We arrived in Thailand safely, although we had some scary experiences. The Canadian government had issued a travel advisory for the border we were to cross (“Avoid All Travel”), so we thought we may have to change our plans which would have added on another couple of travel days. Because the south of Thailand is Muslim and the rest of Thailand (90%) is Buddhist, there are religious clashes that are very unpredictable and have been escalating in recent weeks with bombings and shootings. After speaking with other travelers, we were reassured that it was safe (albeit a huge risk) to use this border crossing. We took a taxi to the border and walked across the bridge from Malaysia into Thailand (we were told that 30 years ago you would see foreigners who had been hanged on the bridge for attempting to take drugs into the countries) and then hopped on motorbike taxis (I totally crossed some cultural lines by grabbing onto the driver for dear life) to the minibus station. We had a three hour drive in a minibus (like a 15 passenger van) to the transit and commercial hub city of Hat Yai. We were stopped at least 8-10 times by police and army road blocks and within seconds our vehicle would be surrounded by men carrying huge rifles. They would glare through the van windows at us with “we’re not %^&# around” faces. We were two of three white people in the van (one other French guy who was heading to Ko Samui where he has lived and worked for the last year). At one point, the police stopped our van, made the driver get out and opened the side door because he saw us “white people” in the back seat. He spoke in Thai for a few minutes as we sat there in silence hoping he would let us through. The French guy we were with understands some Thai and explained to us that he was talking about us and saying that we were a good “opportunity” for them, as they could search us and demand money. My heart rate was extremely high at that point, but we remained calm and he suddenly closed the door and waved us on. It was a really scary experience and something that I probably wouldn’t risk again, but everything worked out in the end and we completed our 12 hour travel day when we arrived in Krabi where we would catch a ferry to Ko Phi Phi the next morning.
Ashley and Ryan (our friends from Edmonton) were meeting us in Koh Phi Phi and we spent an amazing four days with them on the island. It was unbearably hot (45 degrees without the humidity), so it was a sweaty, but fun few days. We all shared an air conditioned room (to cut on costs because prices are double for rooms with AC) at a small resort that was still under construction from the devastating tsumani that hit Koh Phi Phi on Boxing Day in 2004. The locals don’t like to talk about that day, but it was evident that the island had to be completely rebuilt. We hired a longtail boat to take us out for 4 hours to the many little islands that surround Koh Phi Phi and spent the day snorkeling in crystal clear water with amazing reef and fish. Having recently snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, we thought we couldn’t top what we saw, but it certainly gave it a run for its money. (We payed $150 each to see the Great Barrier Reef and $10 each to do the same in Thailand!). Our driver took us to some great spots and waited for us for as long as we wanted while he lay in his hammock on the boat. He stopped at Monkey Beach, where there were tons of monkeys hanging out. We fed them and watched in amazement as they cruised around the beach with their babies. The other days on Phi Phi were spent on the beach, in the sweltering hot water and of course getting Thai massages. I could write an entire blog on Thai massages…they are quite the experience and no, Clem didn’t go for the “happy finish”. These Thai women are so strong and they don’t spare any body parts while massaging! They aren’t very aware of the curtains either so I was there for the world to see on a few occasions.
We left Koh Phi Phi and took a ferry to another smaller, more chilled out island called Koh Lanta. Koh Lanta doesn’t see as many tourists and isn’t even in our bible “The Lonely Planet” so we are off the beaten path a little bit but loving every minute of it. We spent three nights at a small beachfront resort and feel like we are the only people in the world! It was so relaxing and beautiful that you could spend weeks here and never want to leave. We rented motorbikes and drove around the island for the day, where were saw elephants, snakes, and monkeys in the wild. The island is 32 km long and 8 km wide at it’s widest so it is easily seen in one day. We stopped at a beach and went for swim, drove through the jungle and some small villages to visit with the locals, which is an experience I can’t even blog about. I find it frustrating as I write this because we have so many stories that we would love to share, but writing just doesn’t do it justice. It is an overwhelming feeling that we can only describe as “too much goodness at once”.
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