Ko Phi Phi is the place for me

So....last week Mike and I were hanging out in Chiang Mai, waiting for my new debit card to be delivered (I lost my wallet down on Ko Chang). The card finally came Thursday in the early afternoon - I put it in my pocket, Mike and I grabbed our bags and we were heading south to the beaches...somehow. No flights at the airport, so we bought a cheap ticket to Phuket for the next morning leaving from Bangkok, went to the train station and got on an overnight train south. Remarkably, our train arrived on time and we got to the airport 20 minutes before our flight and made it no problem...we like to cut things close. From Phuket we got straight on a ferry for Ko Phi Phi, a much more laid back island than Phuket. Phi Phi is great. The island has no roads - if you want to leave the little town you either have to hike or take a boat taxi (we're cheap and have been hiking a lot.) I love the beach...it feels so good to be back. Our first full day here, Mike and I rented a kyak and paddled for several hours to Ko Phi Phi Leh, around the back side and in a little entrance to Maya Bay...the location where the movie The Beach was filmed. If Leo could do it on a little raft, we figured we could do it in a Kyak no problem. The beach was beautiful, but very crowded with people who cheated and hired speed boats to drive them the distance. On our paddle back we found some great spots for snorkeling and a neat cave that was just above sea level - we had to wait for a little inlet in front of the cave to fill with a rush of water and lift us high enough to grab the rocks and climb up into the cave. The paddle back was long, and the fact that a crack in the bottom allowed the hull to fill with water and weigh us down did not make it any easier. Anyhow...we made it back and went to a beach front restaraunt where we feasted on lobster and crab...I guess we're not that cheap. Today we hiked to the highest point of the island, enjoyed the view, then hiked down the other side to some more secluded beaches where we snorkelled, played frisbee and enjoyed life...needless to say, life is not to difficult to enjoy when you're in a tropical paradise with one of your best friends. Life is good...and it's only going to get better! Tomorrow I ferry back to Phuket, fly to Bangkok, fly to Cairo (at one in the morning) and then take a flight to Budapest where I meet my lover. Michelle finishes school right after I arrive, so she'll be waiting for me when I get off the bus that leaves the airport. We will be together in Budapest for several days and then fly to Greece for a week...life is good.