Koh Phi Phi: Salt, Sweat, and Sunsets

I caught a bus to Phuket after a few days in Bangkok with my best Thai friend, Nate. When I got off the boat at Koh Phi Phi, I waded through the crowd of tourists and found my friend. The ocean breeze passing through the town carried an aroma of stale beer, SPF 50, and cheap cologne. I schlepped my luggage 15 minutes out of town, up a hill, through alleys on windy side roads to our new hotel: the PP Ingphu Viewpoint. It was a confusing labyrinth, but well worth it for the tranquility. It was a quaint shack on stilts with nothing more than beds, an air conditioner, and a basic bathroom.

Runtee Beach

We headed directly to Runtee Beach, where we spent the next several hours. The beach was covered in large rocks and overrun with tourists. But I hardly gave it a second thought because the water was warm, and I was so happy to be with my friend.

After soaking in the tropical waters and the impressive limestone cliffs surrounding us, we wandered around town. We found an Israeli restaurant where we ate falafel with fresh strawberry smoothies and perhaps the best hummus I had ever eaten.

Ton Sai Beach

We went for one last swim in the ocean at the deserted Ton Sai Beach on the southern coast. It was starting to get dark, and the water was already getting cold, but we were overheated, so the cool seawater felt great. We horsed around in the water until it became too dark to see.

Nighttime is when Koh Phi Phi comes to life. After all, Koh Phi Phi is a party island. When the sun goes down, the streets fill with drunken European tourists, the bars and clubs play loud music, and the beaches become host to parties and fire shows.

Beach Party

We wandered outside the city center and came upon a beach party. The great music caught our attention, so we walked toward the shore to investigate. A fire dancer was spinning a flaming baton high into the air. In front of him, two other performers were inviting guests to participate in a double Dutch with burning ropes. Next to the club, there was a large dance two meters off the ground. It was jam-packed with dancers, and at the very center was Brazilian travel influencer @196sonhos. My friend and I were vibing to the music and danced together as we watched the fire show. As we were leaving, we walked down the beach to check out other parties, but none were quite as good. It was just a stroke of luck.

We had some time to kill before our boat tour, so we explored downtown. The midday heat surrounded us like a hot, steamy blanket. The winding alleyways of Koh Phi Phi were unlike anywhere I had seen in Thailand. Foreigners outnumbered locals, and most of the restaurants served foreign food. The walking paths were also in good condition, which is a rarity. We checked out some souvenir shops, but the rows of elephant pants, knockoff Ray-Bans, and printed tank tops were severely overpriced. We grabbed some water bottles from 7-Eleven and slowly walked back to the boat.

Monkey Beach

Our first stop was Monkey Beach on Kho Phi Phi Don. There were macaques everywhere – eyes gleaming with mischief, swinging from the trees and jumping onto the boats. Some tourists were feeding them, while others were harassing them to take selfies and videos.

Bamboo Beach

We returned to the boat and sped to Bamboo Beach on Mai Phai Island. The water sparkled in the midday sun, and the sand was painfully hot on my bare feet. The beach was beautiful with dozens of docked longboats, stopping over for lunch. It was quiet and relaxing, and there was a cool breeze blowing in from the sea. I ate my lunch of chicken and rice at a picnic table below a tree in the shade. Palm fronds rustled overhead as the waves steadily crashed in the distance. The simple meal was sublime after a morning of snorkeling and sun. He was developing a sunburn and feeling seasick, which exacerbated his mild food poisoning from the night before, so he could barely eat his lunch. He took some time to relax, had some electrolytes and medicine, and by the time we left, he felt much better.

After a dip in the ocean in the clear greenish-blue seawater and a boat ride between two sheer cliffs, we made our way to Koh Phi Phi Lee.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay is, without a doubt, one of the most recognizable spots in Thailand, but it’s so strictly controlled that tourists can do little more than take photos. As boats are prohibited at Maya Bay Beach, we parked on the opposite side of the island and walked through the center. Swimming is also strictly prohibited by the Thai government. A tourist tried to swim in the ocean multiple times while we were taking photos and was nearly kicked out by the police.

Snorkling

We pulled our boat up to a rocky cliff to snorkel. The flora and fauna were unremarkable, and the water was freezing. There was little more than sea grass and small fish. Still, the seafloor had an eerie beauty, with bubbles shooting toward the surface and shafts of light filtering down. Nevertheless, we dove to the ocean floor to observe every detail we could and took photos of each other with the GoPro.

Sunset

It was getting dark as the sun fell low in the sky, so we hopped back in the boat and headed toward the open ocean. We watched the sun slowly sink as various shades of red, orange, and yellow enveloped the horizon.

bioluminescent phytoplankton

We waited until it was pitch black and slowly approached the rocky cliffs. We were going to snorkel with bioluminescent phytoplankton. I was beyond excited. Since I was a child, I marveled at magazine photos of the magnificent blue waves in Puerto Rico and the Maldives. I got on my gear and carefully slipped into the water. Every abrupt move made the phytoplankton go dark. After 10 minutes of floating, I saw a dim light. They were tiny blue dots, like underwater fireflies barely visible to the naked eye. Rather than a sea of blue light, it was like faint static from an old television. I had to squint to see them, and it was nearly impossible for a GoPro to capture. It was an exciting experience, but, unfortunately, not like what I had seen in National Geographic. The water was quite chilly, so we quickly returned to the boat, dried off again, put our clothes on, and headed back to Koh Phi Phi. We were exhausted from snorkeling and the intense heat, so we grabbed some pizza and went to bed.