As we were waiting for our boat to arrive for our scuba diving adventure. (Really we only went snorkeling but every time Joanna went to say snorkeling she would always say scuba diving. It was funny that she couldn't keep it straight.) I watched this boat across the way unload supplies. They would load up carts on two wheels and take the supplies to the shop where they needed to be delivered.
One of the first places we stopped to go explore the world below the water.
To be honest I was extremely disappointed in the snorkeling. Because of all the tourist and the trash that is left in the water there was not much to see below the surface. I had a much better experience in West Palm Beach Florida.
This is where one of the girls in our group spotted the first shark.
Joanna with all her gear and learning to love to snorkel. I just wish there would have been more amazing fish for her to see.
When we first started out they didn't offer us fins. We got tired a lot quicker and was harder to swim in the rough water without them.
It sure does look like Joanna has a fin on her left foot but it is just her big feet. :) In Korea where she lives it is really hard for her to find shoes because they don't carry sizes over a 7. Side note: one day while we were out exploring Korea we ran into a Payless Shoes that was new to the area. We stopped in and they carried shoes in big sizes and Joanna was so excited. She got, I think, about 4 pairs of shoes for around $40 or $50. A couple pairs she got for $5. That was an exciting day for her.
And I have to admit I was quite jealous of her shoes especially the purple boots she got.
This is just a small idea of the people. All the boats stop at the same places and there would be 100 or more people out there snorkeling.
This is where the movie Beaches took place. I know nothing about the movie or when it came out but our snorkeling guides told us this is where it happened.
I loved how clear the water looked but I still think the water was polluted. When we got done for the day and I took my hair out of the bun I had it in it felt disgusting, extremely greasy like I hadn't washed it in weeks. It was not like it has ever felt before from spending the day in salt water. I would guess that it is from all the gas exhaust from the 100's of boats that go through there daily.
We went past an island with a village on the hill near the water.
This stop was Monkey Island. Joanna and I snorkeled over to the Island. At this point we finally got fins to use. It was difficult for Joanna to get use to them. I was much more comfortable with fins but I had used them before a few times so I knew the difference it made and more or less how to use them. I didn't have a water camera so I didn't take my camera to the island. I tried to zoom in as close as I could from the boat and I could get some semi-decent pictures but still not as cool if I could have had it with me while we were seeing the monkeys up close and personal.
It was neat to be on the beach and to see so many monkeys just roaming around freely, swinging in the trees and eating baby bananas from people.
Our boat was to big to get to close to the shoreline. Then there was a boat that was our size that came up and anchored next to us. They had a speedboat on the back and they piled their people in took them over to the island. I almost asked them to take me to shore with them but we were getting ready to leave and decided I didn't want to get left only for a picture of a monkey.
We passed another inhabited Island on our way to Shark Cove.
Here Joanna and I decided not to go snorkeling. We didn't want to go swim with the sharks. You had to kayak out to get you closer before you could start snorkeling. When people came back we were glad we hadn't gone out because lots of people came back hurt. Not from the sharks but from stepping on coral and rocks. It was a very shallow area.
That building behind the leafs on the second floor is where Joanna and I stayed.
It was a very hilly area and many of the rooms were a hike. We were lucky that we didn't have to hike like some of the other people because I had a big bag and it was heavy. That is what I get for traveling to two countries have opposite seasons. I had to pack clothes for freezing weather and the hot humid weather. We had a good time but I think if we were ever to go this again we wouldn't make the trek to the Island. If we were to go to the Island it would just be a day trip not for more than that. It was to busy with people and was slightly disappointing. One of the best things we did was each day we were on the Island we got an hour massage for $12. I wouldn't recommend anyone to go to Koh Phi Phi. We didn't even get beach time. The beach was dirty with trash and didn't seem appetizing to want to lay out or go swimming there. Again the water wasn't great either. It was grimy. It looked clear but when you got in, it wasn't clean. The beaches and water seemed much better on the main land in Phuket. We didn't get time to go to the Beach but when we drove past several times it looked clean.
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