Phi Phi and Monkey Business

 I spent my last day in Phuket on a cruise by speedboat to Ko Phi Phi (Phi Phi Island for those not fluent in

 Phi Phi is probably 40+ miles south in Phang Nga Bay from the Phuket pier, so a good distance to cover.  

 Bought myself an elephant shirt which are popular here s o I could blend with the locals. I think it comes off and I could probably be taken for a Thai-

I will skip my standard joke about it being deserted and just say I have never seen so many fairly large boats, all trying to get into the little lagoon there-  

 

It is pretty, but not THAT pretty in my estimation (at least not that much prettier than other islands so as to justify all of that boat traffic).  But still pretty-

 

It is also known for its powdery white sand beach-

Looks and feels great, but not so easy to get off the feet once stuck, tho. 

We also visited this beach in the Phi Phi group (the Thais have a knack for naming their islands) called -

And it lived up to its moniker-

They seemed a relatively civilized group.  I spotted one monkey headed toward the rest rooms (not sure whether man or woman's or gender neutral) to do its business-

Apart from the speedboat v. the larger cruise boat,the trip mostly differed my earlier cruise in that it offered snorkeling near a couple of the islands.  It was no Galapagos but you could see quite a few colorful fish and a lot of interesting coral.  

So, worthwhile  

There was still some fairly stunning island scenery-

That wrapped up my visit to Phuket which really is a major international destination (with crowds and congestion to prove it.  The trip from my hotel to the airport -  about 12 miles- took just under an hour each way).  I was surprised to find how many people flew directly to Phuket from their home countres (tons of Europeans here).  The Norwegians, for example, got a direct flight to Phuket from Oslo.

Onto to the big city of Bangkok and ita famous temples- 

  

James Bond, Hong and Other Islands

 Staying at Kamala Beach on the Andaman Sea/Indian Ocean on the west side on Phuket Island.  Kamala is reputedly one of the less busy beaches on Phuket, which is true, I think but a bit like saying Shanghai is not as densely populated as Hong Kong.  

Booked a cruise yesterday to 4 islands in Phang Nga Bay, including famous 'James Bond Island', as well as Hong Island and 2 others nobody can remember. I think Hong is subtly  trying to piggyback off its more famous Chinese counterpart- Hong Kong- but it doesn't come off.  No skyscrapers or bright city lights. 

The islands of Phang Nga Bay are truly stunning-

The cruise also involved kayaking through some island caves where we saw monkeys and a baby croc-

Also some diving/jumping off the boat-

James Bond Island is so named because it was used in one of the early James Bond films- apparently the 2nd with Sean Connery.   It apparently famously pictured this inverted rock-

I also met up with a Norwegian couple  (in their 50s, I would guess) from Bergen, Norway, who were on their honeymoon.  Spent much of the day with them.  They were a delight and added to the trip-

They seemed to be doing ok one week into marriage 

All in all a great day on the water.  The spectacular scenery of Phang Nga Bay has to be one of the reasons ;so many people come here from all over the world.  

Pictures can’t do it any justice-

Phuket- Deserted Beach and Motor Scooter Ride

 I arrived in Phuket on a flight from Chiang Mai and found an utter mob scene- cars, motorcycles, scooters,  vans, people everywhere. 

Thinking to get away from the chaos, I decided to head for Freedom Beach, a beach that had a reputation for beauty and for being uncrowded due its difficulty of access and because it involves a long walk to reach. I found it as advertised and nearly deserted-

At least the water was warm- essentially same as air temperature  

To ensure a safe journey through the traffic madness I hired a motor scooter to bring me to and fro-

Weaving in and out of the traffic, sometimes just inches away from other vehicles, was terrifying, and then on the return exhilarating- kind of an adrenaline rush. Maybe unwise but really way fun.  The drivers must have been at least 17  

Next day boat trip to famous James Bond Island. 

Pai; Hippies Gone?

 I left Mae Hong Son and drove back to Chiang Mai, finishing the Mae Hong Son loop, more or less in

With all the passing of trucks and slower vehicles around the constant hairpin turns, I felt like I was in a car race but without a race car. Exhilarating in a strange (and stressful) way.  But the Yaris made it-

In any case, I stopped along the way at the town of Pai, a well known hippy/backpacker place since it was discovered by indigent western travelers in the 70s and 80s.  I was looking forward to male ponytails, grungy penniless backpackers and a cloud of marijuana smoke so thick that one could hardly see down the street.  In other words, the authentic hippy experience.

It started out promising enough when I drove down the main street and saw what I thought was hippy/backpacker laundry overhanging the street-

On closer inspection, however, it appeared to be.... some sort of festive stuff.. As I walked around the pleasant town I was somewhat shocked and disappointed to see a mostly normal (clean???) looking young crowd...appearing even a bit affluent?   

And then a crushing blow to my hopes when I saw quite a few of these-

What self respecting backpacker from the old days would have any use for a  pay for laundry service?? 

The only thing authentic I saw was this travel agency-

There were a few vestiges of the old hippy days, but even those had a slightly upscale whiff about them-

The final blow came when I saw a young woman wheeling a suitcase down the street.  Mon Dieu!   I don't blame the old timers if they have. as it appears, decamped to a more hospitable (and cheaper) locale. First the Buddhist monks now the hippies  

After consoling myself with a (ubiquitous here) fruit smoothie, I went to hike Pai Canyon a few miles from town.  It was indeed something of a canyon and came with a very narrow, knife's edge type trail (as well as a canyon trail within a canyon) with sizeable drop offs on either side.  Not at all comfortable for me with my fear of heights-

I finished my 5 hour drive to Chaing Mai and went to the street market for dinner where I met this gardener from Japan named Yammi 

He was an excellent dinner companion and we had a very pleasant conversation.   Whereas I usually start most conversations, he initiated this one, which was a pleasant change.  I thought it funny when he asked me my age- few are so direct and it seemed ironic coming from a Japanese fellow. 

Onto Phuket and the famous Thai beaches of the south.