Phi Phi Viewpoint

We had a lazy day in after the cooking classes and Eugene had to eat everything I made, so he was pretty full.

We then decided to go and walk it off and opted for Viewpoint. Maybe not the best idea on a full stomach and without taking water with us. We almost gave up halfway up the endless steps and small concrete walkways through jungle. When we finally got to the top we just about downed a litre of water each and fell down on the rocks to await the sunset.

About ten minutes later we felt a lot better and there was a nice cool breeze that helped to make the trip up there worth while. We started taking pictures and didn't stop until the sun had set. Really the best view of all of Phi Phi.

After the sun had set the long way down awaited us. Thank goodness we didn't wait until it was pitch dark because the walkway isn't lit up at all and it was quite a story finding your footing on very narrow and very steep steps all the way to the bottom.

Our legs felt the pain the next day, we had to roll out of bed...

Black & White Pics

Carlien's Birthday

My day started out with a trip down to fish street to report to Pum's Kitchen. A cooking school and restaurant here on Phi Phi where renowned chef Pum shows you some of her secrets of traditional Thai cooking.

First you take a seat and they give you a tray full of different sauces , powders etc. and you have to taste all of them and guess what they are. Then the chef sits with you and explain in detail what every thing is and what it is used for.

Next follows the herb tray (You will love this one Mom) where again you taste and smell some of the things, learn how to cut them properly to make sure that you get the maximum flavour from everything and we even learned how to cut chillies in different ways which make them hot or mild even though it's the same chillies.

Then you start with your first dish. You get an orientation of the kitchen and your ingredients are ready prepared, cut etc. for you just waiting to be added together.

My first dish was Chicken and Coconut cream soup. Know in Thailand as Coconut Galanga Lemon Soup. I couldn't believe how easy it actually is to prepare. I also learned how t eat it properly the Thai style.

My second dish was Chicken Penang curry, I had to make my own curry paste and everything. I can now make it from scratch. This was also my favourite dish, nice and creamy with loads of peanuts.

After a short break we made our third dish of the day, Sweet and Sour Beef. I am not crazy about the Thai way of making sweet and sour dishes here as their sweet and sour sauces are much more sweet that sour here and very different from sweet and sour back in S.A.

However, this one was good as we had equal amounts of the "secret" ingredients and it didn't knock your breathe away when you tasted it.

We again had a short break and then it was market time. Down at the market the chef pointed everything out that we just used in our dishes. Showed us how to select herbs and spices and what is good for you and what not. I learned more about Thai food in one day than what it probably would have taken to read up about in months and I still wouldn't have been able to go to the market and know exactly what to buy. Now I can shop and cook with ease.

Back at the kitchen after we bought some dessert ingredients, it was time to cook my last dish. Mango and coconut sticky rise. What a brilliant dessert. I never thought I would eat rice as a dessert, but it was really good.

I can't wait to move somewhere where I will have a kitchen again. There are loads of new things I can do now.

Phi Phi Town

Some pictures of the town itself.

Our favourite book / coffee shop called D's Books. Here we spend hours on the Internet because if you spend 60 Thai Baht or more which is 12rand, you can use the Internet for as long as you like free of charge. And they make killer iced mocha coffee's.

The 7/11, is the local store like Pick and Pay is in S.A but about 1/30'th of the size. Here we buy things like cheese (when they have), bread, milk etc.

If you need any fresh produce you go to the market, quite nice and I must say much better than the fruit and veg you find back home. No horrible markings on it etc.

Our lovely local post office, need I say more. See mom now you understand why I can't send anything from here.

Fish street and the lower part of main street Phi Phi. Looks slightly more civilized, with paved walkways etc.

What a sewage plant...

Well, look at this...

Phi Phi has the nicest sewage/water recycling plant, if they can be nice that I have ever seen. Back home in S.A they are bland with concrete walls and a smell that could make you faint.

Now in Phi Phi the smell isn't much better in fact on some days it can be worse with the heat, but what a picture to look at everyday when we walk past it on our way to work.

Someone very clever decided to make a garden out of it. The plants obviously all look fantastic because of all the nutrients that come from us that run through the ground and in the watering system to the plants.

Good idea...

Our Home

We have finally had a day to ourselves to go on a walk about around the island and get some pics of what Phi Phi is all about.

Here follows some pics of our home (The blue one) and a few of the other houses which are occupied by the Thai people. Thank goodness the foreigners or "farangs" get the brick options and not the plastered together bamboo ones which can blow away at any second with the type of winds and rain you get here.

The road next to our house (ferry rural), and some of the local wildlife...

Hee hee, anybody for some chicken tonight... Here you catch your own meal (Just kidding)