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Hi from Phi Phi Islands!
If that doesn’t ring a bell, it is the place where “The Beach”, a 2000 adventure drama with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.
Even today, Phi Phi is filled with backpackers arriving to experience something real in a world surrounded by sharks, cannabis, and free love.
Maya Bay, which had to be closed for recovery from overtourism for four years, is the main point of attraction, drawing hundreds of boat tours to Phi Phi Lee.
Even in Danny Boyle’s movie, which pretended the bay was entirely encircled by high cliffs, making it a truly hidden paradise, locals did not like the uncontrolled influx of tourists to their island.
But today, as soon as you arrive from Phuket or Krabi by ferry, those cinematic locals are nowhere to be found. Everything is on sale, from tours to bodies, as if you have entered some crazy market where you only need to agree on the price.
Mostly symbolically limiting numbers of visitors allowed to step on one of the softest sands in the world, Phi Phi still heavily exploits tourism, as if there’s no tomorrow.
And maybe there isn’t. Maybe carpe diem is the only mantra that makes sense in a world falling apart. But what would you spend all that money on when the last hour arrives?
It’s amusing to fantasize about the hidden world utopias. From Hotel Jama’s Secret Rooms to Thailand’s Secret Beach, we believe we can keep things under control, and that is rarely the case.
I still struggle with a swollen throat and running nose but decided to let go, finding solace in the silence of the undersea, among the littlest fishes and sharks.
For me, there’s still a lot of text to write, but also a lot of sea to see. Traveling is sometimes the worst enemy of travel blogging. With beaches that can hardly stay secret for long, we all have DiCaprio’s Richard inside, backpacking the world to feel alive.
Have the most out of your week – carpe hebdomadam!
Ivan Kralj
Pipeaway.com
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