sOleiLian

Returning from Long Beach, we walked along the coast of Ko Phi Phi Don, took some pictures of silhouettes and evening skies,  relaxed at a seaside restaurant while settling for some snacks and meals, and waiting in anticipation for nightfall. Evenings could be tranquil and beautiful on this island. The soft rays touching your skin, the gentle waves hugging the shore, the soothing winds whispering in your ears. Every moment was just delightful.

Evening sun in Ko Phi Phi Don

Us!

Flags lining up on the beach

Schweppes! The yummiest drink ever! Why doesn’t Malaysia stock this?

Barbecue in action

Seafood for the marine lovers

Kebabs

Vegetarian pizza at the much-loved, super awesome Cosmic, my most favourite restaurant here! It was packed to the brim every night (even during the day!), probably the island’s most famous place to dine.

One of the many dining and shopping lanes in Ko Phi Phi Don

Fire performers putting on some amazing shows

A nice pun to the popular nursery rhyme. LOL!

Compilation of KRABI & KO PHI PHI TRIP 2010

• PART I     : Crossing borders: En route to paradise
• PART II   : Sunshine Krabi
• PART III  : East Railay: Backpackers’ haven
• PART IV   : Sunset . West Railay
• PART V    : The night’s still young . East Railay
• PART VI   : Morning, Phra Nang!
• PART VII : Going Phi Phi
• PART VIII: Ko Phi Phi Don

¤ ¤ ¤

Now 3 blog entries in a week! I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. :P

All right, I gotta get back to burying my head in my über thick notes now. Am having my finals in just a few days! *run*

c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere . yummylicious
f l u f f e r p u f f | beaches . food . southern thailand . thailand . travels

15 sOleiLians

Ko Phi Phi (เกาะพีพีเล . Phi Phi Islands), a small archipelago in the Andaman sandwiched between the notorious party island of Phuket and mainland Thailand, is comprised of two main islands and a number of smaller islets. Just a short 2-hour ferry ride from Krabi’s beautiful coastline is Ko Phi Phi Don, the largest island of the group and the only one with permanent residents and accommodations.

This island is either a you-like-it or you-hate-it place. It was crowded, touristy, dotted with a seemingly endless array of shops and restaurants, but surprisingly, I pretty much enjoyed my whole experience there. Yet it should be noted that the thrill only arrived much later as my first impression of Ko Phi Phi Don was quite negative. I was instantly put off by the sight of so many wires dangling above our heads from pole to pole and the seas of tourists that descended by the hundreds on the island each day. I started to wonder whether spending 2 nights there was a wise decision and how I wished I could escape back to the alluring shores of Railay a.s.a.p.

Apparently, I was too quick to make a judgement. Ko Phi Phi Don turned out to be a pretty exciting place with delicious food (albeit with tourist prices), shimmering azure waters, forested paths on the island’s edge, relaxing night life, and more than I could ask for. It seemed to me like some sort of tourist hell at first, but as a holidaymaker, I thanked myself for growing out of my initial cynicism soon enough to come and appreciate this lil’ piece of heaven like the many thousands who did.

Ko Phi Phi Don was completely devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when almost all of its infrastructure was destroyed and thousands succumbed to the merciless waves. Since then, the island has been recovering rather quickly from the disaster and by the time we were there, it was almost restored to its previous state.

A mecca for tourists and backpackers

Wires! Quite an eyesore for this rather picturesque island.

Yummy, refreshing coconut shakes!

Inns, shops, restaurants

A signboard in Hebrew! This must be a popular holiday destination for Israelis.

Long-tails mooring on the beach

More long-tails with a great weather to match

Just blue, green, and everything in between

Ko Phi Phi Don’s native population remains more than 80% Muslim, but the influx of mainly Buddhist workers and labourers from the mainland to the island may have reduced the Muslim population to a minority today

Sunbathing on the green lawns

Tree-filled path to the rather isolated yet popular Long Beach, some 30 minutes of walking from the tourist hub of the island

One of the beaches we happened to pass by

Rocks and a long-tail in the distance

A small altar with a canned drink as offering, I supposed?

Hammocks! I want one badly now…

Interesting wood sculptures

Somehow they reminded me of the totem poles of the Native Americans

We reached Long Beach at last! The sand was kinda rough but the water was fantastic.

This was pretty shocking! Haha…

Compilation of KRABI & KO PHI PHI TRIP 2010

• PART I   : Crossing borders: En route to paradise
• PART II : Sunshine Krabi
• PART III: East Railay: Backpackers’ haven
• PART IV : Sunset . West Railay
• PART V  : The night’s still young . East Railay
• PART VI : Morning, Phra Nang!
• PART VII: Going Phi Phi

c a t e g o r y | passport to nowhere . yummylicious
f l u f f e r p u f f | beaches . food . mosques & minarets . religions & spirituality . southern thailand . thailand . travels

14 sOleiLians

I was in Malacca for 3 days with my coursemates to celebrate the end of our final project for this semester. I never felt so good since coming back from Jakarta. March has always been a torturous month for us architecture students and I’m so damn glad that the gates of hell has finally closed. A million cheers to that! :D

I wasn’t able to make trips to the Historic State since my maiden visit there two and a half years ago. But this time around, a Malaccan coursemate gladly hosted our stay and volunteered to be our tour guide. And when you’re in Malacca, you ought to do the usual touristy things. We covered the must-see sights mainly on foot: Christ Church, Stadthuys, St. Paul’s Hill, A Famosa, Jonker Street, Malacca River, etc. We even managed to take a short ride to the famed Portuguese Settlement not far from the historic city centre right before we returned to Penang. At here, we had a good look at the vibrant community life of the Portuguese Eurasians (Kristang/Serani), who are mainly descended from the intermarriages of their European forefathers and the native population during the Portuguese colonial era in the 16th and 17th century.

In short, this trip involved lots of eating, walking, and sightseeing, as well as the discovery of many quaint cafés and art galleries that were tucked away in the centuries-old districts of Malacca City. Being an all-time passionate aficionado of culture, history, and architecture, the richly embroidered living tapestry of this UNESCO World Heritage Site has truly won my heart.

c a t e g o r y | life as a student . passport to nowhere
f l u f f e r p u f f | malacca . malaysia . travels . university life

18 sOleiLians