Continuing The Pattaya Otter’s holiday on Phuket Island. Although the purpose of this trip was to have a relaxing time, as The Pattaya Otter already lives in a beach resort there didn’t seem much point in coming all this way just to sit in a deckchair and look at the sea. So we decided it would be better to actually go on the sea and as the water between Phuket Island and the mainland to the East is dotted with many islands of varying shapes and sizes, for our first outing we chose a speedboat trip to those more or less in the middle called Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don, or collectively the Phi Phi (actually humorously pronounced Pee Pee) islands. An 8 am pickup from our hotel took us to the boat marina just outside Phuket town where we boarded our craft a twin engined speedboat with an open deck to the front and a canopy covered rear deck which we chose to sit in. Fortunately the day was fine and sunny with little wind and the seas were almost calm enabling us to make good speed, albeit with a slight massaging effect to those of us sitting down. The trip was not just a ‘there and back again’ but included stopping off at a number of islands on the way, either just for sight seeing or for swimming and snorkelling. Many of the smaller islands are made almost entirely of limestone which over time the weather and the waves have fashioned into curious and sometimes animal like shapes. One which we docked at called Maya Bay was almost enclosed by rocky islets.  The beach made of pure white sand was most enticing and not too hot on the feet and led back to some more strange rock formations, one of which formed a recognisable shape enhanced by the fact that it actually dripped water on anyone standing below it (as this young lady found out much to her companion’s amusement).. After this we moved on to what we were told was called ‘The Viking Cave’ and which apparently had a large bat population, but the tide condition did not permit us to dock there. Eventually we arrived at Phi Phi Don island and found a restaurant there already prepared to serve us lunch (inclusive). An enjoyable self service buffet, laid out on a decorated traditional Thai longboat  proved more than adequate for our needs, and after a break there of approximately one hour we re-boarded our craft to continue our tour of neighbouring islands. During which we stopped over a coral reef for another snorkelling session during which many different species of fish were spotted. Unfortunately not having an underwater camera, all we can show here is the view of some of them taken from the boat. A further stop-off at another small island en-route back to the marina and then the final run-in back to the dock completed a most enjoyable day’s outing. And on arrival back in our hotel room, The Pattaya Otter found a cake complete with candles awaiting him – many thanks to the hotel staff and the person who tipped them off. So in search of some kind of celebratory evening, we caught a taxi to the main resort beach of Patong, in the next bay just over a hill. When last on Phuket nearly 20 years ago, Patong was already starting to develop into a major tourist centre but this was nothing to what greeted us on our arrival there this time. Streets full of traffic, narrow pavements full of people and street vendors and wall to wall bars and entertainment centres. In fact some of the worst excesses of Pattaya but with none of its benefits, e.g. a ‘Walking Street’. We did eventually find what looked like a better than average restaurant at the top end of the town, away from the worst of the hustle and bustle. And there we did indeed have what was probably our best meal of the holiday, an excellent series of fish courses complete with a most enjoyable house wine. Afterwards our attempts to find a bar that seemed worth sitting in for more than one drink proved fruitless and so we abandoned Patong and caught a Phuket style tuk-tuk (actually more a small minibus than a three wheel taxi) back to the calm of Karon and our hotel. A slice of cake before bedtime and a good night’s rest refreshed us in preparation for the following day’s outing. Which will be reported in the next article. To view any of the above photos in full size, just click on it.   Back to Top of Page