June 4, 2002. This is the best tour I went on in Thailand. We hired a long tail boat (seats 6 + guide) to take us on the tour of Phi Phi Ley, but the waves were too rough to get into Maya Bay, where they filmed the Beach and some James Bond flick.
I didn't really mind that we didn't get to see Maya Bay, this place was just as nice. It's almost totally enclosed by cliffs and the water is so clear and blue that you can see the sea floor.
Here's Abok having a Kodak moment...which would have been much better had I been using Kodak film. As you can see, the picture didn't turn out too well and my Photoshop skills weren't enough to rescue it.
This was supposed to be a snorkelling trip, but I can't swim with flippers and my breathing tube was leaky, so I just swam around.
We stopped on this beach to give our guide a break and to grab lunch.
Messing around. I can't believe how dark I have gotten.
Enjoying a quiet meal under a tree. We met a great couple from South Africa on this tour. Anton and Elana. They currently reside in London, where they tell me a large South African community exists. Seems the economy is better in England, so they all gravitate there to find jobs.
After we took this shot, the guide asked if Tuan wanted to steer the boat for a bit while he smoked. You gotta love the laid back attitude they have here. Never once has a TTC driver asked me to take the wheel while he stopped into Tim's for a donut.
Me, sampling some of the local banana leaf. The driver gave it to us in exchange for one of Elana's menthol cigarettes.
Abok puffing the last of it. That's Elana and Anton in the background.