french bulldog | Earth Child Adventures

Phi Phi Island, Thailand

In December 2012, Phi Phi Island stole my heart. I’d been to Thailand before, but somehow missed out on the incredible experience that this island brings.

We arrived under somewhat confusing circumstances. We were meant to all be on the same ferry, our whole group of friends, but somehow, we ended up on different ferries. It was just Lana and myself on the one, and all the rest of our friends on the other. We arrived first and sat and had a drink at a little restaurant while waiting for them. Once we were all reunited, we began winding our way through the small streets of the island. There are no vehicles on this islands. No cars. No scooters. Just feet and the odd bicycle. Its amazing.

We didn’t have any accommodation booked, but soon enough, a Pakistani man named Ali had attached himself to our group and guided us to a hostel of sorts that his friend owns. And so we settled in.

The island is small, and as you wander the narrow alley ways, there are many travellers around. It is a tourist place, but it is still quite beautiful. On the one side of the island, there is the swimming/partying beach. By day, there are lazy people spreading themselves across the soft sand, absorbing the sun, and enjoying every moment of it. By night, fire’s are set up on the beach, beach bars open up, music gets started, fire dancers show some amazing skills, and everyone has a fantastic night. And so the pattern repeats. On the opposite side of the island is the port, where everybody arrives from. It’s chaotic, filled with people trying to convince you to book accommodation with them.

There are many day trips which can be made to go see the beautiful beach where the movie “The Beach” was shot. There is a little walk up to the top of the island to see the sunset. There is so little but so much.

My most epic memory from my time on Phi Phi, was when we ended up making an arrangement with a restaurant owner to sleep on the massage mattresses in his restaurant, right on the beach, right next to the beach bar that stayed open the latest. We paid next to nothing, lived like gypsies, and were the happiest people on the island.