Koh Phi Phi Don,
N 07°44.128
E 098°46.795
Our life on the island was stirred up a bit over the past few days. Our favorite street BBQ joint disappeared overnight, literally. We walked by on Sunday night after we went to our newly discovered Thai place, but on Monday evening about half-a-dozen little shops along the waterfront were gone… including Tuk’s BBQ. What will we do without Tuk’s?
Like I said, the whole row of shops are gone. Nothing left except a few empty beer bottles rolling around, plastic bags full of garbage and filthy cinder block walls that used to provide a barrier between the little stores selling “pirated” DVD’s/CD’s, swim suits and of course the best BBQ on the island.
Unfortunately the shops were in an area that was hit hard by the tsunami. It appears the shops
were make-shift set-ups (tarpaulin roofs and gas generators for electricity) to get businesses up and running as quickly as possible. However, now that three years have passed it appears it may be time to put up some permanent, safer digs. We looked and smelled for Tuk on other parts of the island, but it seems it was the perfect time for him to take a vacation.
After the disappearance of Tuk’s, and the other shops, it reminded us how quickly the island changes. We mentioned some of the changes since we were here in August, including large bungalows, larger shops and the local’s market. I guess we better brace ourselves for significant changes during our next visit, especially since we don’t know when that will be.
One thing here stays the same, the natural beauty, friendly people and incredible beaches. We wake up every morning, look out our window at the turquoise water and blue sky, and know we are in an ever evolving, special place. We hope others have the opportunity to enjoy this paradise.
Other Notes: Rich Powers let us know that Koh Phi Phi Don was featured in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle Travel Section. We immediately went on sfgate.com to see what the article had to say about our little slice of paradise. The article, very well written of course, did an excellent job describing the beauty of the island, the need for tourists and the re-building efforts post-tsunami; most of which we have touched upon. We can only hope others will be encouraged to visit this beautiful part of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment