The
RPTE is in full effect!
The first 48 hours of travel in big groups is always the scariest -- especially when people don't really know each other. That's when you're cranky because you just traveled a ton
(over 24 hours for all of us), you haven't slept in a good while, airplane food was gross, etc... This group? No problem. Nothing.
I've been so amazed this last couple days. Mixing 14 people who don't know each other -- especially after throwing in over 24 hours of travel to Thailand -- was something I was interested in seeing. I hoped for the best -- I mean, we all had gotten to chatting on our facebook group page -- but I just wasn't sure how it would
actually turn out until it happened. I'm just so grateful for how this group has been. It's sort of like we're all on the same page -- wanting a rad adventure.
After a flight to Los Angeles, most of us boarded the same 14 hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan. We had a couple hours layover. NO ONE was even remotely cranky about getting on their third of four plane rides. This is just a taste of what happened. Apparently Dane and Josh have really bonded :)
After arriving in Phuket, we headed straight to Surin beach. Not one person wanted to stay back and sleep -- and I was almost certain that at least a few people would want to given the fact that most hadn't slept in a couple days.
Yesterday
(Wednesday) morning, I had all of us get up at 4am. Again, completely surprised that everyone was actually excited about this! We chartered our own boat and wanted to get to the overcrowded/tourist blasted islands of Phi Phi -- where
the Beach was filmed. I've been to Phi Phi before, but on a big tourist boat with 30+ strangers. The fourteen of us were several hours ahead of the big boat tours -- we had the islands to ourselves for much of the day. It was just incredible.
On the front of our new friend Alexander's boat -- approaching Phi Phi at sunrise. This was really something special. Alexander runs one of the
best boat charters in Thailand (I'll be doing a review of his company later) and is the owner Crystal Clear Thailand. He's a great photographer himself so he arranged our entire day around beautiful light for photographs. We were all so lucky to find him!
Josh grabbing shots of sunrise :)
How incredible would it be to live in a jungle/beach house like this?!
The scenery around Phi Phi is seriously jarring. The whole time you just keep saying "
are you serious?!"
Can't beat longtail fishboats for photos :)
(Screen grab from a 5D Mark II video clip) Some of the group taking in Phi Phi. I can't express how happy I was at this point. I was so thrilled seeing everyone's reaction and excitement as the day progressed. I mean, it's easy to impress with stuff like this. One of the reasons I love SE Asia.
(Screen grab from a 5D Mark II video clip) We were the only people snorkeling in Maya Bay
(where the Beach was filmed). To give you an idea, last year when I was with a bg boat tour, there were probably 30+ boats and we had to wait for a "parking spot" to pull into. This time? No one. It was like two completely different beaches. Here's Dane jumping in. And believe me, it's even more fun than it looks :)
And when we were snorkeling, we hung out with a lionfish! Apparently, they are pretty dang poisonous -- but extremely docile
(they only get you if you run into them -- which they avoid pretty good on their own). It was so cool!
Hannah, Dane, Lindsay, and me. I told everyone "
let's jump this time, okay?!" all giddy like. Lindsay heard me -- but jumped too late and looks incredibly... interesting :P I obviously got the jumping memo -- but there aren't many words to describe what I'm doing. Dane just looks a bit odd. And Hannah? Completely normal. This is an awesomely weird picture :)
After we got home, Alexander met up with us at our hotel just to hangout! I'm telling you, this guy is AWESOME. He took us to a restaurant on the edge of a cliff with an incredible view of sunset.
Two days in and this trip has been amazing. Can't wait for everything else.
Bobby
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