why we love thailand
so far the trip had been idyllic. we spent 2.5 days in bangkok eating our hearts out (when have we not) and walking our feet sore- we were looking forward to relaxing on our little paradise of a hotel on phi phi island.
from krabi town we made it to ao tonsai on our illegally overloaded ferry. upon landing at the pier, we found two men waiting for us, one holding up a sign that said "phi phi relax beach" - the name of our little hotel.
we followed the other guy (who turned out to be our boat driver) to the longtail boat. we waited for some other guests but they never showed. phi phi relax was located on pak nam beach, a small stretch of beach on the other side of the the island of ao tonsai. it took us about 30 mins to get there but at every beach we passed, fede would pipe "i think this is it" - it happened about 5 times until i told him to stop guessing. when we finally pulled in towards pak nam beach, he said "i knew this was it! our's is the nicest!"
after we checked into our little eco hut (no AC, no electricity until 6pm, no heated water) i realized my new dior necklace (from my mother- i would never buy my own) was missing. we looked back at photos to see at which point i might have lost it and i made frantic calls to the hotel in krabi town to see if they had found it. and to my great delight, they had! but they refused to send it to me, insisting i had to go back and pick it up. (so we spent all of the last day on a ferry from phi phi to krabi then from krabi to phuket where we were flying out of early the next morning.)
after the 30 mins of panic and finally locating my dior necklace (what was i thinking even bringing it with me??!!), i felt like i could relax and we went for a quick swim to cool off. after about 10 minutes, fede, who is in huge deficit of attention, decided we should hit the main village for a meal and night out.
the only way out of our beach was by longtail boat or an hour's hike up the hill into tonsai village. we decide on the latter to get a workout since we were preparing to stuff our faces yet again. so we took an easy hike up the hill (spend a few minutes at the peak that has amazing views of the island) and down into tonsai village. as we head down we saw signs that point the tsunami evacaution route.
in the village we opted for a pizzeria called cosmic. the vibe in the village is very backpacker. lots of dutch and scandis in their braided hair and lobster red burns. we did our share of haggling for sarongs and shorts and by 9pm we were tired and in need of rest. we made our way to the pier and asked for someone to take us back to pak nam beach. as if in some collusion, everyone said no cannot too dangerous. winds very strong, waves very big (in friendly thai-accented english).
we upped the fare we were willing to pay but still no takers. we upped again and finally one guy said ok i will take you. he brought us to the beach where his friend's boat was tied - how he can tell one apart from the 30 boats there beats me but we got in anyway.
we drive out and it seems to be ok. as we exit the bay, the water gets more choppy and soon we are smashing down on the surface of the water, the waves rocking our frail longtail left and right. the driver pushes on and fede moves to the front to stabilize the bow. fede shouts back to ask our driver to turn on an indicator light and our driver just laughs - no light. more smashing and rocking. i am gripping the soggy wooden plank which is my seat and looking around for life vests. i see none.
more smashing and rocking. i squint to see if maybe life vests are tucked under something but i am pretty sure i don't see them. by this time i am a little more nervous. our driver keeps going as though we have a modern speedboat.
more smashing and rocking. by this time, we are somewhat fearful- i can tell by the way fede is sitting at the bow- his legs tense. he turns around and tells me to tell our driver to turn back.
we turn around. about 10 mins in, the engine starts sputtering. then it stops. our driver yanks on the ignition trying to resuscitate it. we ask what's wrong and he says water in engine and laughs dismissively. the boat is still being rocked left and right.
he declares our engine dead after about 5 mins. we ask earnestly what we need to do now, can you call someone for help? he says ok no problem and proceeds to whip out... a pack of cigarettes. instead of a an sos call, he lights up his cigarettes!!! fede is losing his patience for this guy and demands that this guy calls for help. we wait and wait but no one comes. thankfully the current is pushing us back towards the bay. we wait and wait some more but still no one shows up - maybe because we don't have an emergency flare light and our driver's friend cannot find us??? soon we are pushed all the way back and it is shallow enough for our driver to push us in with a pole.
we beach the boat and head back to shore thankful we are alive. our driver hooks up up with a friend who has another friend who has another friend who knows of a vacant room for cheap. we are tired and just grateful to be alive so we don't care. we get to the guesthouse, douse ourselves with fresh cold water. as we lie in bed, i wish fede happy valentine's.
from krabi town we made it to ao tonsai on our illegally overloaded ferry. upon landing at the pier, we found two men waiting for us, one holding up a sign that said "phi phi relax beach" - the name of our little hotel.
we followed the other guy (who turned out to be our boat driver) to the longtail boat. we waited for some other guests but they never showed. phi phi relax was located on pak nam beach, a small stretch of beach on the other side of the the island of ao tonsai. it took us about 30 mins to get there but at every beach we passed, fede would pipe "i think this is it" - it happened about 5 times until i told him to stop guessing. when we finally pulled in towards pak nam beach, he said "i knew this was it! our's is the nicest!"
after we checked into our little eco hut (no AC, no electricity until 6pm, no heated water) i realized my new dior necklace (from my mother- i would never buy my own) was missing. we looked back at photos to see at which point i might have lost it and i made frantic calls to the hotel in krabi town to see if they had found it. and to my great delight, they had! but they refused to send it to me, insisting i had to go back and pick it up. (so we spent all of the last day on a ferry from phi phi to krabi then from krabi to phuket where we were flying out of early the next morning.)
after the 30 mins of panic and finally locating my dior necklace (what was i thinking even bringing it with me??!!), i felt like i could relax and we went for a quick swim to cool off. after about 10 minutes, fede, who is in huge deficit of attention, decided we should hit the main village for a meal and night out.
the only way out of our beach was by longtail boat or an hour's hike up the hill into tonsai village. we decide on the latter to get a workout since we were preparing to stuff our faces yet again. so we took an easy hike up the hill (spend a few minutes at the peak that has amazing views of the island) and down into tonsai village. as we head down we saw signs that point the tsunami evacaution route.
in the village we opted for a pizzeria called cosmic. the vibe in the village is very backpacker. lots of dutch and scandis in their braided hair and lobster red burns. we did our share of haggling for sarongs and shorts and by 9pm we were tired and in need of rest. we made our way to the pier and asked for someone to take us back to pak nam beach. as if in some collusion, everyone said no cannot too dangerous. winds very strong, waves very big (in friendly thai-accented english).
we upped the fare we were willing to pay but still no takers. we upped again and finally one guy said ok i will take you. he brought us to the beach where his friend's boat was tied - how he can tell one apart from the 30 boats there beats me but we got in anyway.
we drive out and it seems to be ok. as we exit the bay, the water gets more choppy and soon we are smashing down on the surface of the water, the waves rocking our frail longtail left and right. the driver pushes on and fede moves to the front to stabilize the bow. fede shouts back to ask our driver to turn on an indicator light and our driver just laughs - no light. more smashing and rocking. i am gripping the soggy wooden plank which is my seat and looking around for life vests. i see none.
more smashing and rocking. i squint to see if maybe life vests are tucked under something but i am pretty sure i don't see them. by this time i am a little more nervous. our driver keeps going as though we have a modern speedboat.
more smashing and rocking. by this time, we are somewhat fearful- i can tell by the way fede is sitting at the bow- his legs tense. he turns around and tells me to tell our driver to turn back.
we turn around. about 10 mins in, the engine starts sputtering. then it stops. our driver yanks on the ignition trying to resuscitate it. we ask what's wrong and he says water in engine and laughs dismissively. the boat is still being rocked left and right.
he declares our engine dead after about 5 mins. we ask earnestly what we need to do now, can you call someone for help? he says ok no problem and proceeds to whip out... a pack of cigarettes. instead of a an sos call, he lights up his cigarettes!!! fede is losing his patience for this guy and demands that this guy calls for help. we wait and wait but no one comes. thankfully the current is pushing us back towards the bay. we wait and wait some more but still no one shows up - maybe because we don't have an emergency flare light and our driver's friend cannot find us??? soon we are pushed all the way back and it is shallow enough for our driver to push us in with a pole.
we beach the boat and head back to shore thankful we are alive. our driver hooks up up with a friend who has another friend who has another friend who knows of a vacant room for cheap. we are tired and just grateful to be alive so we don't care. we get to the guesthouse, douse ourselves with fresh cold water. as we lie in bed, i wish fede happy valentine's.
Labels: longtail, pak nam, phi phi, valentines
posted by jia en at 3:38 AM
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