7.30am
A leaf falls from the Holy Almond tree and a sea breeze gathers pace. It carries the muffled sound of thunder from somewhere but there are no clouds visible in front of me. I watch another large brown leaf fall from the giant overhanging branch of this tree. It flutters down and tumbles, curling through gravity’s reeling pull. It seems to take an age to fall. But here, time lives within Time and plans made unfold of their own accord. The ocean has been flat all week – all the way from sand to the edge of the world, flat glass water for the past few days. Brightly coloured longtail boats float on this endless expanse – their painted hulls shine as they emerge up into the morning sunshine, lifted by small, shoreline waves. At the far end of the beach, two people swim in these waters of the Andaman Sea. They have the whole ocean to themselves. Then, a bird the size of my thumb suddenly lands on my table. There is an empty cup of coffee between us. I move only my eyes to look at it. Motionless. It chirps, twitches and fires off into the day.
9.01am
The sea breeze keeps on moving, a warm steady stream of air. I am sat on the roof of a ferry ready to depart Krabi for PhiPhi Island. Engines are revving, the vessel is beginning to move. It should be around a 2hour trip leaving these mangroves and waterways, moving past the beaches of Rai Lay and Ban Ao Nang and out into the Andaman Sea. My taxi came at 8am. I had enough time after breakfast to go to the small fruit stall opposite my hotel to buy a bag of mangosteens. Saw my friend Khwan who was waiting for her taxi at the gates – she’s also going to PhiPhi Island (albeit on another trip). Maybe we’ll see each other on the island. Gave her some mangosteen for her journey. My taxi drove quickly to Krabi and to the ferry terminal. Bought my ferry tickets there 400THB (3.30pm return) then through some doors, along a walkway all the way towards the ferry. It is three tiered: hull, deck and rooftop. On the rooftop it is clean, painted white and people and milling about up here. Tourists, day trippers, backpackers, we are all sitting sprawled out together, staring at the world through cameras and phones and our imagination. To my right, the familiar landmarks and coastline veers away; to my left the open sea – before us the wide, flat water of a new adventure approaches, dancing with the diamonds and sunbeams reflected on this magical ocean.
9.45am
A voyage across a body of water is one of the great underestimated opiates of our time. There is something so calming, hypnotic and intense about the whole experience. The mind slows down and becomes still. You enter a world within our world; perceive a new universe where horizons appear to stretch and fan out in all directions. Time dislocates itself from uniform patterns and instead is found hidden in deep pockets of now. You find yourself existing somewhere within the opening lines of William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence” – somehow existing as an infinity held in the palm of your hand while being the Eternity present within an hour
A small trawler chugs past, belching thin clouds of black smoke into the blue. In the distance, on these serene, slow moving horizons, conical islands and giant towers of limestone rock glide past like silent icebergs. Giant white puffed clouds appear. The water is so flat. The whole ocean is still – from one horizon to the other (and all horizons now are shining, flat slabs of water soaking in sunlight). Occasional longtail boats appear far away. A shark’s white flashes in the blue, just for a moment – the briefest of glimpses – the triangular fin and tail had slashed and broken through the polished surface to disappear into the deep.
10.45am
This will be my first visit to Koh PhiPhi Don for 15years. Like many I was inspired to travel here because of the 2000 movie The Beach. Based on Alex Garland’s novel (1996), a Hollywood storyline created a fantasy which never existed in reality. The story suggested finding a hidden paradise in the Gulf of Thailand:
Think about a lagoon, hidden from the sea and passing boats by a high, curving wall of rock. Then imagine white sands and coral gardens never damaged by dynamite fishing or trawling nets. Freshwater falls scatter the island, surrounded by jungle – not the forests of Thailand, but jungle. Canopies three levels deep, plants untouched for a thousand years, strangely coloured birds and monkeys in the trees. (Alex Garland)
The movie was filmed on location in Koh PhiPhi Le. Like the literal translation of utopia (Greek: no place), these lost Edens never exist – yet PhiPhi island does. I first came here in 2004, five months before the Tsunami. I did a boat tour – similar to the one Khwan is doing today – had an afternoon on the island. I made some friends on that trip and we spent the day together, sharing, swimming and exploring. One memory I have from the afternoon is that we found a shop that made its own t-shirts. There were so many hand made ones. Completely unique. There was one shirt I loved, but it was sold in only one size – and that was way too small for me – but the owner allowed me to photograph so I could keep it forever.
Approaching Koh PhiPhi Don now. The two islands – PhiPhi Don and PhiPhi Le – rise up and tower above. Beautiful, amazing shaped islands. We are approaching along the eastern side; I can see the sand on beaches there, I can see buildings, a golden Buddha is visible within the green. Trees are now visible as individual trees. We are getting closer. Giant clouds climb high nearby. Boats are whizzing past, leaving long trails of white foam behind in the dark blue. And here we go. The ferry swings around into the busy approach to Ton Sai Pier. And the island opens up. The island opens its arms wide, the bay draws you in, you are flanked by imposing mountain formations the closer you move in. The approach is magic, utter magic. People on the ferry are moving about now: taking photographs, gathering bags. The ferry boat sounds a horn. The bay is full of boats. The engines slow and stop. Arrived.
12.04pm
Got through the confusion of unpacking ferries, daytrips and tours alighting all at once. Paid my 20THB entry fee for the upkeep of the island and then weaved my way down the pier, through more noise, tour guides, and rows of suitcases soon to be claimed then wheeled to hotels and hostels. Made my way towards the large Burger King landmark, then walked along one of the laneways into the dense rabbit warren of streets that I first visited in 2004. There was still a happy, relaxed feel to the streets that I remembered. I followed my map of instructions to find my friend, Far, in her shop. Once we met we made our way up towards the high points of the island to visit one of its viewpoints. The climb took about half an hour, up an incline of steps and flat pathways leading out of the heat and humidity towards a summit covered in butterflies and a steady breeze. There is a café here. We are drinking mango juice, sat in the shade and looking out at the two bays of PhiPhi Don. I can see where I swam here on my first visit (Loh Dalum Bay). The waters have so many colours of blue. There seems no point in attempting to describe what I can see. Words will never do this view justice. Lots of people are having their photos taken here. Groups of friends, exhausted from the climb, fall into collective silence absorbing the vista in front of them. It is beyond words.
1.09pm
Lunch at Long Beach. Waiting for our orders to arrive. We descended down the hillside back into the humidity and narrow alleyways. The heat of the day has arrived. We walked through the maze of side streets, hawkers and backpackers. I followed Far’s lead along a thin meandering strip of paving stones which moved around the edge of the island towards Long Beach. There were lots of little coves – some deserted. One had a hammock there with the wreck of a rowing boat now sunk into the sand. Another had an abandoned reggae bar with its menu still visible; a large wooden sign was nailed to a coconut tree with the word ‘Love’ on it. Throughout our walk, the water shone with incredible clarity – utterly alive with sunlight. Water so radiant with brilliance it practically begged you to swim in it. Bare feet across sand, warm, soft sand. Walk in, dive in and open your eyes as you float through an entire lexicon of clear blue descriptions feeling a sea bed slope off sharp beneath you. In front of us now is the giant outline of Koh PhiPhi Le. Waiting for our orders to arrive. Hopefully soon. There has be time for another swim before the walk back to Ton Sai Bay.
3.41pm
My ferry is pulling out of Ton Sai Pier. Said my goodbyes. Found my ferry. A different model to the one which brought me here. There is a kind of lipped edge promenade deck around the edge of the boat on the middle deck. I can sit here, my legs hang safely over the edge. The water far below. The ferry is pulling out of Koh PhiPhi Don. There is always a certain sadness felt when you leave a particular place. Time to think and reflect. Palm trees recede into being green patches once again. The engines of the ferry fire up. Slowly, these anchored monoliths of the Andaman begin to move away. I sit and feel grateful. I feel happy, content. I hope Far has lots of customers in her shop. I wonder how Khwan enjoyed her day touring these islands by speedboat. I think back to my first visit. At the end of that visit I also sat outside to watch the ocean slip past for the duration of the journey. The boat that day was similar to this; possibly smaller. I struck up a conversation with a backpacker called Will who was sitting next to me. He was at the end of his holiday. He had been on PhiPhi Don for two weeks, said he had been hungover and drunk for almost all of it and as we departed rued the fact he hadn’t seen anything of the island. The hum of the ferry’s engines now fire up and drown out all thoughts. Time to sit and be close to the ocean. The open water stretches far and wide. We leave PhiPhi.
5.23pm
Ferry pulling in to Krabi now. The engines have been cut and we are gliding through the mangroves towards the pier. The time went quick. I am still sitting outside. The colours in the sky have changed as sunset approaches. Clouds have appeared in the west. Mysterious islands appeared, loomed and were passed. Watched the greens and blues of the Andaman Sea merge together and dance in the sunlight. Felt so happy. Felt so free. Time just dissolved. The ocean is another world – a world without landmarks but always navigable. The pier approaches. The ferry bumps and is anchored. Time to find a taxi. Back at the hotel in about an hour.
*
siesta del somewhere 