Langkawi to Phuket Part 2
Phiphi and beyond.

White sand, hongs, scenery, diving, the film The Beach and the 2004 Tsunami, all connected to Koh Phiphi Don and Koh Pharya Nak ( Phiphi Leh) and all contribute to tourism mayhem. Speed boats zooming around, testosterone oozing out of the 3, 200HP, motors , their drivers using moored boats as a shalom course to give the punters a thrill. No such thing as 5knots around other boats!

We arrived at Phiphi Leh late morning , wishing to see the hong we took it in turns to go in the dinghy into the blue lagoon. Andrew and Gemma went first, Alan and I motored around in Talitha as it was too deep to anchor. The tide was low so the kids were lucky the hong was peaceful, the motor boats could only hover outside the reef strewn entrance. By the time we went to look the tide was in further, the tourist speed boats crowded in, killing the peace with their huge outboards, blue smoke filling the hong. These beautiful places bring people but at a cost to the environment. There seems to be no regulations in place accept the Park fee of 200Baht per person.

After the hong experience we decided to motor around to Maya bay, where part of the film "The Beach" was filmed. The beautiful beach was lined with speed boats, long tail boats and hundreds of people. We picked up a mooring and decided to stay the night. By early evening most day trippers had sped back to their Phuket or Phiphi Don resorts and we shared the beauty and peace with a handful of boats until about 9.30 the next morning when the speed boats started roaring in. Time for us to leave.

We motored over to Ton Sai bay on Phiphi Don, following our cruising guide we anchored in the western corner supposedly away from the wharf , ferry traffic and speed boats. But the book was pre tsunami. The tsunami mangled wharf is still being rebuilt so all boat traffic now goes beside or through the favored anchorage. The multi motored speed boats careered past us and around us leaving boat rocking wakes and when the wind turned to on shore late afternoon we moved around the corner to Ao Yongkasem. What bliss, calm water and still an easy dinghy ride into town for dinner. Monkey beach as it is also known is still a tourist destination but not so much coming and going of speed boats as people seemed to stay the day. We enjoyed two nights here on a mooring close enough to the beach to watch the monkeys ashore. The monkeys are well fed by the daily visitors. I watched from my kayak as they sat on rocks eating corn and bananas. We tossed orange segments which were deftly caught, the pith delicately pealed then the orange scoffed before they could be snatched by a bigger quicker monkey. I put a piece on my paddle blade and offered it to the nearest monkey, but it wasn't close enough so she grasped the paddle and pulled it closer before scampering up the rocks to sit in a tree to share the orange with her baby, away from the other monkeys
Ao Yongkasem saved Phiphi for me it was a lovely place to be, but we tourists have a lot to answer for. Tourists flock to these lovely places but in the end the pressure on local resources can actually ruin the attraction. The tsunami devastated Phiphi but many buildings have been rebuilt and tourism has returned but I think the next disaster is just around the corner. The way the speed boats career around, no 5 knot rule, no port to port passing observed, screaming around corners into bays not being able to see what's coming, speed boats dodging around kayakers. One day two speed boats will collide, of course it wont be a disaster the magnitude of the tsunami but it will harm these speed boat operators and tourism in general. But the good thing will be as with the tsunami new regulations will be bought in. So if you do come to Thailand want to visit Phiphi or other islands use the slower longtails, (bring ear plugs) and enjoy the scenery at a slower pace.... or better still come by yacht it's a lovely place even when you have to put up with a few tourists.

Our time in the islands had to come to an end we needed to visit the custom office at Ao Chalong on Phuket to become official. That was done quickly then across the bay to Panwa Bali which has become our favourite anchorage. Restaurant on the beach, no shoes needed, good swimming, 15 min to Phuket town and free wifi. The wifi comes from a big white building ashore so that end of the bay is the favored anchorage spot.
Andrew and Gemma hired a motorbike and spent a day exploring the island , Alan redid some plumbing and then it was Christmas eve.
Ten of the boats in Panwa bay we had been traveling with since Darwin so Christmas celebrations together were planned. Christmas carols on Cat'chus on Christmas eve, Fred played guitar and helped us sing his favourite carols. Andrew and Gemma decided to give this "elderly cruisers" party a miss and said they couldn't hear us, thank goodness!! Christmas day the Talitha crew had a champagne brunch and as with others in the bay spent part of the day Skyping Christmas wishes to family throughout the world. We had a good talk with Sarah who was still in bed in chilly London. The connection was not so good when Gemma tried to phone home so Andrew and Gemma took the computer over to the swimming platform just outside the resort and was able to phone her family in Paihia on a good connection. Swimming and lazying around filled in the rest of the day until 24 of us sat down to a Thai Christmas dinner at the Beach restaurant ashore. With water lapping at our feet once again Fred helped us sing away the evening, a good Kiwi/Aussie Christmas with one or two foreign imports. For the antipodeans the weather was the right temperature even if the delicious food was not the usual Christmas fare. Christmas was over which meant Andrew and Gemma were to leave us to continue their travels starting with New Year in Bangkok. Their two weeks with us seemed to have come and gone so quickly.
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