The Delights of Traveling; Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Merry Christmas for Koh Phi Phi!

Wasn't even supposed to be here. We were supposed to be in Koh Lanta but as usual fell in love with it and it just made me realise how much I loved it the first time around. It's been 5 years since I've been here and I got to say, a lot has changed but the good things have stayed the same. It's nice to come back to an island that was my home for such a long time and it was the place that made me who I am today.

Being on the ferry brought back some fond memories of the island and when the pier and bay came into view, the first thing I said was "I'm home." But, I was shocked when I got onto the island because some many parts had changed. As I continued walking though, I started recognising familiar places and streets. It honestly felt really nice to be able to see the transition.

So many people now.

it's a lot more people than before, but I guess it is also high season.

Some of the bars that I recommend are; Stones Bar, where you can enjoy a joint on the beach while watching the sun go down and the fire boys doing their nightly fireshow. You can also walk along the beach and there are other bars that will be doing games like fire limbo and fire musical chairs. From personal experience, do NOT do either one of those things when you are already a few buckets in. In "town", some of my favorite bars are Banana Bar, where they play the movie "The Beach" every Wednesday, which is pretty appropriate seeing that that is Phi Phi is where they filmed the movie. You can also get a joint from there. The other two are Stockholm Syndrome, (excuse the name, the owners thought it would be funny because they are all Swedish) and Dojo Bar, where if you enjoy playing beer pong, that is where you need to be. Another bar where things get crazy is Blanco's. The manager, Nathan is a crazy human but that is where I practiced my Jenga skills because I have to say that game of Jenga was probably the most intense I have played.

There are also quite a few boat tours that you can do on the island. However, the only thing is that Maya Bay was shut down because it was really screwing with the ecology of the place. But, you can still go to the other parts of the islands because there are technically two different islands; Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don. Phi Phi Don is where all the people stay on and is translated to Big Phi Phi and the other one is Small Phi Phi and it is not as inhabited. There are also quite a few booze cruises (obviously). However, I have a bone to pick with these booze cruises. I am one that believes that if you are going to a place for the first time, you want to be able to remember it. You don't want to go through all those places and when people ask you "Oh! What did you see while you were there?" Do you really want your answer to be "Oh I have no idea because I was plastered the whole time?" So, I mean completely up to you, but I believe that you should just do a regular tour, maybe buy a few beers to enjoy yourself but remember to have some memories of the place.

Being a party island as well, there are obviously quite a few hostels and accommodation to stay at while you are there. The few that I recommend on the beach are Ibiza House Hostel, where they have a pool party every Sunday. Stones Bar, if you are one to drink and just like to roll into bed because it is right on the beach. But, I would say that if you are going to stay there, get very drunk because there will be no way you can sleep if you are stark sober. If you are looking to rent a room for a long period, I would say Harmony House or even up by the viewpoint because the prices are a lot cheaper up by there then on the beach and as much as it can be an absolute bitch to walk up, the view is fantastic and it is peaceful.