The Ko Samet Girls

Bye bye Patong - I'll miss you, like I miss the flu I had in Chiang Mai.

Another day of transit, this time by boat to Phi Phi. The boat ride was uneventful but luckly as I got off the boat and into my first long boat I met the Ko Samet girls. But before a word on the Ko Samet girls, a word on long tail boats. The long tail boats are so named because their propellors drape behind them on the end of elongated tails designed to let the boats manouever in shallow waters. This is particularly important around Phi Phi, and other parts of the Andaman Seal, because of all the coral reefs that show up almost everywhere. Combine these with submerged rocks and major tidal fluctuations and you've got a fair bit for your humble boat pilot to contend with.

But back to the Ko Samet girls. The Ko Samet girls where three 19 year old girls from Sweden who'd just spent two weeks on Ko Samet. They went on about Ko Samet so much I wanted to slice them up into little pieces, scoop them into envelopes and mail them back there. But seriously it was quite helpful. We shared a longtail down to Hat Yao (Long Beach), the quite cousin to the flashy Ton Sai. Long Beach got its name because it's quite long:) So while I was rueing the thought of truding down the whole way with my backpack in search of the cheapest digs I hit upon a wonderful idea, why not leave the bags with one of the Swedes to mind them.

Good thing we did because we eventually found Phi Phi Hill , the cheapest and most scenic place on Long Beach. The only catch was it's up about fifty stairs, some of them dangerously steep. They have a special pulley system rigged up to help you with your bags. So I checked into Phi Phi, fell in love with the sweeping ocean views from my front verandah and settled into the sweeping vista of Phi Phil Ley from the restaurant's deck.