The next day we took a cruise to Phi Phi Ley, an island of steep cliffs protecting a large inner lagoon called Maya Bay. This island is a national forest and is uninhabited. We went by a cave with beautiful blue water lapping at its edges. Then we stopped at Loh Sama Bay, another lagoon surrounded by karst formations. We snorkeled there in the deep turquoise waters. Then we climbed up through crashing waves into a small cave that led to the interior of the island. We walked a few minutes to arrive at the beautiful Maya Bay where the film The Beach was shot.

We continued on around the island and then crossed back to Phi Phi Don. We stopped for more snorkeling at Shark Point. We didn’t see any sharks but we were surrounded by lovely fish and coral. We are fond of this place because it’s nearby the deserted beach we enjoyed finding yesterday.

Next, we cruised past the East side of Phi Phi Don with many beautiful beaches. We also passed Mosquito Island to arrive at Bamboo Island. We could see a storm cloud hanging over a distant island to the East with a haze of rain pouring down. But, the sky around us remained deep blue with only white clouds. The water at Bamboo Island was the most brilliant shade of aqua we could ever imagine. We went kayaking around the island, over the coral reef. We could see fish swimming below us, right through the water! We snorkeled up to the long stretch of beach and enjoyed the view out to sea.

Then we rode past Loh Lana Bay on the North side of Phi Phi Don to Monkey Beach. There, we snorkeled through thick schools of fish and explored the coral under the rocky cliffs. We kayaked to shore and saw a monkey climbing around in the jungle beside the white sand beach.

We watched the sunset from the boat between the islands of Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don. As the bright golden ball sank towards the sea, the dark metallic water reflected its light in ripples and waves. As we returned to the bay, the sun’s last rays shot up over the mountains, illuminating the clouds all around us with a pink glow.