PP Tonsai Place, Phi Phi, Day 2

It's day 2 on Phi Phi and me and Amy are ready and raring to go nice and early as we plan to make our way to the several view points dotted around the hills. With a toastie in our bellies and a few bottles of water ready, we head off around half past eight, hoping to avoid the crowds and heat that is sure to ramp up as the day progresses.
Viewpoint 1 and 2 are only 100 metres apart, and that is a relief after the pretty horrible steps that lead to it. Despite the morning coolness still lingering in the air, we are covered in sweat and ready to take a seat as we get to the top. It is a boiling hot day, and climbing up roughly 100 steps is a pretty unforgiving task. As we reach the first viewpoint and find a spot of shade, it all feels worth it though. The views are beautiful. He sky is blue, the sea is turquoise, and the Sun is shining onto the hills beautifully. It is times like this when it hits you what a beautiful and amazing place this is. The small town wedged inbetween the two hills and the sea surrounding it is an amazing sight. We don't hang around long at viewpoint 1, as the view from the next stop is better. We find a rock that offers some breeze and take it all in. What a start to the day.
The next few stops are a harder walk. It is mercifully shaded as we trek along a small shaded path to a small restaurant that offers another great view from a different angle, before heading to a rock that we sit on for a while staring out at the ocean and the small bay underneath is. The walk is very tiring and rather scary. Small snakes and very brightly coloured spiders put us on edge slightly, and we are very pleased when we leave the thick trees behind and walk out onto a beach. Apart from slipping on a wet rock and ending up with a wet bum, we make it back safely. Our legs ache and we have lost most of the water in our body through sweat, but it is a great start to the day, and it's only just past 11.
After showering and giving our legs some rest, we all get some food, before sending Amy back to the room so me and Helen can do some birthday shopping for tomorrow. It starts to rain slightly which is lovely as we wander around the stalls and shops in search of gifts. A very keen bookshop owner tries to get me to buy a Tommy Cooper biography, which I have to politely decline as I am not sure Amy would appreciate it, but we get most of what we need bought and hidden away before Amy sees.
The rest of the afternoon is spent playing a very competitive game of monopoly, which Helen wins, before we decide to take off my hair. Long hair isn't good with the heat out here, and after my experience in Cambodia, I decide to opt for the razor again. Amy starts first, but my hair is so long it is sticking a lot. It is a painful hour and a half of shaving until my hair is almost gone. Next to go is the beard, and I suddenly look a lot like my Dad. It feels a lot cooler, even though it may not look it!
After the ordeal, we go out for some tea. There is no alcohol tonight as we save ourselves for the morning, but the food is great yet again. It is very hard to find a meal that isn't great our here (apart from mango sticky rice YUK! (And tarantula)). It has been a long but very good day, and we all feel tired pretty early so go to sleep, knowing tomorrow will be another jam packed day as we celebrate Amy turning 25!Read more