New Year 2010

If you did not make a resolution this New Year or want to switch from the normal“I am going to lose ten pounds” that usually lasts until SuperBowl Sunday, resolve to take a trip somewhere beautiful or somewhere you have always wanted to visit. We stuck to our 09' resolution and were rewarded beyond our imagination! There it was, glimmering on the horizon, a beacon for those seeking the ultimate New Year party. A two hour ferry from the port city of Phuket brought us to Phi Phi Island and it did not disappoint. We arrived on the 30th and could not have asked for a more spectacular setting to ring in the New Year. Phi Phi (pronounced Pee-Pee) is postcard beautiful with white sand beaches and crystal clear water that is always the perfect temperature supplied by the Andaman Sea. Our last days of 09' and the first few of the new decade were filled with swimming, snorkeling, wandering and general revelry.New Years eve was F-U-N, fun, fun, fun! We started the evening with a great dinner at a Seafood restaurant that is located right on the water and specializes in seafood. It was win-win for the both of us. We were joined at dinner by 8 friends who are also teaching here and made the trek south. By the time dinner ended and our billed was paid, we had put a good dent into the evening. Making the move to an Irish pub for a “bucket” was next. A “bucket” is a sand pal that is filled with ice and your choice of adult beverage and a mixer, total price $3. A couple of those guys put everyone in good spirits and the party moved onto the beach at a bar called Bora Bora. At this point the night gets a bit hazy for Joe, but Deb documented most of it with the camera and pictures do not lie. Basically it went down like this. There were fire dancers everywhere on the beach, people juggling, jump roping and even spitting fire could be found all around. Then the ring of fire came out and for the highly confident party goers you were welcome to jump through it. Joe did, three times.

As the clock ticked toward midnight, the tide began to come in further and soon we were dancing in the waves. Dancing soon gave way to swimming under a full-moon and when the clock struck 12 the fireworks exploded all over the island and we enjoyed the show while floating on our backs. The hip-hop and classic rap blaring over the speakers carried us deep into the first morning of 2010.

We spent New Years Day recouping in the morning and then went on snorkeling tour and sunset cruise in the afternoon. Phi Phi is close to a number of other islands and we were able to snorkel, visit the famed “The Beach” movie setting and even see a native group of people that live in a giant cave on one island. The cruise ended as

we silently drifted in the ocean watching a beautiful sunset.

On our last day we hired a long-tail boat taxi to take us to Bamboo Island. It was hands down the most beautiful beach either of us have ever seen. We spent the day relaxing in the sun and snorkeling in the aqua green water. It was a great way to wrap up

our trip to and to celebrate the New Year. Our suggestion to anyone looking for a spring break destination, winter getaway or just a vacation is that you head to Phi Phi Island in Thailand, a breathtaking place that will not disappoint. We hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and are now settling for remainder of

the winter. We officially crossed our half-way mark as teachers today, only 8 weeks to get the little critters speaking English. Better get to work! Happy New Year.