The Traveling Bum

Okay people, let's put your swimsuit and plenty of sunscreen on because we're going on a speed boat tour to the Phi Phi Islands!

Island hopping, in good hands

The best, but also the most expensive time to visit Krabi and Phuket is from the beginning of November to early April, where the fierce Southeast Asian monsoon wind blows the other way. We were extremely lucky that day, since it was raining quite heavy the day before. The sun was shining throughout the day, with only a drizzle of rain after dinner. Our journey started at the Aree Tara Resort in Ao Nang Beach, Krabi (a review will follow suit), where we booked our Phi Phi Islands tour by a rather big company called Chok Paisan Andaman for BHT1400 per person, which includes snorkeling equipment, lunch, fruits and drinks on board and most importantly a return transfer to the hotel. The average price of this speed boad tour if you book outside hovers around BHT1000 to BHT1500, but I think we've got ourselves pretty good deal.

Shortly after breakfast, the transportation arrived in the form of a very new Toyota van, and we were the first passengers on board. After about 2 more trips to nearby hotels, we finally arrived at the Noppharat Thara boat pier about 10 minutes from the Ao Nang Beach. The speed boat was quite full and it has both covered and uncovered seats; 45 in total. We have decided to sit right in front of it, with A LOT of sunscreen because the sun can get very harsh in the mid day. A little tip here, if you are a bit picky about seats, try to go ahead of the crowd and be the first to board the speed boat. It will stop at the beautiful and exclusive Railay beach to pick up some people on the way, about 15 minutes into the journey.

Viking Cave

Technically it's not a stop, but mainly a slowdown for photo op. For those who are not familiar with bird's nest harvesting, this is quite a view. I already knew, albeit roughly but I can see the guide trying his best to explain the whole process along with a picture of the actual bird's nest.

Viking Cave, I don't know there were Vikings in Thailand

Lohsamah & Pileh Bay

Lohsamah Bay is located very near to Maya Beach, where they filmed "The Beach" and this is where we get to get off the boat to snorkel. There's no shortage of colourful fishes here, and the depth is about 7 feet. In fact, as soon as you get into the water you'll feel that all of them are attacking you. As I'm not a good swimmer, I'm thankful to the fact that there are plenty of life jackets (for snorkeling, of course) on board.

Maya Bay

Next, we headed to Maya Beach — or as our guide described, "The Market". Yes, this is where they filmed that Hollywood film with Leonardo DiCaprio post "Titanic". It is also the location of one of the world's biggest natural disaster, the Asian tsunami back in 2004. If there's one thing you'll see a lot here, it's the tourists. They are everywhere. There's a path from the beach leading to a cliff area as seen in the movie, but we only got about half an hour so we've decided not to see what's beyond Maya Beach. Besides, plenty more things to do. It is a beautiful place nonetheless, albeit a little too overrated in my opinion.

This way to Maya Bay

Phi Phi Don

This is where we have our wonderful lunch, which was served buffet style. While we were there, we were served rice, clear tom yam, battered fish fillets with sweet chili sauce, crispy fried fish skin (yes, they don't waste anything) in sweet and sour sauce, stir fried vegetable in oyster sauce and chicken in soy sauce. For those of you who only eat halal food, there shouldn't be any worries here as the servers are all Muslim. We also get a nice selection of salads and choice of cold drink, coffee or tea. Well worth the money, I'd say.

Hin Klarng

After lunch, we headed to Hin Klarng; which is not exactly an island but a snorkeling spot in the open sea. Yes, the friggin' open sea and there's almost nothing around you. Also, it's 10 feet deep this time. I've noticed about half of the people have decided to stay on board, but I braved myself and went ahead with the snorkeling. It was a wide decision. The corals here are breathtaking and there's a lot more types of fishes can be found here than Lohsamah Bay. As soon as you stick your head underwater, time really flies. We were given about half an hour to snorkel around the boat, and I really wish it was longer. It was definitely a scary thought because you're in the open sea, but trust me it was an unforgettable experience.

The wide open sea. The best feeling ever!

Bamboo Island

Our final stop is the beautiful Bamboo Island, known for its very white sandy beaches and clear blue waters. We were given an hour to explore and enjoy this lovely island, and that's more than enough — although I'd love to spend all day here. There are plenty of trees if you're looking for shades and when we were there there were not too many people, and definitely far less than Maya Beach. I would probably come to this particular island again on longtail boat to spend a lazy day here.

On our way back we were served tropical fruits, which provides a nice ending to a lovely day. At BHT1400 (£25) or even less than that if you know your way around, it's totally something you must do if you come to this part of the world for the first time!