an island in the sun

Ko Phi Phi—sigh.

This part of the trip is what I was looking forward to the most in our trip planning. Ko Phi Phi is the name of a group of islands off Thailand's Andaman coast. We stayed in the village Ton Sai on Phi Phi Don, which is Party City USA. Well, more like Party City Anywhere But The USA, because we were probably the only Americans there (lots of Swedes, Germans... the usual world travelers [AMERICANS NEED TO GET OUT MORE]). Apparently, during the rebuilding efforts after the 2004 earthquake/tsunami, lots of unregulated hotels, restaurants, and other touristy places have popped up on the island so it's a bit crazy in the peak travel season. We were a little nervous because our hotel booking on the more peaceful Long Beach was mysteriously canceled the night before we took our ferry to the island, but we ended up getting a nice, quiet hotel a little inland in Ton Sai and all was well.

Highlights of this segment included spending the day at Long Beach and concluding our sunbathing session with a Thai massage on the beach, THE BEST PAD THAI that I have ever had (at a restaurant called Papaya—for like two bucks!), mangy cats galore (except for the fat, clean ones at Papaya—they must be happy because they get to sleep in the fridge), and general laziness. Since we were still pretty jet-lagged at this point, we'd wake up at 5 am, watch whatever movies were on TV (there were like eight channels—two dedicated to American movies, and the rest dedicated to soccer), have a huge leisurely breakfast at the hotel, and then spend the rest of the day at the beach. Pretty much my ideal day.

Oh, another highlight that truly wasn't meant to be one—fire dancing is apparently a big thing on Thailand's islands? And when you hear that, is your mental image of traditional dancing you might see at the Polynesian Cultural Center? Or is it of a guy dancing to "Smooth Criminal" and lighting a spectator's cigarette with his spinning balls of flames? (Guess which one we saw.)