Phuket: Ko Phi Phi

Our first day together, with Mbali and Mudz, began with an early commute to their hotel where we were going to be picked up for our first tour to Phi Phi Islands aka Ko Phi Phi. Ko Phi Phi sounded really familiar to me and took me back to those old skool South African movies about Sophiatown and the wonderful vibe it had. I secretly wondered if the Thai people had stolen the name from us or us from them, either way, I was excited to finally see these Islands that are at the top of every Thailand visitors' bucket list.

A bumpy ride

After a long ass drive to the harbour, we finally arrived and boarded the boat. The boat was large, which was great as that meant that we wouldn’t feel the waves as much – or so I thought. I mean, I’ve always considered myself 'that guy' who can withstand anything, so seasickness didn’t even cross my mind. I mean my first time flying on a plane went really well and I had been on a boat before so I didn’t really think anything of a young boat ride. Ahh, your girl was outchea feeling dizzy and sick as we made our way across the ocean to Ko Phi Phi. Mbali was clear, she knew that seasickness was her portion, haha but me, I was said to my body “Moghel, why are you failing me? That time I trusted you mxm!” Eventually, Mbali got us some motion sickness pills and a dab of some oil that the Thai people swear by. These two things helped us a great deal and we eventually dozed off.

Wardrobe malfunction

How beautiful...

We woke up to the announcement that we had reached the Islands and that we were going to have to change boats. Those who wanted to snorkel would go onto one boat and the rest would head on over to the island and walk around there. We had decided long ago that we were going to snorkel and everyone had brought their swimwear EXCEPT who? Yes, me, eish! “Like, come on dude!” What was I thinking? I guess I was so excited to wear my new two-piece outfit that I forgot to pack my swimming gear. I’m that person who LOVES new clothes. If I buy an item today best believe tomorrow I will wear it – Life is too short guys, now-now I die and haven’t worn my clothes? Hahhahaha. Anyway, luckily one of the ladies had an extra pair of shorts and I used my top as a bikini top.

No filter

Ko Phi Phi was breathtakingly beautiful. I had seen many photos and you know mos how when people add filters, you end up doubting if the place is as beautiful as it looks? This place was even more amazing. The water was crystal blue and the beautiful mountains stood randomly in the middle of the sea. You could see the fish swimming beneath the water and the luscious green coral reefs without having to jump into the water. It really was beautiful and it made me think of how lucky I was to be there to witness God’s amazing hand.

Boats at the shore.

Under the sea…

I had tried snorkelling before at uShaka Marine but that was in a small man-made pool. This time though, we were going to snorkel in the ocean and that felt a bit scarier. After my last blog post about Namchang, where I detailed how my friends I nearly died on a speedboat, a friend of my brought it to my attention that life jackets are meant to keep you afloat thus the probability of us drowning was really low, hahaha. Anyway, that knowledge helped me enter the water with a little more confidence as I was strapped up and ready to go.

Me, Mudz and Mbali.

We swam around the boat for a while then decided to branch off further as we gained more confidence. I felt that the many years of P.E at school had prepared me for this moment and I was doing my thing. The schools of fish swimming around us was a sight to behold and I enjoyed chasing them and trying to grab them as they swam near me.

The thing about swimming is that it gets tiring and as much as the life jacket is keeping you afloat the waves can push you around if you are not careful. And that is what happened to me. At some point, my arms gave up on me and the waves began to become stronger. My goggles were not on tight enough so water kept creeping in and thus my eyes and nose were constantly covered up with water- which is not good at all. And all this happened while I was far away from the boat and too tired to attempt to swim back. Mbali and Mudz were doing the most around me and they too were trying to swim against the waves.

My knight in shining flippers.

I was tired and decided that I was going to tap out early and scream for help but just before I could do that a knight in shining flippers and a black wetsuit came alongside me and held me up. This man was really heaven sen, hahaha. He literally took care of me from that moment on and became my personal helper. He was so strong and good at his job that I began to feel safe again and began to enjoy being in the water once more.

Looking at the cute fish.

He gave me and the other ladies bread to feed the fish and soon we had them eating out the palm of our hands- literally! He even helped us dive deeper under the ocean to touch some of the rocks that lay deep at the bottom – doing that made me feel like a real G, yaaas! And most importantly when I didn’t have the energy to swim back to the boat, he held my hand and pulled me along as he swam to the boat. I was so thankful to have him there. He made the experience more fun and definitely helped this sista out!

Pose for the camera…

We eventually made it to the Island in time for lunch. The lunch was served at one of the hotels on the island and the food tasted great. They gave us some Thai food and some fried chicken – like, we can all agree that fried chicken does the things! Thereafter, we explored the local market and took some photos.

Can't remember what I was saying here, hahaha.

The only thing that was on my mind then was the fact that I wanted to get one of those iconic Phi Phi Island shots, with the old boats and the mountain at the back, that is on all the postcards. After walking around for a bit and buying some souvenirs, we eventually found the perfect spot and took the photos. Thereafter it was time to head back to the boat for another hour ride back to the harbour.

The iconic shot, yaas!

The trip back

This time we had planned to get the pills and drink them just as we arrived onto the boat and that’s exactly what we did. That helped because the ride back was hectic. We were sitting below deck so we could see the water doing the MOST through the windows and could hear the people at the top deck scream when the waves got hectic. This one uncle called the hostess and asked if everything was alright as he felt that this was too much to bear. The poor man was sweating bullets hahaha! People were asking for bags to throw up in and I was sitting there feeling as cool as a cucumber hahaha. I eventually fell asleep and woke up to the announcement that we had made it safely to the harbour.

View of the waves from below deck.

Ko Phi Phi was amazing. It really is all that you see in these photos and more. It is a marvellous sight to behold and the only thing I wish we could have done differently was to spend more time there. Do yourself a favour and book that tour if you ever do visit Phuket. I can promise you one thing, you won’t regret it!

Breathtakingly beautiful.