Koh Phi Phi

Yes, it's pronounced "pee pee." Phi Phi is a collection of twelve islands. The biggest, Phi Phi Don, is the only one that's inhabited. While you were all watching the election results on TV, we were on the ferry to Phi Phi Don, biting our nails and worrying that McCain would pick up every swing state. When we found a guest house on the island, the first thing we did was turn on the TV and see that Obama was giving a victory speech. Much excitement ensued.

Phi Phi is an expensive and heavily touristed island. We were unhappy with the beach we first settled at, so we moved a couple beaches down the island and found a good deal on this very slanty bungalow:

Even better, the hotel's restaurant served this super fun fried rice in pineapple dish:

The main attraction in Phi Phi is to take a boat trip to the other islands in the archipelago. We took our second private longtail trip for an all-day excursion of sightseeing and snorkelling. The first (and most popular) stop was Maya Bay, the setting for that infamous beach in the aptly named film The Beach. Our guide book says that Maya Bay is so beautiful that it will make you weep, and that you'll weep again when you realize how many tourists you have to share the beach with. True on both counts. It was stunning, and would be far more so if it weren't the Disneyland of southern Thailand.

We did find that piece of tranquility on this deserted beach on Bamboo Island, where we enjoyed lunch and a walk all the way around the island:

At Monkey Island, we kept our distance while we watched others get a little too close to the monkeys. Word of advice: if your sandal falls off on Monkey Island, do not try to retrieve it. Finders Keepers is definitely the rule here. This scene between kayakers and monkeys was pretty hilarious:

As soon as the kayak pulled up, the monkeys claimed it as their own and the tourists hopped out in a hurry. Notice how they are prepared to use their oars as weapons to reclaim their kayak.