Day 13 - Phi Phi Hike

I left my beach hut behind at 8 this morning, to make my way into town for my sleep-aboard boat trip to Maya Beach tonight. I arrived in Phi Phi town just as the shops were beginning to open for the day. Hoping to finally have internet that worked, I popped into a cafe for a smoothie to take advantage of their wifi. The internet was poor there too, so a couple texts were sent, but no blog, hotel searches, or Facebook catching up. :(
I dropped my pack off with the tour company and decided to do the viewpoint hike to the top of the mountain behind Phi Phi town. It was a little bit hard to find - I was weaving through streets of back road hostels, small storefronts catering to the neighborhood families, and locals doing their laundry into the gutters on the sides of the street. Fantastic culture as soon as you leave the center of town.
I spotted a sign for the viewpoint, and made my way up hundreds of steps, that twisted and turned as they climbed. (not really the "hike" I was expecting)

The view from the top was fantastic!

The isthmus you see is the town on Phi Phi Island, that I had just come from. The lighter colored water to the right is the bay - shallow with sandbars when the tide changes. The darker area to the left is where the ferries travel in and out, along with all the water taxis, tour and dive boats.

Coming down, I decided to be a little adventurous, and follow a trail that I spotted behind the viewpoint. I had a few hours to kill before needing to meet my boat crew, and I still wanted that hike that I felt like I didn't get, so I set off. About an hour in, I was a little worried that I wasn't heading in the right direction any longer. Oops.

Still smiling, but I think you can see a little fear in my eyes. Lol
Eventually, I did cross paths with two Israelis who confirmed that I was on a trail that would lead to the north end of town. Phew! I got my hike in after all!
Made it back to the tour company only to find that the trip for tonight had been cancelled due to weather and choppy seas. Funny, from my viewpoint hike, I hadn't seen anything bu blue skies, but I'll trust that they know best. I've rescheduled to go out on tomorrow's boat, weather permitting (they are still uncertain).
I was now stuck with no lodging, so I stopped in an Internet cafe to get online a book a hotel. I'm staying just outside the nightlife area in Phi Phi town, so I'll probably walk up and see what that's about this evening. :)