After leaving Railay-Tonsai beach, I set off for a two day/one night stay in the big island of Koh Phi Phi Don. Apparently, Koh Phi Phi Don is the next next stop on the party circuit after the full moon party in Koh Pha Ngan, and I expected this party scene would be a jarring experience after the serenity of the previous two weeks. Regardless, I sent one or two postcards of the beautiful beaches and bays that form part of the smaller island of Koh Phi Phi Leh, so I felt obligated to pay a visit before departing Thailand.
On day one, I tramped through the jungle path to the quiet(er) Long Beach and snorkeled out to Shark Point in hopes of sighting a black-tip reef shark. About two dozen tourist in life jackets were bobbing awkwardly up and down around Shark Point, and the reef isn't much of a reef any more from all the damage from said tourists -- in that sense, it's a shame black-tip reef sharks aren't more dangerous. I assume the black-tip reef sharks were equally appalled at this sight, and for that reason, none were to be seen. (Consider re-naming to merely Point).
I became aware of the many Chinese tourists vacationing in Koh Phi Phi, and a healthy smattering of Russian tourists too. The harbor is filled with dozens and dozens of luxury speed boats and yachts, and in reality, these wealthy tourists have elbowed out the backpackers that originally laid claim to Koh Phi Phi 20+ years ago.
On day two, I woke up to a cacophony of puking from every adjacent room to my own. Fortunately, I had arranged an early morning half-day boat tour of Koh Phi Phi Leh, of which Maya Bay was made famous as the backdrop for the movie The Beach. (While many backpackers can tell you that cinematic fact about Koh Phi Phi Leh, far fewer know that Hat Yuan on Koh Pha Ngan, which I visited with Maggie many weeks ago, is the actual inspiration for the book). After filtering out the tourists that thronged the bays, it was easy to imagine the original beauty of this island, but as soon as I dunked my head underwater the destruction to the reefs was obvious. Tourism fail, again.
Before I left Thailand, I spent one more night in Krabi Town. In total I spent nearly 18 days in Krabi, and while there isn't much to do there except read, I enjoyed being back in a familiar place where I knew all the good food markets and hang outs. I hopped on an early morning bus, and a few hours later, onto a boat that navigated through the archipelago of Langkawi in the north west of Malaysia. Here I met my Swedish friend, Robin, who was my climbing partner in Tonsai.
While I've only been in Malaysia for a few days, it has a different feel than Thailand. For one, rooms and food are a little more expensive in Malaysia, but still cheap by Western standards. Fruit isn't as abundant or as cheap in Malaysia, which had been a staple of my diet in Thailand. The people here seem to be impossibly friendlier than Thailand, and I've yet to be hassled by a tout or a taxi driver. There is the melodious and frequent call to prayer five times a day. Oh, and the mellowed out cats here are of a totally different breed or perhaps the catnip here is really good.
At this point, Robin and I are headed toward the Perhentian Islands (if you care, pronounced Per-en-ti-an) in the north east of Malaysia. I've read there isn't much of an internet connection there, so this might be the last post for a while, especially if I get "stuck" in the beauty their islands and reefs are rumored to have.
On day one, I tramped through the jungle path to the quiet(er) Long Beach and snorkeled out to Shark Point in hopes of sighting a black-tip reef shark. About two dozen tourist in life jackets were bobbing awkwardly up and down around Shark Point, and the reef isn't much of a reef any more from all the damage from said tourists -- in that sense, it's a shame black-tip reef sharks aren't more dangerous. I assume the black-tip reef sharks were equally appalled at this sight, and for that reason, none were to be seen. (Consider re-naming to merely Point).
I became aware of the many Chinese tourists vacationing in Koh Phi Phi, and a healthy smattering of Russian tourists too. The harbor is filled with dozens and dozens of luxury speed boats and yachts, and in reality, these wealthy tourists have elbowed out the backpackers that originally laid claim to Koh Phi Phi 20+ years ago.
On day two, I woke up to a cacophony of puking from every adjacent room to my own. Fortunately, I had arranged an early morning half-day boat tour of Koh Phi Phi Leh, of which Maya Bay was made famous as the backdrop for the movie The Beach. (While many backpackers can tell you that cinematic fact about Koh Phi Phi Leh, far fewer know that Hat Yuan on Koh Pha Ngan, which I visited with Maggie many weeks ago, is the actual inspiration for the book). After filtering out the tourists that thronged the bays, it was easy to imagine the original beauty of this island, but as soon as I dunked my head underwater the destruction to the reefs was obvious. Tourism fail, again.
 |
| Maya Bay packed with boats and tourists. |
While I've only been in Malaysia for a few days, it has a different feel than Thailand. For one, rooms and food are a little more expensive in Malaysia, but still cheap by Western standards. Fruit isn't as abundant or as cheap in Malaysia, which had been a staple of my diet in Thailand. The people here seem to be impossibly friendlier than Thailand, and I've yet to be hassled by a tout or a taxi driver. There is the melodious and frequent call to prayer five times a day. Oh, and the mellowed out cats here are of a totally different breed or perhaps the catnip here is really good.
 |
| Someone forgot to mention "Do not leave your passed out cat on the table". |
No comments:
Post a Comment