Asia Trip: Day 101 - Koh Lanta => Koh Phi Phi (4/25/19)
Daily Highlights:
Woke up early on Koh Lanta and took a quick hour long ferry ride to Koh Phi Phi
Got ferried by a deck hand to our resort which was amazing AND it was free
We got to the resort and got a free upgrade
THE ROOM IS INCREDIBLE
Walked around town and explored
Came back and went to the beach
We chilled in the sun and I was treading water for a record breaking six minutes
Got beer and did a free dinner tasting at the resort
We decided to order dinner based off of the tasting menu, it wasn’t nearly as good as the tasting menu and the portions were huge. Like American sized portions. BTW - my stomach has shrank a considerable amount and I lost a good fifteen pounds in the past months. I’m a lean, mean, traveling machine (who was extremely ill and malnourished, which prompted the rapid weight loss, but now I’m okay!)
I heard free 99 for the first time
You say it when something was free (Ex. “I got that beer for free 99.”) - it was a hoot
Spent an hour deciding what movie to watch
Decided on Birdman
Hated it and picked the Francis Mallman episode of Chef’s Table and fell asleep
Also got mojitos and sang aloud during the sunset
Asia Trip: Day 102 - Koh Phi Phi (4/26/19)
Daily Highlights:
Woke up, meditated, and did gluteus medius swings
Hiked to long beach
Saw an overweight, touristy, affectionate and overall cringy Russian couple do a risque photoshoot on the beach - it was deliciously awful
Ran and did a circuit on the beach - all the local boat guys cheered me on from the shade - it was a scorcher
Had breakfast at the resort
It was over priced, poor quality, and I ate way too much
Promptly left at 1:00pm to go on a Maya Bay tour
IT WAS AWESOME
INCREDIBLE SNORKELING - still so wild to be weightless underwater and the amount of life that is teeming under water
Went to the night market
Got amazing food and watched the kids playing in the streets. Also watched the parents (street vendors) corralling them while trying to run their stands. It was really cool to see the community and how everyone pitched in to collectively take care of the kids.
Got mojitos
Watched Netlfix’s Street Food docu-series
Our captain for the afternoon. I tried asking for his name and he had no idea what I was saying - so I’ll just call him Bob. “You a ladies man Bob?”
Swimming and snorkeling being surrounded by large cathedrals of ancient rock jutting out of the ocean.
Bob taking a rest in between all of us snorkeling and gawking at the cliffs. Bob actually jumped in the water to snorkel and swim around too, not too bad of a gig.
Everyone in the boat wrapped in awe during the sunset.
A view from the rear of the boat as we cruised back into the harbor during sunset. Every boat is equipped with an old car engine attached to a long metal pole with a propeller and you steer with a metal circle attached to a pole. This is fucking wild to see in action.
Asia Trip: Day 103 - Koh Phi Phi (4/27/19)
Daily Highlights:
Woke up early to wander the quiet morning streets
We got iced coffee and a donut together
We planned flights, routes, and hotels for our respective trips
WE GOT TOASTIES and had really good talks
HIKED UP TO PHI PHI VIEWPOINT
Incredible and had absolutely no idea there was another beach on this island. We thought there was only one which was by the pier, but we were remiss
We went down to walk along the other beach
Gorgeous, but it’s a party beach and got offered all of the drugs (cocaine, weed, mollie, mushrooms and acid) from the same guy. The only English he knew was drug English which I thought was hilarious.
We went to the street market
Beer, fried chicken, chicken and rice with curry
We got drinks at a hole in the wall bar - Mai Tai and a Singapore Sling
We went to get a 150 Baht Pina Colada Bucket :(
Went to go see the fire show at the beach which was WILD
We danced like fools
Went to the Reggae Bar to see drunken idiots fight each other - this bar allows tourists to put on gloves and beat the shit out of each other in a boxing ring for the grand prize of alcohol in a plastic bucket - grand entertainment
It started to pour - like a tropical hurricane type of rain
We walked home in the rain and fell asleep to the sound of waves and pounding rain
The view from Phi Phi viewpoint - incredible. You have to really work to see this view, you have an extremely steep climb up the entire mountain to get here.
Asia Trip: Day 104 - Koh Phi Phi => Krabi (4/28/19)
Daily Highlights:
Woke up not feeling the best
Walked into town after checking out of our resort
Got a free water taxi from the hotel
GOT BREKKIE AT MCDONALDS
Two double sausage egg and cheese mcmuffins, medium fries, a small coke, two orders of hash browns and a latte
We chilled at McDonalds for three hours until the ferry arrived to take us to Krabi
Chilled on the deck of the ferry for two hours
I GOT SO SUNBURNT - got extremely crispy on my inner thighs, chest, legs, stomach and arms
I tried tanning my thighs with no shirt and no sunscreen and feel asleep :(
We booked a hotel close to the airport to make it an easy morning on ourselves tomorrow when we would go to the airport
We got in an actual car to drive us to the hotel - first time I’ve been in an actual car in Thailand!
We went into a mall, stumbled into KFC and got a metric fuckton (technical term) of chicken for three dollars
Went back to the hotel and watched The Founder
HAD GREAT TALKS UNTIL 1:00AM
Asia Trip: Day 105 - Krabi, Thailand => Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (4/29/19)
Daily Highlights:
Woke up early at 5:30am to leave for the airport
Got to the Krabi airport and it was so small, disorganized and even had little street vendors inside the terminals
Cate and I parted ways and will see each other again soon
It’s always hard saying goodbye, but I’ve had an incredible couple of weeks and am sure I’ll see her again soon
MADE IT TO KUALA LUMPUR
Got to the hostel, dropped my shit and walked five miles around the city
My legs hurt so bad because of my sunburns - had to take a cab back to the hostel, moisturize and rest. I felt terrible.
Came back, mingled with all the youths and went to the bar to do trivia night
Kuala Lumpur is so developed and western. It is such an extreme melting pot, but doesn’t really seem to have a straight forward identity culinarily or as a city. It is extremely cosmopolitan, relatively clean and seems like being back home in a big city. BUT scooters and motorcycles can ride on the sidewalks, i love the the little bit of dysfunction. It reminds me I’m half way across the world in a strange land.