A Perfect Day at Phi Phi Islands

5:30am it was and we were up, ready to see the sunrise. The night before I promised my hostel roommates I would wake them up so they could join me on my sunrise watch Sadly, the beach is on the west side and the cliffs hid most of the sky to the east, so when we got to the beach to watch it, we could barely see it. We calculated that with some higher ground we might get a better view. So I introduced them to the hilltop pool, and we had a much better view from up there. We watched the sunrise, took a few photos, and chatted until we all went back to sleep. 

I had a boat tour to Phi Phi islands so I had about one hour of extra sleep before rising to get ready for that. I didn’t want to do a boat tour my second day in Krabi, but looking at the weather forecast, this was the only day of guaranteed sun, and this was the island I wanted to do justice and experience at peak weather. And good weather is exactly what we received. I got ready, packed up my day bag, stopped by a coffee shop for some coffee and peanut butter toast, and then back to my hotel lobby to wait for the tour company to pick me up. At 9:40am, a pick up truck with benches in the bed of the truck pulled up, and I was the last one on it, thankful I didn’t have to ride it too long. We got to the pier in about ten minutes, went through the check-in process and then waited to get on our boat. We broke into two groups and I noticed there was a girl standing alone, so I found something to ask her and just like that we became each other's company for the day.

We had so much in common that the conversation was so easy and we found things to talk about all day long. A great thing was we had each other to take photos, and this would be just the place to have a person there who doesn’t mind stopping for some shots, and who has an eye for a good photo. We had so much fun together all day, chatting and enjoying the beautiful scenery. We had a decently long boat ride out to Phi Phi Island from Krabi. The first bay we pulled into, the sun shimmered on the crystal blue water, exposing a shade so vibrant and unbelievable it exists in nature. The color of cool blue gatorade. And cliffs towering on both sides of the boat, I was in awe and it was an unforgettable moment of pure beauty. We boated in and parked so we could swim in the bay. We had about an hour to do so, the water so warm and the sun hitting the mountains just perfectly. I could’ve stayed in that bay forever, but it was packed with fellow tourists, so the solo charm was slightly lost as boats lined up the perimeter of the bay and the water littered with bodies in bright orange life jackets. 

The first stop was a good one, and onto our next. We went to the main island area, stopping for some lunch. My boat tour was later than normal ones as it goes longer into the night so we can catch the sunset, so by the time of the end of our first stop, it was already noon and we had some lunch. I ended up having two plates, hoping that a big lunch would mean I could make it through the day trip without any snacks. 

I ate with my new friend, Madison from Canada, and we had some more time to explore the little city we stopped at. But not too long and then again we were back in the speed boat on our way to the next destination, the highlight of the tour, Maya Bay. I had heard about this place but couldn’t remember precisely what made this beach so popular, that was until I stepped foot onto its sand and looked at the towering cliffs surrounding me.

If you are interested in visiting Thailand, Maya Bay should be at the top of your list. It was the most incredible beach, even though it was crowded with many other tourists, all of us lined along the beach to snag our perfect picture even though it was impossible to capture its true beauty. We had an hour at this beach, making sure we had our fair share of photos, and then escaping to a spot under a carve in the cliffs as a shield from the sun. I sat and stared out, contemplating the things of my life, because it just didn’t feel real. This place felt like a fairytale. Was I dreaming? All of this circling my mind as the sun made the water sparkle, the cliffs vibrant in color, and the sky blue as ever. We explored as much of the bay as we could, going from one end to the other. Because it is a national park, you cannot swim in the water, although they were not strict on wading in which was nice to cool or clean off and steal a few minutes in the waters of the most gorgeous place on earth. The hour we had there went by too quickly and just like that I had to leave my newly discovered paradise.

We ventured onward, going to a snorkeling cove. Although I am not the biggest snorkeler, I strapped up for a few minutes, saw what I needed to see (I saw Nemo! A clownfish!) and also a few baby jellyfish that scared me enough to leave the water and enjoy the view of the ocean from the boat, much more my speed. I also did some floating and admired the new area I was in, another spot in phi phi that hasn't seized to amaze me. 

Another little spot we had during the day was to see some monkeys. In the crevice of a few cliffs on the island lived about 10-20 monkeys. They scaled the rocks, the vines, and rested in the natural divots in the rock. We watched as they roamed about, as some tourists feed them, and as they chilled with one of the best views you could imagine. It was so cool to see some monkeys and in such a unique place.

Our next step was to a new island, Bamboo Island, where we could continue snorkeling or go swimming. The water was so warm, you could sit in the shallow water so comfortably and stay there forever. My friend and I did just that, chatting some more as we admired this new island and all this tour has offered us. The sun was starting to set a bit so we made our way to the last stop of the tour, Koh Poda (pictured above). Here we parked ourselves on a towel at the beach and watched as the sun made its descent to the horizon, signing off for the night and leaving us a painting in the sky. It was a clear day, but by the end a few clouds had come, making the sunset occur a bit earlier than expected. At 7pm, we began our return to the pier and it took a while until I was back at my hostel, showered, and out to grab some dinner. I went to the first restaurant I saw, an indian restaurant where I ordered some dal and easily put back the whole meal. I then of course needed a sweet treat so I stopped at 7-11 for a small sleeve of oreos, hoping it’ll last me the duration of my stay in Krabi. I got back to my hostel and crashed from the fatigue of the hot sun, long day, and in anticipation for my second boat day occurring in just 10 short hours.

It was such a magical day, seeing the wonders of this world, and as I set my head on my pillow, I did so in utter gratitude for my opportunities and in complete appreciation for this beautiful earth.