We have gotten familiar with the island hopping life. We haven’t travelled in anything other than boats for weeks, onto small remote islands, and beautiful scenery, so the thought of moving back into the bit cities is a scary one.
Our next island stop was the Ko Phi Phi Islands. This island is the one you see in pictures on holiday brochures, so we were without a doubt looking forward to seeing it for ourselves. It could not have been truer. We were told that Ko Phi Phi was wild, and it really did live up to it’s name. Although it was very busy with tourists, you were still able to enjoy the uniqueness and beauty of it’s tiny streets and beautiful beaches. Before leaving on our travels it was recommended to do ‘Bobs Booze Cruise’ around the island. So once we arrived we decided that’s what we would do. The Facebook reviews were amazing and so right ! We had one of the best days of the trip during Bobs Booze Cruise. Although quite expensive, at £60 each, you were given unlimited alcohol for the whole day, we had the opportunity to swim and snorkel at many beauty spots around the island, including the famous Monkey Beach, food was also included and you spent the day getting to know other people as well as learning about the island from our tour guide, who was a right good laugh! We were on a speed boat so were able to see much more of the surrounding island than if we had been on a normal boat.
We wish we could have stayed longer on the island. We climbed to the highest point in the island, and it nearly killed us off. If you are going to the Phi Phi Islands and want a good laugh, I would definitely recommend doing Bobs Booze Cruise.
We moved onto Ko Lanta, getting closer to the Thai border as our visas were slowly running out, but truth be told it was a waste of time. The island just didn’t feel like Thailand. Although not the most fun we had, we were able to volunteer at the local Animal Welfare Centre and take a dog each out for a walk. The work done at Koh Lanta Animal Welfare is outstanding. That’s all we got from the island was a dodgy stomach….
Our final and last stop in Thailand was Koh Lipe. Whilst on our travels Koh Lipe had been recommended by a few people, so we were looking forward to getting there. One of the smaller island and no transport apart from motorbikes. You could walk from one end of the island to the other in 30 minutes. The speed boat journey to the island was horrendous! We were shoved at the back of the boat, squashed next to other people, holding on for dear life whilst we bounced up and down ferociously for 3 hours. Once we had arrived you could straight away get a feel for this island. A much more relaxed, hippy vibe . With only one road running through the island and no transport we had to carry our huge bags through the sand and to our hostel. We knew there wasn’t much to do on the island but that suited us well as we were looking for some down time and relaxation.
Kyle still hadn’t been feeling well so he spent our last days resting in the hostel whilst I did some meditation on the beach and eat endless smoothie bowls from the coolest little hippy cafes. The beaches were relativley quiet so I could really switch off and be in the moment. We also went on an afternoon trip of snorkelling around the island. We got to see some beautiful coral and swim with lots of different fish. We also caught the sun pretty bad as we were outside on a boat all day and not realising the strength of the sun as it was so windy on the boat. Kyle didn’t enjoy it too much as he was still recovering from feeling not very well. I can’t stress how stunningly beautiful this island was. I think if I ever come back to Thailand I would love to stay here for longer!
I can’t believe our time in Thailand has come to an end. It has surprised us in more ways than we could have imagined, the beaches were more beautiful than I’d have ever thought, and the experiences we have gained have just been amazing! Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been perfect but we really have enjoyed seeing one of the most stunning countries on this planet and learn about it’s culture.
Malaysia is out last destination before we head to Bali and Austrailia. We are slowly running out of money and sometimes missing the comfort of home but we are excited to continue our journey onto our next destination. Looking back at all the photos we have taken, we can’t believe how quickly time is going !
Lots of love back home
Kate and Kyle x
Travelling The Distance 