12/2/25
We tried to have an early start. It was probably better to get outside in the mornings before it got too hot. But we were never going to skip coffee. This morning we had soya milk. The room had a microwave so we could have a latte of sorts.
We spent some time trying to book our accommodation for the next few days. We managed to contact the ferry company and confirm bicycles were allowed, with an extra charge, on the boat to Koh Phi Phi Don. It’s an island, between Phuket and Krabi.
There happened to be another person on Facebook also trying to make a similar journey but they hadn’t managed to sort it out yet. We also asked on Reddit if anyone wanted bike boxes in Phuket. Insanely enough an Irish couple asked for us to leave them until they arrived on the 25th February. We might meet up with them sometime soon with any luck. It would be good to hear more of their experiences.
For today we decided to head up Monkey hill. Yes, there are monkeys there. It wasn’t far from the hotel. It was already superbly hot outside and it was only 9:30am. There was a barrier to stop people driving up with a little security station where people are supposed to surrender their food and guns. They didn’t even look up as we walked past though. It was easy tarmac and there was a little sign showing an alternate route up ahead.
When we got a bit further up and looked at the map we realised that the sign had been put in the wrong place and the junction for the other route was back at the sign. Oh well. We weren’t going back down. Also there were monkeys everywhere. Not exactly a natural habitat but still exciting. There was a moron with a stick who seemed to be waving it at them to avoid their instagram shot going badly wrong.
Halfway up a little buggy pulled up, with lazy people in the back, and a park woman driving. She jumped off with buckets of rice to feed the monkeys. Hardly their natural diet. It was a bit disappointing to see to be honest. When we got to the viewpoint it was a sad view of the town. Not worth staying in the Sun for.
At the very top, where no one else seemed to walk up to, were several broadcasting towers. We sat in some shade and requested to book a room on the island, drank some water, then walked through an open gate onto a concrete slab. This was supposedly the way to the other route. We climbed down a ladder to the path which was well trodden.
This was more like it. Steep paths, covered in tree roots and up and down rocks. There were ropes all along it as a guide. So we knew we were on a beaten track to somewhere but it was still refreshing to be in the jungle. We only saw monkeys once or twice though, unsurprisingly they stayed near the rice. It took us a while to descend this way and we wished we’d come up it instead. In the jungle the temperature was at least 5C lower.
As we were heading down the Airbnb host rejected our booking claiming it was actually not available. Then suggested we book with their friend for twice as much. Hmmmm. We left that for now and enjoyed the rest of the way down. At the junction with the road we sat in the shade and tried to work out what to do. No luck.
We got back to the hotel by noon. It was time to build our bikes. We’d need them to be rolling from here on out. It started out with a stressful hunt for the allen keys. They weren’t in any of the panniers. We hadn’t forgotten them, they were in the bottom of one of the boxes in a carrier bag.
When we were attaching the pannier rack screws we got a bit confused. We really should have taken a picture before we took it apart. Jonathan managed to put the chains on wrong, the alivio rear derailleurs are confusing, but it’s easily rectified of course. It was probably quicker to rebuild than dismantle in the end.
Afterwards we spent several hours trying to find our accommodation. It turns out that Koh Phi Phi is a party island near the pier. There are lovely nice parts. But they require additional taxi boat journeys to get to. Not easy with a bike we didn’t think. After a lot of back and forth we ended up booking three nights in three different hotels to ensure we escaped the noise and didn’t pay too much. We aren’t quite sure how it will work.
We went out around 6:30pm for dinner. It was Makha Bucha day. It’s an important Buddhist holidays to commemorate 1250 monks gathering to hear the Buddha’s teachings. So on the way we paused at a temple to see the festivities. There were lots of offerings, and candle burning. We weren’t sure how to get involved and just observed.
Further along was a Chinese shrine also with celebratory happenings. Frankie worked out it was Chinese from the letters, while Jonathan insisted it must be Buddhist. We weren’t quite sure how these events all meshed together. But there were skilful musicians, and children dressed as dragons.
Afterwards we went to the same place as the previous night for dinner. There were still things we wanted to try and we are a sucker for affordable food. We did however eat a little bit too much fried food. It seems to happen a lot with cheap vegan fare. Still delicious though. And the woman was pleased to see us again.
Concerned about the potential lack of cheap food for the next few days we wandered into a supermarket on the way back. There we found a big bag of peanuts. There was also a completely open meat selection and huge bags of tofu. It was heart breaking to leave them. The ability to buy so much fresh tofu was otherworldly.
We sought out a fresh market. There we bought mango, mangosteen, marian plum and salacca. It was so exciting to find tropical fruits so easily and cheaply. A dream of ours. We were still hunting for a dress for Frankie. She wanted something more suitable for the hotter weather. It was hard to find anything that fit, they were all too big. We finally found a market with several vendors, one of whom had several dresses that fit and one Frankie actually liked! Success!
Back at the hotel we ate our fruit, after we’d worked out how to cut it up, and watched another apple cider vinegar. We also ate some other Thai desserts we’d picked up from the supermarket and the restaurant. Mostly sweet bean stuffed things. We were starting to get a bit nervous about getting packed up the next day and actually rolling anywhere on two wheels. But the time had come.
Surly They Won't Make It 