Paradise and Pain
The Phi Phi Islands are a small grouping of national park islands between Phuket and Krabi. The main island, Ko Phi Phi Don, referred to by most as just Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee), is accessible by speedboat or ferry and is a hot spot for tourism. The island is gorgeous. It might be the most beautiful piece of land I've set foot on. The developed portion of the Island is a few square miles of a of foot traffic only winding maze-like storefront markets abutting a beach. It is bookended on both sides by undeveloped tree covered hills and limestone formations which make up most of the National Park. Setting foot on this island is like stepping into paradise... until you also set foot on a sea urchin.
Setting foot on this island is like stepping into paradise... until you also set foot on a sea urchin.
The Island Ferry
Careful where you research ferry boat times and prices. We departed from Rassada Pier in Phuket. But the times and prices were not what we anticipated. It wasn't a big deal, but if you're on a tight budget and schedule, dig a little deeper with your research. The Ferry was supposed to be the cheaper option, but we later saw speedboats offering better deals. They Ferry is also bigger and slower, but they have TV's playing DVDs to help numb our human brains from the 2-hour journey. One of the DVDs playing was a recording of a Scorpions concert. They played none of their hits, but the German tourists knew every English lyric to these unknown songs. This was the beginning of a weird realization of how many people internationally love the Scorpions.
The Resort
I haven't been to Cancun, but this beautiful island has what I imagine a to be a Cancun-vibe. Loud party bars lining the beach blasting American pop music all night. The island is packed with 20-somethings from all over the globe trying to, and succeeding in, getting drunk and getting wet. Since that's not really my scene, I booked a place along the shore furthest away from that scene, Phi Phi Sea Sky Resort. Its distance from the action muffled the noise from the beach parties fairly well, but it was a hell of a walk to get there... and back... and there... and back... and you get the idea. The rooms were private bungalows built into the side of a tree-lined hill. The view of the bay was picturesque and it just so happens to be the perfect place to be sick in bed for a few days. There was also a black and white cat on the property that adopted me and laid in bed with me offering healing purrs most of the time.
It looked like splinters. They were deep. It hurt. I screamed.
Monkey Beach
One of the highlights of Phi Phi island is monkey beach. A quick kayak ride to the next bay and you're supposed to find yourself on a secluded beach surrounded by monkeys. Since our time on Phi Phi was short, I was eager to get over there. We rented a tandem kayak for an hour and set out to reach monkey beach. However, the child we rented from refused to give us the larger kayak without paying more. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but it was. I'm a big dude. I need a big kayak. I was barely stable on the kayak by myself, and when Tierza got on. I couldn't keep my balance for long heading into the heavy current. It wasn't long before we flipped... and flipped.. and flipped about 5 more times before I finally realized I had stepped on something that punctured my skin that wasn't coral. After a few more attempts to get on the kayak with waves crashing, I slipped and landed hand first on another something under the water that wasn't coral. This time I got a good look at my finger wounds and I could see the spikes protruding out of my fingers accompanied by blood oozing out. It looked like splinters. They were deep. It hurt. I screamed. Tierza told me we should had back since sea urchins can be poisonous and she didn't feel like dragging my body back to shore. I finally heeded Tierza's advice, submitted to the sea and headed back in. As Tierza returned the kayak, I walked the beach showing locals my wounds and asking if I needed to visit a clinic or if I was OK. I received mixed messages of broken English saying, "Bad. See clinic." or "OK. No Problem." This wasn't the sound medical advice that was instilling confidence, so I walked until I found a clinic.
Affordable Healthcare
At the clinic, their broken English wasn't much better and I couldn't tell if they truly recommended treatment or if pulling out splinters was just a quick buck for them. But since it was literally only going to be a few bucks, I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry. I didn't seem to have any immediate allergic reactions to the spikes, so I thought I was in the clear. I thought, they'd pull them, wrap them and send me on my way. Well, a few emergencies came into the clinic and prolonged my treatment. I ended up being there for most of the afternoon and into the evening. They eventually spent about an hour pulling out the spikes. It was remarkable how many made their way into my skin. They finally sent me on my way with Pain meds, Allergy meds, and Antibiotics. All of which I assumed was overkill, until the next day when the bountiful diarrhea and fever started. These are typical symptoms of an urchin sting, but no where online does it say how long they last. When your feeling this lousy, being in a secluded bungalow seems like a great place to die. Tierza said we have to visit a clinic again, but because of our remoteness, walking there seemed daunting. I eventually made my way to the nearest clinic. They examined my wounds and tested my blood for infection. They gave me an additional antibiotic and powdered electrolyte packets to stay hydrated. They recommended Tylenol to manage my fever and sent me on my way again. Two clinic visits on an expensive overpriced tourist island--a grand total of...a few hundred bucks. Not bad, but the kayak rentals should just warn you to wear your water shoes because of sea urchins. No sings. No mentions. No warnings. This must be common. This could have been easily avoided.
But for real...what about Monkey Beach?
We eventually made it to monkey beach via long boat. There were no monkeys when we went, but we did get the whole beach to ourselves for a while, which on a crowded condensed island, was peaceful. We stayed in Phi Phi longer than expected because of my sea wounds. But what better place to be forced to rest and relax. We were told later to go early in the morning to see monkeys on the beach... Thanks for the tip, Phi Phi... and just watch out for those urchins.
Beer of the Day
Took a bit to finally try another beer...
Singha, Boon Rawd Brewery