A highlight as far as snorkelling goes was at Shark Point when we jumped in the water and the 
guide/people on the boat started throwing bread into the water. Hundreds and Hundreds of fish began charging towards you nipping as they went and trying to catch a crumb. Some of them got a little too friendly, but I forgave them since they didn't know any better (even though they can chomp pretty hard). We spent a while at Bamboo Island [above] which is covered in tall evergreen trees and surrounded by incredible blue water. We snorkelled into shore and s
aw some wonderful
guide/people on the boat started throwing bread into the water. Hundreds and Hundreds of fish began charging towards you nipping as they went and trying to catch a crumb. Some of them got a little too friendly, but I forgave them since they didn't know any better (even though they can chomp pretty hard). We spent a while at Bamboo Island [above] which is covered in tall evergreen trees and surrounded by incredible blue water. We snorkelled into shore and s
aw some wonderful sites (blue coral, rainbow parrotfish, angelfish, etc.) and only got stung a few times by the little plankton in the water. You'll be flippering along and all of a sudden it feels like something just pinched you and they are these little microscopic plankton that don't like you swimming in their personal bubble. Ouch! On the island a few of us built a sand castle empire complete with moat before heading back for lunch (which we ate on the boat with Mosquito Island [below] as our backdrop)
Monkey Beach [above] was another beautiful setting: more green green vegetation on steep slopes jutting out of the water. The snorkelling here was really awesome despite the painful walk to shore as we tried dodging the coral (a few of us falling victim to its razor sharp edges). More time was spent lounging on the white sand whilst wild monkeys ran amuck. Next stop was Ko Phi Phi Ley, the famed island of The Beach starring Leo DiCaprio. Now I thought Phi Phi Don (where we stayed) was amazing, but when Phi Phi Ley comes into view it's breathtaking. It looks like a fairytale island that just magically floats upon the water with sheer limestone cliffs and hidden bays. We made our way around the island passing by Viking Cave where they 
harvest Swallow spit nests for a special soup (Planet Earth anyone?!) and finally to the destination we'd all been waiting for: Maya Bay. This is the bay the movie was filmed in and it's safe to say that movies/photos do not do this place justice. You come around the sides of the cliffs and enter an immense bay of deep green-blue water that leads to a stark white sand beach against a jungled backdrop--we spent a good amount of time here swimming with the fishes and the coral and got back on the boat in time to see the sunset beyond one horizon and the moon rise on the other. New Year's Eve night found us at the Irish Pub for a 3-for-1 buckets (think fishbowls, Thai style) and a free dinner buffet. Then we rushed to the 
beach to receive a free bucket at Apache and a free bucket at Ibiza and we were set for the night. It was filled with more fire, dancing, glow paint and spectacular fireworks displays over the water. Wow, who would have thunk that the end of 2009 would have been spent in such a way. (Probably the funniest event of the night was that when Jenny got back to her hostel room she leaned on the sink in the bathroom and it fell off the wall leading to a great flood and the maintenance man having to come shut off the water--but don't worry they superglued it back on the wall the next day!)
beach to receive a free bucket at Apache and a free bucket at Ibiza and we were set for the night. It was filled with more fire, dancing, glow paint and spectacular fireworks displays over the water. Wow, who would have thunk that the end of 2009 would have been spent in such a way. (Probably the funniest event of the night was that when Jenny got back to her hostel room she leaned on the sink in the bathroom and it fell off the wall leading to a great flood and the maintenance man having to come shut off the water--but don't worry they superglued it back on the wall the next day!)
New Year's Day we rented a long boat and headed back to Maya Bay for some R & R and had an amazing Italian dinner after watching the sunset from the viewpoint past our hostel (which was a strenuous uphill hike--well worth it though). We sat on the beach again and night and headed back early since we had a long day of travel ahead of us...
After the ferry ride on Jan 2 we followed a cab driver to his taxi to take us to our overnight bus. Josie and I put our stuff in the trunk and go to get in, but the driver looks at us embarassed as he has carefully locked his keys in the car! No joke, we had a bus to catch in 40 minutes and our bags were in the trunk of a Toyota Corolla. He called his 'baby' to come bring us his spare set of keys, but when his son showed up he didn't have the keys--he was going to let his dad drive his car w/ us in it to the bus station. The driver had failed to tell his 'baby' that our bags were locked in as well. So, the son had to drive back home and get the keys...meanwhile we have like 15 minutes until the bus leaves. Thankfully Emily got to the bus station before us and we were able to have the driver talk to the bus company to stall the bus because we made it with literally seconds to spare after Nascarring it through Phuket Town.
Oh and to make things better I was on the bus (2 seat, aisle 2 seat) alone in my 2 seat spot until suddenly appears a Thai woman and her baby who so nicely squeezed in next to me. To make it even better, besides taking up some of my seat she also thought it would be a great idea to rub baby powder everywhere and breast feed like we were in her own home. I had to laugh, because of course that would happen to me. And honestly I couldn't stay too upset when the baby was so cute and found me very interesting by 'talking' to me and grabbing my hands. Sigh, Thailand. Happy New Year 2010!
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