Packs and Boots: Beach and Island Hopping in Thailand

After the craziness of Bangkok, Tom and I wanted to take a bit of a vacation from traveling. (You'll notice this is a theme for us. We also 'vacationed' in Melnik, Bulgaria and Colonia, Uruguay, as well as a few others.) We figured that the islands and beaches in Southern Thailand would be the perfect place to unwind for a few days.

We flew into Phuket, spent a few nights in town, and then headed to Kata Beach, which was just a quick bus ride from Phuket town. We treated ourselves to a few nights at a resort just a few minutes off of the beach with a great pool. Plus, swans. The beach itself was gorgeous, with warm waves and clean sand and views of islands in the distance. At first, we were a bit apprehensive about going into the water. Since we were visiting during rainy season, we'd heard to watch out for riptides and jelly fish. We did see some red flags warning of riptide areas, but we swam happily and jelly-fish free for hours. When your biggest complaint is that the water is 'just a little too warm,' you know that you've found a pretty great beach.

Although the beach was perfect, the town left something to be desired. There were plenty of motorbikes zipping around the beach area, and the humidity seemed to keep pollution hanging in the air. Girls in massage parlors called out suggestively every time we walked by. After hearing "massage?" ten times a minute all day long, it got a little bit old. So, after a few days, we decided to move on and leave our glorious beach (and resort) behind.

Jumping for joy on Kata Beach

Motorbikes in Kata

On the ferry.

We took a nausea-inducing short ferry ride to a small island called Ko Phi Phi Don, which we'd read was supposed to be one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand. It certainly was gorgeous, with big cliffs and lush jungle all around. The water was nearly completely clear, and incredibly peaceful. The town itself, however, was where 20-somethings go to play. And they play hard. Although it was a bit too rowdy for us, we decided to stay for a few nights to snorkel and tour nearby islands, and to find some quieter moments to see the beauty in and around the island. On our last night, we joined in on the fun and realized that we weren't quite hip enough to keep up with the crowd.

The beach on Phi Phi

Climbing to a viewpoint

We ate tons of coconuts, but these weren't all ours ;)

View of Phi Phi

A monkey eating potato chips.

We took a boat ride around to a smaller island called Ko Phi Phi Leh, which is where The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.

About 20 snorkeling boats dropped passengers off at Ko Phi Phi Leh at the same exact time. Then, we all had to swim quickly to avoid the rocks, and then climb up this rope ladder thing all at once. It wasn't exactly fun, but it was definitely memorable. (Tom's note: It was fun.)

We made it back alive.

Tom jumped off of this cliff. Don't worry-- still alive. (I chickened out.)

Flame throwers all along on the beach.

In Phi Phi, nearly every shop along the street sold "buckets," which included some small bottle of liquor and one or two mixers, on sale for about $4.

Our bucket. We shared.

We thought we were going to watch Thai boxing, but it ended up just being kids boxing each other for a free drink.

Pretty waters of Phi Phi

Our next destination was our Goldilocks's moment. On a whim, we decided to head to a rock-climbing oasis called Railay, which is on a peninsula, connected to the rest of the mainland by boat only. This means no roads, no cars, and no motor scooters... and more peace, quiet, and nature. This isn't to say that Railay is empty-- Railay is filled with travelers of all kinds, all eager to explore the beaches and caves and cliffs around town. It has plenty of resorts and guesthouses and even a few shops selling magnets, hippie pants and other souvenirs, but somehow it all seems to be much more natural and laid-back than or prior two destinations. We intended to stay for only 2 nights, and somehow a week went by without us realizing it.