then pick up the pace and pass. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat . . . .
After dinner I ventured out into the thick of it. Beer pong splashes and laughter erupted out of one bar, people walked around looking at knick-knack merchandise, sarongs, t-shirts, jewelry, tattoos, massage, pizza by the slice shops, ice cream shops, food carts, food stalls, restaurants, bars, tech stores, 7-11, Bars, beer pong tables, and people watching or people meeting.
The fire show on the beach in front of Slinkys was good and big, I think I counted 8 fire dancers at one time with different utensils or equipment to make the fire dance. It was going to be an early night anyway with a couple early morning dives. On my way home I watched the Live Bar where a 3 man Thai band was playing and the crowd was along for the ride dancing, drinking, laughing and singing the songs they all seemed to know. This might have been the first time I heard many of them but people would rolled their eyes and join in the chorus with a smile.
PP Scuba is a rather big dive center painted brightly in Yellow; their boats are also painted in bright yellow, you can’t miss them. They had already sized me up and I chose no wet suit wisely. The water is 28-30 C. It is warm and unfortunately the visibility under water wasn’t so good, maybe 7 meters. The guide Lou was great and she lead three of us around both of the small islands away from Phi Phi called, Pida Nok and Malong Bay. We saw a few eels, lots of fish and lots of coral fans, all nice.
I decided the Live Bar would be a good venue for some live music, open to the outside street and Banana Bar is just up the alley, lots of foot traffic and people watching. I pulled in as the 3 man band was taking over from a solo Thai woman guitarist who could sing. The boys geared up and off they went. A couple from I think the east coast of the US rose to the call and began singing with the band and his girl friend knew all the chorus lines, ten others sang along. This continued for a while before I noticed two young ladies from the US standing in the alley watching, singing, and slightly moving to the beat. I offered the extra seats and they came and sat down and knew every song the band played, I of course, knew none of them let alone sing them. The girls were from the states and eager to travel and see as much as they could before leaving this part of the world. It turned out to be Dana’s birthday softening the transition from beer to Margaritas. I gave them some travel ideas to think about and the night progressed passed midnight and I had 3 more dives later in the day, so we said good-byes and I left. Happy Birthday Dana. J
Island Divers at 730 am, I was up and ready by 6, all I needed was a cup of tea to get the ball rolling. My teapot is not cooperating so it may have found a new home. It’s just become to demanding. The British plug, with adapters to the wall socket configuration needs to be held in such a way that my effort is thwarted time and time again with the slightest movement. I don’t want any drama; we’re just growing apart and I think it’s for the best. Honestly, I’m happy to get rid of something right now. There’s more on the list. At Island Divers I was met by 5 women, the guide and three of her high school friends, they all were from ‘Southern’ Ohio, I didn’t know that was possible. They all joined up for a reunion of sorts and just hang with their friend. The last gal was a young Hungarian mother with a 5 year old off playing with dad somewhere else for part of a day, very polite. These other four girls had stories together over the years for three of them, the cousin was a later addition that fit right in, beautiful smile, brown eyes and a witty sense of humor. We had some good dives but again the visibility wasn’t great, it was better and we were doing three dives so we had a chance to see a lot of stuff non-the-less. Our first dive was a shipwreck and again, none of the other boats had arrived so again we had it on our own. There were lots of Stone Fish, Lion Fish, you know, things that will kill you. The Lion Fish is a beautiful testimony for evolution.
We parted at the Island Dive shop and thought we might cross paths at the Live Bar. I went home for a well-deserved nap. I imagine the diving could be better but it just wasn’t the right time. I’ll have to try again when it’s not been so windy. The surprise was meeting people in the evenings. So they all ventured passed and said hello but were bound for the Banana Bar. Becky and Becky stopped in for one and then one of the girls went to spend the last night with the dive instructor/guide and one remained with a bucket in hand and ready for the night. The music was good, the crowd great, and the intermittent conversation with complete strangers was off the charts. Most of them are still strangers but a few trickle through the cracks and send an email or make contact through FB or some other way. It’s a good feeling when you might have gotten through to someone and they are off and running with a memory, a person, and a place to connect it all to then look in to the future. It’s a strange existence pin balling around the globe, ricocheting off other travelers with minor altering affects on each other, a word, a phrase, a look, a smile, a laugh, a spirit, comfortable.
I hopped on the 1030 ferry back to Ao Nang, the pier town for Krabi. I was expecting to see the 3 Ohio girls get on board with their guide/friend waving them off but this ferry was full and we departed. They got on the second boat for Krabi maybe an hour later. Ladies, have fun in the Chinese Restaurant, in Australia, and don’t serve shark fin soup. I paid 200 Baht to get to Ao Nang long tail boat ticket office and book a ticket over to Ton Sai before it got late. I was considering going back to Krabi but the beach and the atmosphere on Ton Sai sucked me in without objection. This is one of my favorite places in Thailand and worth stopping in for 2 weeks or more. Just full stop.
www.davidcdagley.com
