Koh Phi Phi

The girls were originally hesitant about going to Phi Phi, but meeting our friends made them want to go, and I am so extremely happy that we went because our first day/night on Phi Phi island was probably the best part of the trip for me. We got off the ferry and headed over with our friends to their hotel; they had reservations but we did not and we wanted to try to get a room in the same hotel. Unfortunately, it was booked full and was too expensive anyway. Luckily, some random westerner who lived on the island saw us looking lost and gave us some suggestions for good guest houses, as well as some good restaurants and bars.

So we got our room and headed up to the observation point, which is basically the top of a very large hill that overlooks the two main bays of the island. The view was incredible and we were able to catch the sunset from up there before heading back down. None of the pictures I took really came out that well, so they don't even come close to doing the island justice.

Pics

After sunset we all headed out to a Thai restaurant that our random western acquaintance had suggested, and after a half-hour wait we were able to order food. This restaurant was the most amazing place on the island -- we got a HUGE amount of food and lots of beer for about 5 dollars per person. I haven't eaten so much food in a very long time.

After eating we headed out to a...well, I'm actually not really sure what to call it. I guess I would call it an outdoor nightclub on the beach on the northern bay. They were doing random party games when we got there, like limbo and jump-rope, but this being Thailand, they couldn't just play the usual boring games. They decided to break out the fire. The jump-rope was on fire, the limbo stick was on fire, and I nearly got singed by both, but that's what the alcohol is for right? After each successful pass under the limbo stick you walked by a guy who would pour rum into your mouth from a bottle as you walked to the back of the line. Same deal with the jump-rope, except this came only after avoiding catching your clothes on fire when you failed to jump over the rope.

Pictures
(Sorry for the poor quality, these were all taken by Megan on her camera, which is just a crappy point-and-shoot.)

After these shenanigans came the music, and we just danced on the beach to trance and techno with lasers shooting every direction. When you got tired you walked down to the water and take a breather. We set up some chairs in the water so that we could sit and the waves could wash up on our feet. Since we were on an island with minimal light pollution, the stars were out in full force over the bay. Right before leaving, we took a quick dip in the bay. I couldn't even remember the last time I went swimming under the stars, all I knew was that it had been far too long.

From there we went to a place called Tiger Bar, which was right next to the restaurant we ate dinner at. The girls aren't real big partiers so they went back to the hotel room to sleep while me and my other 4 friends had a few more drinks and club-hopped for a couple more hours. By the end of the night I was exhausted but exhillarated.

The next day we left and headed back to the Phuket airport, where we caught a plane back to Bangkok.