Third Times the Charm...Last time in Phi Phi

Coming off the ferry in Phi Phi felt a bit like coming home to me. After all, when you've been traveling for 9 months it's very rare to see a place more than once, much less three times. Although, this visit would be a little different than my last two...Immediately after walking off the boat we were greeted by this man,

were loaded onto a longtail boat,

and taken to Bayview Resort.

Where we had our very own Cabin waiting for us...

With the most comfortable bed I had slep in in months!

A far cry from the "Jail Cell" we lovingly refered to our room with concrete floors and no windows my last time here.

We washed up and treated ourselves to a seafood feast

Which was obviously terrible...

and of course a fire show!

The next morning we woke up and had a huge breakfast with a terrible view,

and hiked through the jungle to "Long Beach" for a morning of rest and relaxation!

 

 

After lunch we headed back to the hotel, to meet this guy

who would be our "Turtle Spotter" for the day. I hadn't seen any sea turtles on my scuba dives and was really dissappointed. So we jumped all over the sea turtle excursion offered by the hotel. We actally ended up getting to see two up close and personal! It was a blast!! Sea turtles are officially one of my favorite animals!

On our way to see some turtles!!

Also included in the tour was a stop at Maya Bay. Which is the area where the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. We got there very late in the afternoon, so most of the tour boats had already come and gone and we got to see it kind of empty. It was beautiful!

We discovered that our Turtle Spotter also moonlighted as a Fire Dancer, and he invited us to come watch him perform that night. So of course...we did! But first we stopped for happy hour on the beach at the resort...

Where we were joined by this little business man!

Still not too sure what he was selling, but we were ready to buy it!

After his performance

Aunt Margie's First Bucket!

We called it a night pretty early to get some good rest for our full day Island hopping tour the next day!

Jungle Bunjee Jump

I was sitting at a travel agent desk in Chiang Mai, Thailand, just about to sign up to go Bungee Jumping, when I noticed a poster showing a guy Jumping over a lake in the middle of a jungle. I asked the lady, "Is this the one I will be doing?" She said, "No lady, this one on Phuket Island." It hit me, Aunt Margie and I would have to fly into Phuket from Koh Samui on our way to Phi Phi Island! I told the lady I would think about it and walked back to my friends, knowing what I had to do. I told them that I knew Aunt Margie had been skydiving, but that I didn't think she had ever been Bungee Jumping! I had to email her and see if she wanted me to wait for her to get here to do it. My friends all laughed at the thought of my "Auntie" as the Brits call it, actually wanting to jump out of a carriage hung in the air face first towards a lake with Bungee cords attached to her ankles. They didn't know my Auntie Margie! The email I received the next morning said this..."OMG YES! YES! YES! So glad you asked first!! I can't wait!" I told them so...

So after the one hour plane ride from Koh Samui, over mainland Thailand, we landed on Phuket Island (a trip that would have consisted of two ferries, a charter bus, multiple tuks tuks and an entire day in "backpacker" mode of travel)! We quickly found a taxi and explained to him our predicament....we had a little over an hour to get to the Bungee Jump site, do the jump, and make it to the Port to catch our afternoon ferry to Phi Phi! He said, "No Problem!" and off we went!

Best Taxi Driver in Thailand!

We  made it to the site just in time to watch the groom of an Australian stag party take the plunge...observing exactly what lay ahead of us. Thankfully, all of the other members of the party had already gone and were enjoying endless Heinekens watching the rest go, so we didn't have much of a wait. First things first...the weigh in! Exactly what a girl wants after traveling for 8 months, consuming large amounts of delicious food and beer with a definition of exercise as a walk to the local 711 to buy more beer...

We then had our calves wrapped excessively tight with Velcro braces that were attached to the Bungee Cords.

and hop over to the basket contraption.

and then we began the 50 meter/164 ft climb to the top...

It was all fun and games at first...We were taking in the beautiful scenery of the jungle that surrounded the lake as we were climbed higher and higher. Then we felt a slight jerk and heard our "instructor" say, "Okay, now you hop to the edge." Our faces dropped and the reality of what we were about to do set in. He says as I'm hopping to the edge, "Whatever you do, don't look down." So obviously, the first thing I did when I got to the edge was look down! I now know what complete and utter terror feels like!! Aunt Margie didn't even need to look down, the look on my face confirmed what she was already thinking...we are doomed! But there was no turning back now...we faced each other, embraced in the tightest hug of our lives, and after he pried my fingers off of the metal bar he began to count..."3...2...1...BUNGEE" Without even thinking we both leaned out and began the plummet straight towards the lake...While screaming bloody murder of course!!

We decided to opt out of the "Lake Dip" since we had a ferry ride ahead of us...

and then were shot straight back up to where we had just came from!

We made a few big bounces before finally coming to a stop, upside down, and still screaming!

They left us hanging there for what seemed like an eternity while we chatted about spasming butt muscles and seeing stars! They finally lowered us down to a little platform where two Thai men were standing with long poles for us to grab to reel us in.

It was then time to celebrate our survival and attempt to steady our shaky hands and nerves with a beer...and receive our "Certificates of Bravery"!!

 This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!! I highly recommend for anyone not completely and utterly terrified of heights!!

Here is the link to the video:

http://gallery.me.com/delaney42#100209

On our way to the port we received a bit more of a humbling experience after asking our driver about the 2004 Tsunami. Turns out, he had just dropped off a lone Australian girl to her hotel the morning after Christmas when the wave struck Phuket. He was still in his car and witnessed the young girl being swept out to sea as his car was taken afloat and slammed into a building. He was somehow able to climb out of the window and onto the roof of the building for his survival. He had laminated photos and newspaper articles in the pocket of the back seat for us to read through as he was telling his tragic story. Nothing like hearing such a heartbreaking story from such a resilient yet happy man to bring you back to earth and put things back into perspective! We said our "Good-Byes" and many "Thank-Yous" and ran to catch our ferry bound for Phi Phi island...for my third and final visit!

Motorbikes and Waterfalls Pt. 2

The next day we had our hopes set on seeing some waterfalls!! We took a long look at the map over breakfast and set off on our way to the Namuang Waterfalls Park. A slight annoying drizzle greeted us as we pulled out of the resort that quickly turned into a torrential downpour only a couple of miles down the road! "Oooh yea," I thought...."It's monsoon season!" We quickly realized there was no safe or easy way to ride a motorbike in the rain. Sunglasses off...the rain pelting you in the eyes prevents you from seeing. Sunglasses on...the already dark skies are even darker, and you've just given the raindrops a place to stop and stay a while. We need a pair of glasses equppied with winshield wipers like A.C. Slater rocked in Saved by the Bell! After a brief stop, we trekked on and the rain finally subsided. We somehow made it to our destination in one piece!

Upon arrival we had to choose between two paths. We wanted to get to the top of the waterfall and look out over it. So we chose the route that headed upwards. It quickly turned into a jungle path, slick with mud from the recent monsoon.

We came up on a little shack directly on the path with a little Thai man, alone and tending his fire. He said something in Thai, gave us a quizical look and motioned us through.

We quickly understood the quizical look. After using ropes to help ourselves up the slippery incline in flip flops, we found ourselves at the bottom of an even more slick slab of rock. One failed attempt to climb it, and we decided we must be in the wrong place and headed back the way we had come.

Once back at the fork, we realized the water fall was just a quick stroll and a few bamboo bridges away...

We then hopped back on the bikes and headed over to the other waterfall for another photo-op.

Due to the ominous clouds we watched rolling in, we thought it would be best to call it a day and head back to the hotel to get showered up for dinner. Not without getting caught in another monsoon of course!

Ready for the storm...

After a failed attempt at going to a famous restaurant we had found in the Koh Samui Dining Guide, we ended up back at our favorite the Red Snapper for our last meal and wine in Koh Samui!

Bye Bye Koh Samui...You were good to us!

Motorbikes and Waterfalls

After having fallen in love with the feeling of the wind on my face and freedom at my fingertips cruising around an island on a motorbike, I knew it was something that had to be done with Aunt Margie! Of course she didn't think twice about it, and we spent our last two days on Koh Samui exploring the islands on two red bikes, each adorned with a "haloed pig" sticker on the front. Holy pigs are known for bringing safety to tourists on wheels in the streets of Thailand right??

First Stop...Temple of the Big Buddha, where we of course took a picture with...a Big Buddha!

introduced Aunt Margie to the heavenly Peanut Butter & Nutella Crepe...

and posed with these creatures...(I think we were told that they are characters in Thai Folklore???)

We jumped back on the bikes and then made an impromptu stop at a temple that we noticed as we were passing by called Wat Plai Laem...

The very rare "Fat Jolly" Buddha

A mere glimpse of what was to come in Bangkok!

after successfully avoiding a couple of collisions, navigating our way around the island, and still being in one piece, we decided we deserved a relaxing massage on the beach! That night we went to a famous Samui restaurant called Poppies, right off the beach overlooking the water. We decided to try the Northern Thailand Traditional Khantoke dinner, which consists of 5 different courses brought out on a pedestal tray and meant for a family to share...we ate the entire thing by ourselves...

(*warning* the red peppers are meant to spice the dish..NOT for eating...pay attention to each bite or you may end up taking one containing a rogue red pepper. Upon consumption, you will immediately feel like you could breath fire, without the bonus of actually being a dragon. You will then have to consume milk, yogurt, watermelon and a jar of honey in an attempt to extinguish the fire...I speak from experience!)

and washed it down with my long lost favorite dinner drink...a Manhattan!!

Perfect end to a perfect day!!