PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2012 - PHI PHI ISLAND DAY TRIP

Second Day

We decided to take a tour package offered by the Hotel joining another large group of tourists to visit Phi Phi Island.

"Phi Phi is approximately 50 minutes away from Phuket by speedboats. The islands consist of 2 small islands: Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Ferry ports and hotels can be found on the first, while the latter is uninhabited offering magnificant beaches. Loh Sama and Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh are the location for the Hollywood film "The Beach."

Unlike Similan Islands, Phi Phi is open to visitors all year round and tour operators organising day trips and packages to the islands are virtually everywhere."

http://www.phuket.com/tours/phiphi/

Ini pula Quote dari Wikipedia :

"The Phi Phi Islands (Thai: หมู่เกาะพีพี, Thai pronunciation: [pʰīː pʰīː]) are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Strait of Malacca coast of the mainland. The islands are administratively part of Krabi province. Ko Phi Phi Don ("ko" (Thai: เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the most populated island of the group. although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island (Ko Mai Phai), are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea.

Phi Phi Don was initially populated by Muslim fishermen during the late 1940s, and later became a coconut plantation. The Thai population of Phi Phi Don remains more than 80% Muslim. The actual population however, if counting laborers, especially from the north-east, from the mainland is much more Buddhist these days. The population is between 2,000 to 3,000 people (2013).

The islands came to worldwide prominence when Ko Phi Phi Leh was used as a location for the 2000 British-American film The Beach. This attracted criticism, with claims that the film company had damaged the island's environment, since the producers bulldozed beach areas and planted palm trees to make it look like the book,[1] an accusation the film's makers contest. The film's release was attributed to an increase in tourism to the islands. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry.

Ko Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was destroyed. As of 2010 most, but not all, of this has been restored."

Dan ini pula Quote dari Wikitravel :

"Ko Phi Phi (หมู่เกาะพีพี) is a small archipelago of six islands in Krabi Province, Southern Thailand. It is touted to be one of the most beautiful yet easily accessible island groups in the world, and it pretty much lives up to this reputation. This area has something to offer for everyone, right from the languorous sunbathers to the compulsive adrenaline junkies. A must see if you hit the Krabi Province, which itself is a must see if you visit Thailand! The entire region is part of a marine National Park, and hence abundant in all types of marine life. One can just stand at the Pier and witness thousands of colorful fish swim around in the clear water below."

Anyway, where is Phi Phi Island?

See? You can find details on how to get to Phi Phi
from here

Kami naik bas dari hotel. Bas pickup awal pagi, continued picked up tourists from two other hotels around Patong Beach. Terfikir juga sekejap, kenapa naik bas? Hehe. Laa bodo nya, rupanya naik bas untuk ke jetty yang terletak on the southern side of Phuket. Hehe. Memang aku bodo....

Boats at Rassada Pier

Tengok2 souvenier dulu sebelum naik ferry

Boat journey macam biasa lah. Laut agak tenang, boat pula full house. Ambil masa satu jam juga untuk sampai ke Ko Phi Phi

Kena bayar 20Baht

Ingat sekejap saja, rupanya makan sejam juga nak sampai ke Jetty. Jalan di Phuket boleh tahan jem. Small island, means small and congested roads.. Anyway the bus journey was uneventful.

Jetty tu namanya Rassada Pier kalau tak silap. Ni gambar aku ciplak dari internet

Sebab semua kos dah dipakej kan, kami tak susah-susah nak bayar itu ini lagi. Makan pun disediakan. HALAL.

Phi Phi Boatman - boleh tahan enjin nya!

Brader ni asyik senyum saja, so aku minta dia pose sekejap. Katanya enjin disel dari kereta Toyota Hilux! Creative! Kalau rosak main buang laut jer agaknya!

Away he goes... doing what he does for a living

This being a day trip, we were told to gather back at a meeting point after a few hours on the island. So kami split ikut kaki masing-masing. Aku menapak celah-celah chalet yang berlambak kat situ, tengok-tengok apa yang patut.

Phi Phi penuh dengan mat saleh back-packers dari merata dunia. Macam-macam jenis manusia. Aku tak campur lah.

Chalet banyak, kedai makan minum pun banyak. Kedai souvenier memang merata-rata lah. Yang bagusnya penjual di sini tak kepoh pushing for sale, so rilex2 saja tengok itu ini, kalau minat tawar harga lah.

Then aku took a stroll along the foot-path by the sea, happily snapping pictures:

Phi Phi Island - lawa sungguh

Lawa, tapi aku tak tahan panas...

Sistem propeller terdedah macam ni, jarang nampak
(longtail boat)

Ini dia catamaran, twin hull

Phi Phi does live up to its reputation. Memang lawa. Penuh dengan tourists. Pandai orang Thai urus pelancong, attracting tourist dollars. Compare dengan pulau-pulau lain yang aku dah pergi, Phi Phi memang top 5 in my book.

Kalau ada masa, pergi lah ke Phi Phi. Recommended! Apatah lagi kalau ada sponsor!