After leaving Phuket, we jumped on a boat for Koh Phi Phi. There, we had a very eventful 6 days of soaking up the sun, pounding down our share of buckets and participating in what turned out to be a less than relaxing snorkeling trip... (for Allison at least). We met lots of very cool world travellers there and even one that is Mark's neighbour at home. We also learned a lot more about the destruction caused by the Tsunami and the contributions so many travellers have made.
When we felt ready to move on, we took another boat to Rai Lay beach. Our last two days down south were filled with more swimming, eating, relaxing, and massages (for an almost broken Allison.)
The story behind our beautiful snokeling trip is that we paired up with a couple from Holland who had done this trip before. First stop - clliff jumping. For those who know, this is not uncommon in Canada, our lakes are filled with such rock jumping opportuninties and I considered myself an experienced vet. Unfortunately after a first successful jump by Mark and myself, I landed funny on the second jump (from a 15m height that didn't make the water as soft as I would've liked) and so bruised my tail bone and seized up every muscle in my back, which are still recovering today, almost a week later... eeccchh. I could still walk and float and there was no better place to be than Southern Thailand, with all its views and cheap massages. Aside from that the snorkel trip was excellent, seeing hidden lagoons, the famous Maya beach from the movie 'The Beach' and lots and lots of turquoise water,
We are now back at Lisa's in Bangkok and are heading to Koh San Road today for our last night in Asia. Mark heads out tomorrow morning at 8:30am and I follow at 6:30. He'll be in Vancouver the following day and I'll be with Susan in Sydney. We're both looking forward to seeing friends and exploring different continents so the split isn't as hard as it might be otherwise. We had an amazing few months and wouldn't change a single thing. We hope to do a repeat performance sometime in the not-so-distant future to explore another far off land. Stay tuned and thanks for all the support and encouragement along the way!
<-- This a look at Patong Beach. Patong is the major beach in Phuket and would probably have been the one that you saw in pictures/videos of the Tsunami hitting Thailand.
^-- Approaching Koh Phi Phi. Phi Phi Don (left, where you stay) and Phi Phi Lei (right, where "the Beach" was filmed).
Al standing out in the water at Koh Phi Phi. One day you could honestly walk about 1 km out and the water would be below your knees. The next, you would go 25 meters and it was up to your shoulders. From our now vast experience, this translates to "strange tidal behavior".
<-- The famous "Thai Bucket". Buy one get one free. One costs $7.00, two is more than you need!!
Who needs costumes and masks on Halloween when you have faces like these?? (Buckets at work!)-->
<-- On our boat trip to Phi Phi Lei (the island that "The Beach" was filmed on) we went into this totally enclosed lagoon that was the epitome of beautiful. This is the entrance.
<-- In the lagoon.
This is the beach that the movie "The Beach" was filmed on. It looks quite different in real life but is still very beautiful. -->
<-- Lovin life in a hammock on the beach. The best place to recover from back injuries!
^-- A view of Phi Phi Don from the viewpoint. It was hit from both sides by the tsunami and so, a lot of damage was caused. They're still rebuilding. Still, a beautiful island.
This is the area that used to be covered in cheap bungalows for backpackers. The tsunami wiped them all out and right now, there is only the one building that stands which only opened while we were there, almost a year later.-->
A view from the boat of Railay Beach. We swam on those beaches bewtween massive and gorgeous rock formations. 
<-- Part of Al's recovery.
--> Railay beach with the tide in.
<-- Railay Beach with the tide out! Not quite as picturesque eh?
<-- A walk to the beach through crazy monkey ridden caves and hanging rocks.
The beautiful view of the beach at Railay. Lots of people came here to do rock climbing and you can see why.
^--Where we spent our days swimming at Rai Lei beach.
