Thailand trip - My first trip to abroad, the 3rd part

Speed boat one day tour to Phi Phi island

We booked a one day speed boat tour to 4 island: Bamboo Island; Phi Phi Island; Phi Dong and Maya Bay with Snorkeling. The agent picked us up at 8:30am from the hotel. We started our trip from Aonang beach. Our guide is a thin young local lady who looks like Michael Jackson.

This was my first time on the speed boat and on the sea. I felt so exciting and fresh. I was sitting in front of the boat, that I could see more scenery. The sky was beautiful blue with a blue sea. Sometimes could see the fish jump around. I could feel I am on holiday now.

Because of my excitement, I was shouting and laughing and Jackie said I looked like a little kid. But I could not put my excitement in my heart. The feeling on the speed boat, is similar take bus, if the boat crush the waves, just like the bus drive on the bumpy road. Some times can make the people have boat sick but I was lucky and didn't get sick at all.

Our first stop on the way to Phi Phi Island was Bamboo Island. They also call this Island also Monkey Island because they are a lots of monkeys. I could not wait to get off the boat, bringing mask and snorkel. Bamboo Island beach is so beautiful. The white sand in the sunlight, looks like our Miao minority girls wear the silver dress.

I jumped in the water with my snorkel. Unfortunately I did not know how to use it. I got water in my eyes and didn't know how to breath. It was painful, first I had to learn how to use it. I tried several times, finally our guide told that here not many fish, the best place for snorkeling was not here but at the nearby Hong Island. I tried to practice more, but I could not stand the salty water in my eyes. We only stayed 45 minutes on the bamboo island.

Beach at Bamboo Island

We went in the middle of same where for snorkeling. That was amazing, I could see a lots of fish around me. They have different kind of colors, blue, gray, purple, yellow… I could see the fish sometimes near by me, when I opened my hands to them, they were very quick run away. I did not have water proof camera, otherwise I could take some photos of these fish to show my family. We don’t have such colorful fish in our area.

We went to Phi Phi Island for lunch. Phi Phi Island was even more beautiful than Ao Nang. The sea water is blue and the sand is very white, clean and soft. We could see western tourists drinking and staying in the sun at day time, enjoying their holiday. This is such a wonderful life and Phi Phi island is for sure close to paradise.

We only stayed one and a half hour on Phi Phi Island. The buffet lunch was good, because they have some Chinese food. We didn’t expect the Chinese food as good as ours but it was good enough for us. Jackie and me were happy to get such good Chinese food in little trip to Phi Phi island, both of us thought this was the best meal in our entire trip.

On our daytrip to Phi Phi Island I was learning to use the mask and snorkel

After lunch on Phi Phi Island, we went to Phi Phi Dong. They call it Guilin on the sea because the Karst mountains looks like Guilin. We stopped one more time here for snorkeling. Here we saw more beautiful fish than at first place where we stopped. We were supposed to visit the cave, but this was on construction, so we skipped and moved forward to Maya Bay.

Maya Bay is a swimming paradise. The water is very smooth and clean here. The white western girls lie naked in the sun, wanting a darker skin. This is just opposite of Chinese girls. We don’t like to stay in the sun, when the ladies go out, always with a umbrella, afraid to get dark skin. Thus it looks alien to the Chinese to see people sunbathing. If this would happen in some local villages in China, it would be a shock for the people. However, different countries have different cultures, that is why we travel here. It is nice to see different things.

Phi Phi Island

Trip from Aonang to Kho Lantan

We booked our Boat tickets from Aonang to Kho Lantan. It was a ship. I thought that was direct boat, not stop on the way. After drive about 40 minutes. This ship stopped one of the small Island, picked other tourists as well. Those tourists took a small long tail boat with heavy luggage.

It took about 2 hours from Aonang to Kho Lantan. I did not have any plans which part of Kho Lanta to go. I met a Dutch guy from this ship, he told me he likes to go more south, those area have less tourists. Jackie and me thought to go Long Beach, but we had not decided yet.

Jackie talked with a lady who sat beside her in the ship, the lady said Long beach is a party place, further south area along the sea more quite than Long Beach. we did not like party so much, we like to quite place. So we decided go to Khlong Hin Village.

There were so many tourists waiting for the ship back to Ao Nang as well. When we went out of the station, we met this Dutch guy again. He rent a Tuk Tuk with another guy, they just met in the station. He asked us to joy him, but it  seemed the other guy was not so happy with that.

We squeezed in, the guy who was not happy with us joining, had to hold our luggage. He kept his unhappy face until when he got off at Long beach. He wanted show his generosity and paid 100B to the Tuk Tuk driver but didn't even say goodbye to us.

We continued our trip to Khlong Hin Village. We stopped one of the hotel but this hotel was full, so we carried our heavy luggage in the heat. That was quite tough, and the problem was that we could not find hotel here.

We met a security guard, he helped us calling hotels in the village, but they were all full. He told us we can go Khlong Nin Beach. There would be less tourists and nice place. We paid 200B per person from Kho Lantan Wharf to here, now We have to pay 70B per person again from here back to Khlong Nin beach. Now I understand what is backpacking means: no hotel booking, no plan, no exactly destination. But it was very good experience though.

Kho Lantan

We came now close to the end of our trip but we had some time left at Kho Lantan where we stayed at the Lantan Hotel, it cost 1200B per a night for a standard room. We stayed there for 3 nights. day time relaxing on the beach, in the evening we went to our favorite bar: Richey Bar.

We like this place because the food is very good, the owner very friendly as well, we felt home here. We found out we were the only two Asia who traveled here. I never heard the local people asked western travelers where are they come from. But when we go out, the travelers and local people were always very curious where we are come from?

They always guess we come from Japan, Korea or even Hong Kong but they never imaged we come from Mainland China. We met a Swedish traveler, he was quite mean to us: “Oh, you are come from China, this is must be expensive for you to travel here.” He must never read news, he probably thought our China still very backwards and poor.

But China is growing so fast, we have more opportunities to work and make money. Our life is much better than before. I can not say I can afford to travel Europe, but I still can afford to travel Asia with out any problem. Thailand expenses are similar to China.

Back in Bangkok: the Grand Palace

There was one thing we wanted to do: visit the Grand Palace. We got up early, took taxi to Grand Palace. This magnificent palace is where the King used to live. Now it's mostly in service as a museum but it is still used by the king for official- and Buddhist ceremonies. 

Jackie and I didn't use a guide so we may have missed some details about the palace. We walked around, looked in the temples and temple halls. It seemed everywhere gold was used. In some ways it reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing as that too was used by our previous emperors. But the palace with it's golden stupa's was different. We saw the Emerald Buddha, small but very beautiful. The Grand Palace is for sure worth a visit.

Going Back Home

Our two weeks trip to Thailand was finished. It was my first time out of China and it was fantastic. Thailand was in many ways different then China. In many other ways I felt there were similarities. Of course I have not extensively traveled in Thailand. The island and the beaches were fantastic and I can understand now why travelers not only love to come to Yangshuo but also love to see beaches, go snorkeling or elephant riding. Another thing I learned was that now I was the traveler and I needed the guide while in Yangshuo I am the guide. I was now on the other side, so to say.

Thailand is a beautiful country from what I have seen and although this was my first trip, it was certainly not my last trip.

The first and second part of Jessie's Thailand adventures you can read here and here

Back to the top of Phi Phi Island

Back to Jessie Lu, local tour guide and operator

See also part 1 and part 2

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