Parker Family Adventure: Catching up on Koh Phi Phi

We caught a speed boat from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta via drops offs and pick ups at Koh Bulon Leh, Koh Kradan and Koh Muk. It was a great opportunity to check out a couple of other islands. I definitely like the look of Koh Muk for next time! The trip was an experience. The interior of the boat was full through to Koh Muk. We sat outside at the front, which was quite an adventure. We were squished in with people and bags and had a few bone-crunching bounces as we crossed the waves.

The jetty at Koh Lanta appeared completely chaotic, but was strangely well organised. Everyone wears stickers to indicate their destination, bags are also tagged and you are shepherded toward your boat. Koh Phi Phi was about 45 minutes away and we were able to find indoor seats easily this time. The boats come in to Ton Sai, which is equally chaotic and was incredibly hot.

We were quickly rounded up by a man from the resort near where we were staying, given an umbrella and then put on a long tail for the 30 minute trip to the other side of the island. The beach is very shallow and at low tide the sea is about 300 metres from the high tide line. As it was low tide when we arrived, the long tail could not get near the resort so we were collected by a tractor and taken to shore.

Phi Phi Island Village Resort looked amazing, but we were staying at a far cheaper little bungalow around the corner. We walked down the sandy main street of the little tourist village and were immediately pleased to be somewhere quieter and considerably more rustic than Ton Sai. It was also good to have a bit of space after the compact Lantern Inn.

Our first challenge was to figure out how to get back to Ton Sai by 5pm. Our very good friend Peadar was meeting us there on his way to a wedding in Melbourne. Very exciting indeed! The answer was long tail, so we quickly showered, changed then jumped on a boat which took us to Ton Sai and waited for us while we had dinner. Catching a long tail beats getting a taxi home!

It was truly fantastic to see Peadar again. We last caught up in Canberra at Jared and Natasha's wedding almost three years ago. The wonderful thing about good friends is that nothing really changes when you don't see them for a while.

We weren't overly keen on Ton Sai. Very busy, young and quite seedy. In all fairness I don't feel as thought I gave it much of a chance as we didn't spend much time there, and there were some cafes, restaurants and shops that looked pretty cool when I wandered around a couple of days later.

Our village is filled with a selection of restaurants, tour arrangers, massage, souvenier and clothing shops. There doesn't seem to be much, if any foreign ownership in the village (accommodation excluded). The people are incredibly friendly and we felt at home and very welcome. The biggest problem was choosing where to eat! There was some very good and reasonably-priced food; a particular favourite was Oasis, which does an excellent chicken and cashew nut stir fry.

One day we met Peadar at a beach on our side of the island. We spent our time swimming, relaxing at the bungalow and eating. There are two beaches near the apartment, the very shallow one by the resort (where Peadar came in) and another, about 10 minutes walk away that is beautiful at high tide, but rocky and not so nice when the tide is out. After dinner, Peadar and I had a couple of drinks at a newly opened bar and a good chat before he headed back to Ton Sai. Just like old times!

The following day we went on a half-day long tail trip for our final snorkel of the holiday and a visit to Maya Beach, where the movie The Beach was filmed. Maya was so busy with other long tailed boats, speed boats and people that we didn't bother landing on the beach. The highlight was a swim in a beautiful bay with huge rock formations that drop directly into the sea on three sides... crystal clear light green water, too deep to stand, but you can still see the perfect white sand beneath. We swam off the boat. Eleanor and Leo loved jumping off the side and spent ages doing it.

Later that afternoon Adrian caught a long tail to Ton Sai for a lads night out with Peadar. The kids and I watched the Princess Bride on Peadar's iPad which we really enjoyed (can't believe I hadn't seen it sooner!) and had an early night.

The three of us were on a long tail straight after breakfast to meet Adrian and Peadar, and then we all caught a speed boat to Phuket. As we left the little village, owners of some of the restaurants we'd eaten at waved and called out farewells. Such lovely and welcoming people!