Now that I'm back, I have to watch The Beach again to get an appreciation for what this place looks like without all the boats, humans, and garbage (yes, people throw their garbage at THIS place...where is the tact?). All in all though, this was the most spectacular beach I've EVER seen...EVER. I think more spectacular than simply the beach was the fact that looking back towards the mountains, one could see that lush jungle was all that makes up this magnificent island...could one place be everything all at once? I think it can. Without further ado, here is Koh Phi Phi Ley Island, as seen from the breathtaking water...
If you had taken that first picture and then turned around to find me frolicking in the water, this is the sight you would have seen...
And your beach bum travel companions:
Alright, from the left side of the beach (this picture)...
...to the centre...
...to the right...
...that was the magnificent Maya Bay. What I didn't show you were, sickeningly, how many boats were overpopulating the tiny area to the right of that last picture. It's amazing really how much they are overusing this area and how in time, it will be full of gasoline and oil remnants and be unsuitable for inhabitants. I guess they don't care though...those tourist dollars keep pouring in. I was sorry then to be a part of it...but who doesn't want to see this amazing sight once in their lives? I'm so torn. Yeah, I look really torn in this picture...(eye roll):
Alright, we were also given the chance to snorkel. You'd think that with some of the best snorkeling in the world, I'd be thrilled to do this. You'd be wrong, friends. I tried, I really did. I got in the water, I donned the mask and the wind pipe apparatus, and I put my face in the water. First of all, I have asthma, so I don't think that breathing through a teeny tiny little tube is quite going to cut it. Secondly, the thought of breathing while my respiration system is entirely under water feels entirely unnatural and freaks me out to the point of hyperventilation. Third, I don't care for fish. I like them more than snakes, I'll give you that, but I definitely don't like it when they touch me or come anywhere near me for that matter. So when I put on the mask, slowly put my face in the water, and saw my first small fish (which, of course, later became the size of a barracuda), I had to get out of there immediately. The boat was much more comfortable and I was not the only one who had an affinity to air over water. I shudder at the thought of that giant fish trying to attack me!
Leanne, on the other hand, did not have such an issue, and was in that water and swimming around like a mermaid. She might not have looked that glamourous, but she certainly had a good time...
Here's a little cove just off the coast of Railay West where tons of people were snorkeling.
We rode around some areas where no one got off the boats. I guess they let you swim where the coral is good and keep you on the boat when it's just teal-coloured waters surrounded by lush hills. It's a hard knock life, let me tell you ;)
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