Thailand – Maldo Travels

Ko Phi Phi – Island Boat Tour

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:55:54 +0000

On the main island Phi Phi Don, there are private and group boat options to explore the smaller Phi Phi islands. We got an afternoon snorkeling tour with a group boat for 1200 THB¹ each. The meeting point was at Loh Dalum beach on the north bay at 1.30 PM. There were about 10 of us in the group and once everyone arrived, we were given life jackets and set out to Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don. We visited this beach earlier when we went kayaking in the morning. Visiting on the boat tour in the afternoon was quite different since the beach was very busy now with several tour boats anchored at the beach. It was a quick stop here for pictures and some snorkeling. There are a couple of fishes here but not that many. The next stop was then Long Beach on the south side of Phi Phi Don. The ship anchored in by the cliffside in an area called Shark Point. One of the guides said there was a chance to see some sharks hence the name of the site. We didn’t manage to see any but there were many fishes and some corals, so it was still a good snorkeling location.

We then left Phi Phi Don and headed further south to Phi Phi Leh arriving at the north side of the island at around 3 PM. The boat sailed around the perimeter of the island passing by Monkey Bay and a quick stop at Viking Cave where the guide tells us of the paintings found in the walls of what appear to be Viking ships. The guide also gives some info on how locals get edible swiftlet bird nests from here to sell. It is believed the bird nests have some health benefits and is considered a delicacy. We then continue sailing via Pi Leh Lagoon and then anchoring in at Loh Samah Bay for some more snorkeling. This was also a good snorkeling spot with corals and several different fish species.

Next, we continue to Maya Bay, the famous beach featured in the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio. The beach was closed off due to damage caused by tourism so we could only sail past it from a distance. This was the last location on Phi Phi Leh and we set off to Bamboo Island for the sunset. On the way, we made a brief stop at Nui Beach to take pictures. We arrived at Bamboo Island at around 4.20 PM and were told we could wander around the island and pointed to good snorkeling locations.

It’s a very small island and a great place to relax at the beach and swim in its refreshing waters. We stayed here until 6.30 PM when the sun started to set. We then got to see the rest of the sunset from the middle of the sea. The colors of the sky and silhouettes of the islands were beautiful. Once the sun had fully set, we headed to the south bay on Phi Phi Don for a swim with fluorescent plankton. When you jump in the water and splash around, the plankton light up. The plankton is tiny and I couldn’t capture it on a GoPro, but it was good fun. We were then dropped off at the pier and we headed to the hotel to change into some dry clothes before heading out for some dinner.

Ko Phi Phi – The Beaches by Kayak

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 16:33:00 +0000

In the morning, we got to Loh Dalum Beach at 8.40 AM and found a kayak rental place offering their services. We got a 2 person kayak with snorkeling gear for 3 hours which cost 200 THB¹ each. Our first stop was Monkey Beach which took us about 30 minutes to get to. The beach was empty in these early hours. We left our kayak on the beach and went for a stroll. When we got back, we found a monkey at our kayak who was going through a hidden compartment that we didn’t even know about. We left our water on the kayak which the monkey stole and drank. Once the monkey left, we picked up our kayak and headed to Nui Beach.

This was a longer journey than our first leg and more tiring which took us about 40 minutes. On the way, we went past the cliffside of Phi Phi Don and some large rocks in the middle of the sea. Nui Beach small but it’s a very scenic beach. In the background, you can see several large rocks including one which looks like a camel. Other than some locals prepping a boat, we were the only ones here. The water here is quite shallow which makes it great for snorkeling to get up close to the sealife. We stayed here for about 30 minutes before continuing onto Loh Lana Bay.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach the shore of Loh Lana Bay. Once again, we were the only ones here. This beach was the biggest of all 3 that we visited and its waters were also quite shallow. We didn’t stay here for too long since we had to get back to return the kayak. So after taking some pictures, we headed back to Loh Dalum Beach. It took us about 40 minutes to row back, taking breaks in between.

Ko Phi Phi – A Paradise Island

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 21:57:00 +0000

In Patong, we bought tickets for a ferry to Ko Phi Phi departing at 11 AM with transportation to the Rassada Pier for 400 THB¹ each. We were picked up at 10 AM and it took about 40 minutes to get to the pier. We presented our ticket at the entrance and were given a colored sticker and directed to a seating area to wait for our boat. There are several stalls inside the pier to buy food and drinks. Our ferry arrived and upon boarding, we handed our backpacks to the staff to secure onto the deck. We then head into the lower deck to grab a seat. It took about 2 hours to reach Ko Phi Phi and the captain lets you go to the upper deck to take pictures throughout the journey. Once at the pier, we got off the ferry and picked up our backpacks which had been unloaded. We then headed to the pier exit and it was quite hectic there as the staff is collecting the 20 THB island entrance fee from all visitors. We then went looking for our hotel which proved a little tricky since it wasn’t on Google Maps. Once we located it, we checked in and then went to explore the island.

The island is very small with most of the restaurants, hotels, and tour agencies near the pier. After wandering around the streets for a bit, we headed to Loh Dalum Beach on the north bay of the island. We walked along the shore to the right side and found a trail that goes inland to the viewpoints. The uphill trail isn’t that easy to follow and goes through the jungle with many mosquitos flying around. After about 40 minutes, we arrived at the first viewpoint looking out to Phak Nam Bay from a boulder high up in the mountain. We then walked for another 10 minutes and arrived at Viewpoint 3 which cost 20 THB for access to the deck. There’s a restaurant here where you can get some food and drink whilst enjoying the view.

We then continued walking down another 20 minutes to Viewpoint 2 which cost 30 THB for access to the viewing area. It’s a beautiful view of the island from here and there were already quite a lot of people by 5.15 PM when we got there. Since we managed to get a good spot, we decided to stay here for the sunset. We played some cards while we waited and the viewpoint started to get very busy at around 5.30 PM. The sunset started at around 6.30 PM and we stayed until around 7 PM. The colors of the sky were beautiful, one of my favorite sunset spots of all my travels. On the way back, we used our phone’s flashlight to head back, but the trail did have some lights along the path and was easy to follow. It took about 15 minutes to get back to the town and we went to a restaurant to get some food before heading back to the hotel.

Patong – Phuket’s Party Beach Town

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 22:28:00 +0000

With our flight departing at noon from , we left the hostel at 8.45 AM for the Airport. A Tuk Tuk from the hotel cost us 8 USD² and took 30 minutes. We had a connecting flight in Bangkok with a transit time of only 1-hour 45-minutes. The lady at the counter said we had to pick up our bags and re-check the bags in Bangkok but we should have enough time. With another 2 hours to wait, I logged into the WiFi to check emails and saw our Patong hotel had been canceled so I spent 30 mins booking another one. We landed at the smaller Don Mueang International Airport so getting to customs was quick. We let the staff know about our flight leaving soon and were put in the priority queue. We managed to clear customs, re-check our bags, and go through customs again within the 1 hour 45 minute connection time. It’s a 2-hour flight to Phuket and the airport there is also fairly small.

At the exit, there were stalls offering shuttle services and sim cards. We tried to use the airport wifi to see if they had Uber³ or an alternative app but that didn’t work. We had to take cash out at the ATM to buy a Sim card since they didn’t take credit cards. After connecting to the internet, we looked up taxi apps but didn’t find anything reliable and it had been over an hour now so we got the shuttle service which was 180 THB⁴ per person. We were directed to the shuttle pick up location and waited there for about 15 mins until the next shuttle came. We were first taken to the office a 5-minute drive away where everyone got off to give their hotel details. After everyone was done, we hopped back in and the driver instructed everyone to put their seat belt pointing at a sign saying 1000 THB fine for no seat belt. The driver didn’t speak much English and wasn’t very friendly. It was about an hour’s drive and the traffic was a little crazy with winding roads closer to Patong. Our driver also drove quite quickly whilst lane hopping. We got dropped off on the main road a short walk from the hotel. We checked in and were in our room by 6.30 PM.

The Town

After settling into our room, we went for a walk on Bangla Road. There was lots of light and music along this road. The first part was mostly bars and restaurants. The stretch closer to the beach was then filled with clubs and bars. The side roads also had bars and some street food areas. It’s a very lively and nice atmosphere filled with people. We walked up to the beach and then across. There were still tour agency stalls open as well as restaurants and souvenir shops. We walked along a street parallel to Bangala and found a nice food market called Otop. We decided to eat here and were not disappointed. Prices were reasonable between 100 and 200 THB for food. We then walked across until we reached Bangala and headed back up to the hotel. We were in Patong for another 3 days and had tours planned during the day. In the evenings we went out to Bangala and found the bars with live music to be great.

On one of our free afternoons, we headed to the and rented some Beach chairs from 4 PM until close which was 6 PM for 100 TBH each. We also bought some ice-cold 750 ML Chang beers for 180 TBH each and played cards. There are several water sports at the beach as well including jet-skiing, parasailing, and the banana boat. We then went for a walk along the beach until the sunset before heading back to the hotel to get changed before checking out a bar. We went to a live music bar called Lion Livemusic and the band was amazing. They could play practically any song and the singers were great. We then checked out the two big clubs; Tiger and Illuzion. There are loads of reps selling drink deals and we thought this was needed for entry. Turns out entry is free once you dodge them. Both venues are huge and the music played is mainly charts/electro.

Phuket – Sea Canoe Tour

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 20:41:28 +0000

An exciting activity which we looked up beforehand was of a kayak/canoe tour in Bahía de Phang Nga Bay. We did some research and decided on John Gray Sea Canoe who had been operating for some time. They have several tours available and decided to go with the Hong By Starlight tour which costs 2950 THB¹ each. Our pick up was 35 minutes late arriving at our hotel at around 11.15 AM. We were the first ones and the driver picked up 2 more groups before heading to the pier. We got there at around 12.15 PM and were given tickets to get on another bus which took us a couple of minutes down the pier to the boat. We then boarded and were handed life jackets to put on. The whole thing was somewhat unorganized and we weren’t always sure who to follow. Once the boat pulled off the pier, the guide gave his welcome talk and went over the schedule.

It took about an hour to reach the first cave (Bat Cave) and this travel time was used for lunch. It was one of the best buffet-style lunches I’ve had included in a tour. Before arriving at the cave, we had to pick a name out of a hat to see who would be our guide. We got ‘Term’ and as our designated guide, he would do all the rowing throughout. Once at Bat Cave, the guides unloaded the canoes and we had to look for Term who helped us onto the canoe. It was 2 people max or 2 adults and a child (plus the guide) per sea canoe. We made it out of the boat first and Term took us into the cave. The cave was a little smelly and Term said it was from the smell of the mud. We soon had no more sunlight and it was pitch black. Term turned on his flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling for us to spot the bats. There were hundreds of them. He handed me the flashlight so that I could have a look around. We soon made it out of the cave and emerged into the lagoon. It was beautiful and looked a lot like the scenery from the movie Skull Island. There were tall peaks all around filled with vegetation.

We continued to another lagoon and the tide here was quite low and we could see some ‘mud islands’. Term pointed out some fish that were jumping through the mud which looked like tadpoles. They had the appearance of an early evolutionary species. Being the first ones at this lagoon, we took several pictures before everyone else came. We couldn’t stay long since the tide was getting lower which would mean there would soon be no water to canoe out of the cave. When we got out of the cave, Term took as along the shore and there were many stalactites. We then reached another cave that took us to a lagoon which looked similar to the previous one but here we managed to see monkeys. They were digging into the mud looking for worms to eat. We stayed for a bit and then had to head out as the tide was getting lower.

Once back on the boat, they served tea/coffee with some banana cupcakes and watermelon. It was about 30 minutes to the next stop and during this time, we were taught how to make a Kratong. This was similar to the lanterns that are lit and released into the sky. But the Kratongs are made from a section of a banana trunk, lit, and sent to float in the water. It was a fun activity and nice to learn about some of the Thai traditions. Once we were done, they stored the Kratongs to show us how to release them later that evening. When we got to the next stop, we were given 40 minutes of free time to go for a swim or take the canoes out. We chose to take the canoes to a nearby shore and walked around for a bit. The guides went to another shore and when we got there, they were digging up clams. We rowed back to the boat and saw they had lined 4-5 canoes for people to attempt to run across them. Many failed but some were successful.

At around 3 PM we made our way to Hong Island since the tide was now high enough. We hopped on the canoe with Term and he took us around the island. We then made it to the cave and this one was much narrower. We only made it to the first lagoon as the tide was too low to go to the next lagoon. When we headed back out, Term took us into another lagoon and told us to look up and at the outline of the trees. It formed the shape of an elephant’s head. After this, we headed back to the boat.

Next, we headed back to Bat Cave to watch the sunset. Once the sun had set but wasn’t completely dark, we set out on the canoes again with the Kratong we made earlier. We went into the cave until it was pitch black. Term then lit the candles on the Kratong and told us to make a wish. He then told us to release the Kratong into the water for our wish to come true. We let it float for a bit and then turned it off. Then when it was pitch black again, he taught us how to reveal the plankton. When you splash the water, the plankton emits light. As you splash you see hundreds of little dots of light. It’s a wonderful experience and unfortunately, it cannot be captured on a GoPro (I tried). We then headed out of the cave and back on the boat. It was now home time and took about 1 hour 30 minutes to get back to the pier. From the pier, we were put back on the buses and it took about an hour to reach our hotel.

Phuket – Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Jean Maldonado — Fri, 31 May 2019 21:09:00 +0000

Several of our friends had previously been to Phuket and recommended this website to visit elephants. There are several options and we went with the morning visit which cost 2,500 THB¹ each. The sanctuary rescues elephants forced to work in places like shows, circuses, or carrying lumber. Pick-up was included for hotels in Patong and the tour bus arrived at around 6.30 AM. It was about a 30-minute drive to the sanctuary which was in the middle of the jungle. Once there, we were directed to a seating area with several benches and waited for about 10 minutes for everyone to arrive. There were elephants nearby and we were free to approach them to take pictures. It was entertaining to watch as they scratched themselves against the trees. Once everyone was there, the guide called us to the seating area again to give his introductory talk. He went over the itinerary and spoke about some of the elephants. He told us how they bought them off the circuses or log workers. The younger ones were more expensive and they only had females at the sanctuary. That’s because only females are captured since males get aggressive during mating season. Lockers were available for free with a refundable deposit of 100 THB for the key. Once we put our stuff in the locker, we went to help the carer prep some food. He mixed banana, rice, and some other fruits which he handed out to us to shape them into balls.

Then we were directed into an area where they showed us how they made paper from elephant poop. They extracted some wood-like fibers from the poop and left them to dry. They then mixed it with water and some other stuff to make a paper mache kind of mixture. That was then put onto a square sieve and flattened out. This was then left to dry and the result was like paper. Next, everyone carried a basket of fruit between 2 people to go feed the elephants. It was about a 2-minute walk to where the elephants where. We got the 81-year-old ‘sassy grandma’ and fed her bananas by placing a branch on her trunk. She’s cheeky and edges forward to try and take bananas from the bucket so you have to be alert. It took her a while to eat a branch and looked like she was about to fall asleep. The carer told us that she does fall asleep while eating sometimes. We took a couple of pics and after about 20 minutes of feeding, we went to see some of the other elephants.

Next, we were called to another seating area and briefed on the bathing activity. We were told to leave our footwear there and step into the mud pool to first rub mud on the elephants. You can pick up small buckets as you walk into the mud pool. As you walk further into the pool, you’ll find more mud. Four elephants came in. The younger ones were more playful and rolled in the mud. The carers told us to always stand facing their backside when they lay down since they could kick you when they try to stand back up if you’re on their front side. After about 15 minutes, they take a group photo and then they initiate a mud fight. Then we go to the next pool to brush the mud off the elephants. This pool was deeper and the elephants seemed a little apprehensive going down and used their heads/trunk to hold themselves up. Once in the pool, they lay in the water and the young one would play rolling around in the water. Sometimes it was scary because she would disappear and then emerge right next to you. The little cheeky one also sprayed me with water from her trunk. After about 15 minutes, the elephants were led out by their carers. You can see and hear how much energy they put into getting out of the pool. Weighing between 2 and 4 tons, it would take tremendous strength for them to climb even a few stairs.

Now it was our turn to wash up and we were directed to the showers whilst they prepped lunch for us. Before having lunch, they got volunteers to make a salad. The ingredients were already chopped up so they had to grind them together as the guide talked through the process and put them in. He then asked for volunteers to make a Pad Thai. I volunteered and had to stir a wok as he put the ingredients in and explained the process. It took about 5 to 10 minutes and was delicious. They then invited everyone up to the buffet and I got to keep my Pad Thai. Once lunch was over, we got our belongings from the locker and there was time for some pictures with the elephants. The buses then came and we were back at the hotel by 1.30 pm