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עברית
March 4, 2007
That day I went on an organized tour on a speed boat across Koh Phi Phi. This is a group of islands which is composed of stunning beaches made of white thin sand and transparent turquoise water that were just made for snorkeling.
Snorkeling day tour to Koh Phi Phi
The tour includes lunch, a mask, a snorkel and five stops around Koh Phi Phi at places like Monkey Beach, Maya Bay where they filmed “The Beach”, stops in the middle of the ocean to see some corals, and a stop at the big island Koh Phi Phi Don which still had the tsunami marks from a couple of years ago.
To every place half an hour is dedicated for traveling, swimming or snorkeling by your choice. While snorkeling I checked my dive computer Suunto Mosquito in Free Dive mode. All in all it’s a fun tour. The meal was quite good and it was the first time I snorkeled. I highly recommend it. For unexperienced snorkelers a life belt is offered, something that Thai people who came with us always used. The price is 1200 baht includes a ride, a meal and equipment.
Tiger Cave in the evening
We came back to Krabi at 4:00 PM and I rented a Honda 125cc motorcycle for 150 baht. One of the recommended places in this region is Tiger Cave. The cave itself is small. There’s a temple near the cave and nearby is a mountain with no less than one thousand and two hundred stairs. In the evening, around 5:00 PM, wild monkeys who live nearby come out and play on the trees and stairs. The monkeys and the climbing on the mountain are the real experience of this place. The climbing is not suited for people with a weak heart. Some of the stairs are very steep so even people with good fitness might find themselves lacking a breath of air at some point while climbing the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, locals are feeding the monkeys with bananas. When you start climbing you notice monkeys playing on the branches. In order to get down quickly, some monkeys are sliding the steep rails which is an amusing sight.
Breathless I got to the top of the mountain after climbing the one thousand and two hundred stairs. When I was on my way up one of the locals tried to cheer me up while being on the way down, when he told me that I have just three hundred stairs left to climb. Not far from the top of the mountain I saw some squirrels playing on a tree, and on another one a huge nest of a big bird, probably an eagle.
On the top of the mountain there’s a big golden stupa and a large golden Buddha statue. The viewpoint from the top is very impressive as you can see the entire area.
The way back down I did quickly while climbing down the stairs in the darkness. It took me thirty minutes. An average person would go the same way for at least forty five minutes to one hour. The climb up can last twice as that. It depends on how fast you’re willing to go. Overall, the place is recommended and especially for those who are willing to climb that much.
This article was originally written in Hebrew. It was translated to English at a later time.
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