A “Ferry” Bad Feeling

Day 4

As soon as we arrived back at Sea Angel Pier, we were greeted by the manager who yesterday promised that we would be able to join the ferry tour to Kho Phi Phi Don. “Come, this way!”, she said pointing towards the edge of the pier where the rest of the passengers made their way to board the ferry. As we crossed the plank a lady with a camera took a picture of me. Confused as I was I then realised she was taking a photo of all passengers coming her way. There were three ferries docked side by side. We ended up on the first one. “Let’s go up the next level for a better view”, I said to Wifey, hoping there were still seats upstairs. With luck on our side we found seats at the back of the ferry as more and more people crowd the boat. I look over the side and noticed the murky water, a few dead fish floated next to pieces of rubbish, the strong salty scent then hit me. I couldn’t wait for the ferry to leave.

Once the ferry was full (too full in my opinion) it started its engine and away we went. There were still some passengers walking around looking for a seat. A woman together with her family of ten asked me if I could move across so that her relative could sit. I moved to the left giving her some room to sit when the same woman TOLD me to swap seats with Wifey and I asked her what was wrong with the seat and she said “For her comfort”. I didn’t get it at first but I realised that the old lady was not comfortable sitting next to man she didn’t know. It must have been a cultural thing. Then came the crew of Sea Angel who gave out mini cupcakes to everyone. The old lady peeled the cupcake liner and without hesitation threw it overboard. Maybe it was a cultural thing too *sigh*. Throughout the whole journey, she would get up and walk around and asked us to watch her bag. We were her bag minder for the day.

Two hours later and we finally docked at Kho Phi Phi Don on Ao Tonsai Pier. Only a handful of passengers got off, those who were part of another tour. From the boat I could see the small village in the middle. The white sand shore was lined with long tail boats. Limestone rock formation covered by lush vegetation surrounded the bay. It was beautiful but I wasn’t too impressed. Maya Bay is what I wanted to see and that was our next destination. And so I thought…

With only an hour left before the ferry was to leave the island, Wifey and I did not waste any time to explore the beach on the other side of the island which was conveniently in front of the resort. It was currently low tide and the water was only knee deep for a good 300 metres. We both lay down and dipped our bodies, keeping it submerged to keep the searing heat of the sun from doing any damage. It was the only moment Wifey and I had some peace and quiet from the tour, just on our own, enjoying the cool water and the view of the bay. If only it was like this the whole time we were there.

The boat ride back to Phuket was a lot calmer and more quiet as most of the passengers on board took the opportunity to nap. The cool wind made it even more comfortable to rest our eyes for a couple of hours. Wifey and I were one of the first ones off upon reaching the port. We passed a table filled with little plates with people’s faces on it. Two faces stood out for me, my wife’s and mine. This was what the photographer did with the photo she took of us boarding the ferry in the morning. “Who would even bother buying these plates as souvenirs?”, I said to her. Apparently a lot since a crowd hovered over the table and I could see them leave clutching their porcelain or should I say plastic portraits in their hands.

It was already 5:30pm when we reached our hotel. We got our bags from the lobby which we packed up in the morning as we were checking in at another hotel that very same day. It took less than 10mins to reach Thavorn Beach Village Resort & Spa. Upon entering the lobby we were in awe of what the place looked like. The high ceiling wooden bungalow, fans hanging from above. From the balconies we could see trees and plants everywhere. It appeared like we were in a middle of a rainforest. This was the tropical experience we were after in Thailand. At the lobby, we were greeted by a couple of really friendly receptionists who turned out to be Filipinos! They brought out some drinks and cool towel for refreshment. One of them guided us to our room which was perched high up on the side of the hill. “How do we go up there?” I asked her. “By cable car!”, she replied.

Cheerio,

Jeeps