Fun Facts about Koh Phi Phi Island:
-1 USD = 29.77 Thai Baht
-Ko Phi Phi is only accessible by a 3 hour ferry ride from Phuket.
-Ko Phi Phi island was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. The non tourist
population is typically between 2,000-3,000 and it is estimated that
4,000 people died on the island that day.

We spent New Year’s Eve on the island and prior to going out for the evening, we were chatting with the bar tender at our hotel. He was telling us his accounts of the 2004 Asian Tsunami. At the time, he was working at a hotel restaurant which was located in the middle of town. When the first wave came in, it flooded the entire place (up to around his hips) then eventually the water swept back into the sea. He immediately knew at that stage it was a Tsunami and ran towards the biggest hill in town. Unfortunately, several of the customers he was serving did not and wandered back to the beach to see what was happening. He recalled being very scared for his wife specifically since he had no way of getting a hold of her. Several days later they reconnected, but the island was destroyed.

We learned from other people that in some regards the Tsunami was a good thing for the island due to all the disease and mold that had developed over decades. Today, there are clear signs of where to run in case of a Tsunami (even a building lookout).

Fun Facts about Koh Phi Phi Island:
-There were no cars on the island, only motorcycles, bicycle, and the
most common means of transportation, a long tail boat.
– Our hotel was a good 2 miles from where the boat dropped us off – so
fortunately, the hotel sent a staff member with a cart to carry our
bags. Lucky for me, they had a sign with our names on it!! (I could
get used to this kind of service 🙂 )
-Neighboring island, Ko Phi Phi Leh is where the Leonardo DiCaprio
movie The Beach was filmed in 2000.

We went for a long hike to the tallest point of the island (which was directly above our hotel). The views were spectacular! Along the way there were very few houses, but when there were the property was full of chickens, goats, monkeys and other animals.

One of the popular activities was renting a long-tail boat with a guide to take you around the neighboring islands. We rented one for the afternoon and the agenda included a stop at an uninhabited, remote island with some of the most amazing beaches. We spent the better part of the afternoon enjoying lunch, a few beverages and the water. The next stop was snorkeling – the place where JR pulled off a front flip dive off the boat. It was the only day where the weather was slightly wet and the seas were rough, but we still had a great time!