1st of March to 2nd of April, 2024.
Hitchhiking in Thailand: Phi Phi Islands
The ferry is quite big and I dare to say, fancy. There are lots of seats available, and each one of them has a life-jacket attached to it. The facilities are good enough, and they offer free water, coffee, tea and crackers the whole journey. Yay!
After finding myself a seat inside, I gather my things and go to the bathroom. I am disgusting and need to clean myself. Plus, I need to wash some clothes.
When you arrive to Phi Phi Islands, you must pay a fee of 20 THB, for maintenance of the islands. Honestly, I disagree. No matter who is it, even me in my always saving mode, camping and hitchhiking, when you come to an island, you will spend money on it. And most of people, with their sleeping arrangements, eating and partying needs, will spend a lot. And I believe that there is enough in all that to look after the islands.
I must do a few things first, before going to explore the island. They are the following: 1) arrange a trip to Maya Bay, morning only, cheaper and scaping from the massive crowds which are formed after 10.00 a.m.; 2) arrange accommodation in a hostel for tomorrow, so I can surely have a bath before going to Maya Bay, to have a place to leave my backpack during the morning trip, and to be close enough to the pier, as we must leave early morning, at 6 a.m.; 3) arrange a ferry ticket to Koh Lanta, my next destination after here.
I get myself some fruits and some food, and start by going to the View Points. On my way there, by being distracted, I get to a dead end. That’s when I meet Monritz, a very nice German guy, who is just as lost as I. I ask for directions to a local lady, and soon enough we are heading to the right place.
Monritz is a civil engineer, 29, who after finishing his Master’s Degree, decided to take a break and go travelling. He was supposed to be in Singapore and then South Korea right now, but he had a scooter accident in Koh Phangan, and had to settled low for about 3 weeks. What a shame! But he still considering going to those places, as they are countries he has always wanted to go.
Going uphill to the View Points is a stretch. I am rusty from carrying The Hulk, and the hundreds of steps uphill are killing me. Plus, going with someone else, you cannot really stop every two steps. Laugh. So, I do my best. But even Monritz is very tired too. He keeps saying that he doesn’t know how can I do that. Once we get to the top, the few people over there say the same.
The first stop is free and there is a small coffee shop here. Bring lots of water and don’t be a fool of buying stuff here. One coconut is 80 THB! Down there you can get it for 50 THB. I was dying for one but restrained myself to keep to my water. Monritz and I stay here for quite a while, resting and enjoying the beautiful view. We talk about many things, and have quite a lot in common, which is a big surprise for me, of course.
To the viewpoints 1 and 2 you must pay 50 THB. View Point 3 is 20 THB. They say is to help to maintain the place. They are very close to each other and both views, together with the first one for free, are incredible. I say you should stay here for a very long time, and enjoy it. But I must keep going as my next destination and camping point for tonight is still over one hour hiking from here.
From the View Point 3 to a place called Laana Beach, you can hike through the jungle, or go by tail boat. I am excited about the hiking and got the directions previously. At View Point 3 (which you must pay another fee, but I didn’t), there are some signs with directions, and I find myself on the way to Laana Beach. After enjoying some short hiking, beautiful nature, peace and quietude, I get to a dead end, which I was not expecting and it was not in my directions. Thinking about the Geography of the islands, I take left. Wrong. By taking left, I was walking in a circle, going all the way back to the View Points 1 and 2. After walking for quite a long time, I am saved by meeting two German girls, to whom I ask directions and get all sorted out. Back to View Point 3, I confirm direction with a nice Muslin lady working there.
After taking right at the dead end, things don’t get easier though. There are a lot of secondary trails on the way (why people do that?), and the original trail is not always marked, so it can get very confusing. Perhaps things happen for a reason, and I should get lost again so I would end up in the small village near Laana Beach, where another beach, Loh Ba Kao, is located. There is a fancy resort here, and I feel like breaking in when, coming from the jungle behind it, and by the sea, I crush into it. Laugh.
At the small market, just outside the resort, I finally drink a coconut water with a bag of chips, and that’s lunch. For dinner, I have my Pad Thai with me. Things here are more expensive than the other side of the islands, and the lady from the shop explains to me that it’s because they must bring everything here, from there, by ferry.
You can get to Laana Beach easily from here, just crossing the bridge and turning left, in less than 10 minutes you are there. There are some tail boats by the beach, and that’s the main way to arrive and leave from this part of the island to Ton Sai Pier, so that’s quite busy. Even all the people from the fancy SAii Resort must arrive and depart from here because they cannot do it from the resort beach.
When I get to the beach, I meet a Brazilian girl and her friend from Czech Republic. Brenda is a very beautiful woman, and she looks just like what everybody in the world think that every Brazilian woman looks like. And that’s why nobody ever guess I am from Brazil. They are both very nice and we have a nice chat.
It is almost dark so I make my camping quickly. It is wonderful to be able to camp by the beach. I feel blessed to be able to sleep just by it, listening to the sound of the waves and feeling its energy. The same for sunrise. Waking up with this beautiful and peaceful view is amazing! But it is really hot here in Thailand, and humid too, so it can be very challenging to sleep. Of course, if you are in a bungalow or any other kind of accommodation, you wouldn’t hear a thing of the nature because of the AC. Even a fan can be quite noisy. So, yeah, in order to feel peace and the true sound of nature, you must feel also an intense heat. What to do?
10 Years Around the World 