The dramatic clouds shifted and folded over one another as we sat on the deck of the ferry from Railay to Ko Phi Phi island. Even with the threat of rain on the horizon Chris and I held our ground because if Thailand has taught us one thing it's that it doensn't kill you to be wet. In fact it's  a strange day if I haven't jumped in the ocean for diving, snorkeling or a game of frisbee with Chris.

Our ferry started to make it's way to the docks.  As it did so I saw ahead of us Ko Phi Phi Ley, the island from "The Beach". Dark silky water cradled it as clouds tried to suffocate it from above.

The first time we laid our eyes on Ko Phi Phi Ley island.

Ko Phi Phi Ley island, Thailand and one of the bays that is absolutely fantastic for snorkeling.

The Viking cave on Ko Phi Phi Ley.

Chris lookin' good on the way to the island.

Maya Bay beach, Ko Phi Phi Ley island. This is the beach used to film, "The Beach", starring Leo DiCaprio.

Maya Bay beach, Ko Phi Phi Ley island. If you look to the right of the boat you'll see a tiny black dot. That's Chris enjoying a swim.

Sunset on Maya Bay.

Just before the sun wet down it shined through the clouds and cast beautiful light on Chris and the cliffs of Maya Bay.

Two couples that were part of our tour snap sunset photos of each other.

Maya Bay cliffs at sunset. Look how wonderful, soft and white the sand is!

Chris and Laura on Maya Bay beach, Ko Phi Phi Ley island, Thailand.

One of our guides entertaining us with a fire show late at night on Maya Bay beach on Ko Phi Phi Ley island.

Fire show.

Our other guide showing off his skills with fire.

I'm enjoying my very own bucket. Buckets, consisting of red bull, coke and Sangsom (cheap alcohol), are pretty big around the Thai islands, but the next day usually isn't so great.

That night we slept on the beach with a woven mat, foam pillow and thin sleeping bag.  The bucket probably helped with how comfortable it all felt when Chris and I found a spot on the sand where the tied wouldn't get us.

Before I knew what was happening, Chris was yelling at me and I was running down the beach with the woven mat flopping behind me like a cape as I held it over my head for protection. The sleeping bag and pillow were stuck under one armpit and my hand oddly grasped my purse.

"The umbrellas! The umbrellas!" I yelled to Chris as we ran.

"What? What are you talking about? We don't have umbrellas," he hollered back as he bounced along the sand.

Apparently when it started raining on me while I was sleeping I started dreaming about umbrellas, and when I was half awake running down the beach I was convinced they were real and that we had left them behind. Oh goodness.

To say the least our sleep was quite uncomfortable. Nearly every part of me was wet, mosquitoes were having a feast and the humidity made the sleeping bag stick to my skin. Chris and I joined the rest of our group under the sheltered sleeping area which was made of tarps over pieces of ply wood. Besides the red bull, coke, Sangsom hangover, I was glad to wake up and enjoy looking at the beauty of the beach over a cup of Nescafe.

Related posts:

1. Scuba diving at Ko Phi Phi Ley island in Thailand
2. The Thai island life
3. Thai Food, mostly
4. Learning to scuba dive in Koh Tao, Thailand at Ban’s Diving Resort
5. Bangkok, Thailand
6. Happy Birthday Kel
7. Singapore-bound