my travel blog: Thailand Koh Phi Phi - Paradise lost (almost)

I feel like being on a kind of a revival tour of places I visited 10 and 15 years ago in Thailand. One of them is Koh Phi Phi - a small little island that became famous after the movie 'The Beach' casting Leonardo DiCaprio in 2000 was shot in Maya Bay.

The bottom line is that the island has changed. And not only because it was severely hit by the 2004 Tsunami but more by the influx of day trippers from Phuket. The island is still beautiful but once you make your way to Maya Bay you can literally not see the sand but only the legs of tourist. I am here in the low season but lucky the monsoon hasn't arrived yet. How does it look in high season? The little bamboo huts I used to stay in years ago have vanished and are replaced by large developments - guess the tsunami came convenient for the developers arguing their cases. A lot of the traditional longtail boats have been replaced by overpowered speed boats as day trippers are limited in time going around the island. The main beach is filled with party hungry 'flashpackers' - the backpackers who stroll in with their suitcases and ipads - who drink cheap Thai whiskey out of buckets while watching some fire shows and dancing to some loud beats and ecstasy (or whatever). The good message is that developments are naturally restricted - well they still might grow in height - due to the vertical cliff formations. The other good things are that there are still no motorbikes allowed on the island and that there is no influx of girly bars like in any other Thai tourist destination. Wait a second, wasn't there just the too familiar 'Welcoooooooooome Massaaaaaaaaage' screams in my ears offering me the happy ending?

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