The equipment is good and amazingly cheap at 100b for the entire day. The fish are amazing! I guess it's been awhile since I've done this, but I'm just thrilled by the snorkeling. The only big problem is that the many motorboats swing past very close to the shore. I don't trust them to see me and get a bit paranoid popping my head up every time they zoom near. I snorkel for hours and only see one other person here.

In the evening, I get a Thai massage, not a very good one, but even a fair Thai massage is great. I eat a cheap and tasty fish dinner at Panda's that was better than those I had at Raileh for more money.

In one of my earlier journals I described getting mad at some Thai guy and noting how he froze up, "like a deer in headlights." I recently saw two more examples of this. First, at the Viewpoint store, I purchased two 10b bottles of water and paid for it with a 100b note. The confused cashier gives me 120b in change! Of course I don't take it and try to explain the mistake. She takes back the 120b and gives me 60b. Now I try to explain to her that she owes me 20b. Actually, there's another woman working there who is now watching, so I'm trying to explain to both of them, but very calmly and friendly.

An Israeli guy has seen what happened and also tries explaining. His Thai is better than mine. Well, actually he has the advantage of knowing the word for "minus", neither one of us is saying anything too complicated. His Thai explanation goes something like the following. "Ten baht," pointing to a water, "ten baht," pointing to another water, "twenty baht." "One hundred baht minus twenty baht is eighty baht. This is sixty baht," pointing to my change, "so give twenty baht," pointing from register to my change pile. Seems pretty clear, huh?

Well, neither woman is getting it at all. I believe that they sense a hint of confrontation in his voice, which I might add is relatively non-confrontational for an Israeli, and have frozen up. Even when I finally get my 20b, the girl resembles a zombie and still doesn't seem to get it. It's like her mind locked up.

Next example, my first night at Phi Phi, at about 10:45pm. I'm awake journal writing because of the loud bar music. Above the din I can hear someone rattling the door to my room. I ignore it for a bit, but it continues and I hear voices. So, I get up and open it, forcefully outward, and it bangs against two surprised young Thai guys. I ask them what they were doing, trying to get into my room and my voice is definitely not friendly. I'm pretty sure these guys were up to no good and am ready to give them a fight at first provocation.

I get right in the larger guy's face and demand an explanation. They both freeze up and do the deer imitation. Once I see that, I know I can't do anything with them, despite their bad intentions, and can only walk away. They emit some nervous laughter after I close the door.

So, when I notice these situations now, I hear a Borg-like voice in my head that goes "confrontation is futile!" It's a clever adaptation of the Thai's, getting angry with them gets you nowhere. I should add that for the most part these are some of the easiest people in the world to get along with. I'm respectful (unlike the topless foreigners on the beaches or the bare-legged farangs who keep their shoes on inside temples), I smile a lot, and give them the wai gesture. Most of them are great.

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I have one of those exquisite days where I nearly have to pinch myself to see if I'm having a dream trip. First, I watch the sunrise from one of these perfect beaches. Then, two Thai massages to get loosened up, and a bit of street curry for breakfast. After a few logistics and a ten minute email check, I'm ready for some adventures.

I hike up to the viewpoint near town that overlooks the two bays that almost touch each other. Then I continue on over the hill to some jungle paths. Picking one at random, I get to see lots of creepy crawlies: lizards, snakes, long black snails, and thousands of those huge red centipedes. I see hundreds of them slithering over a fallen tree, just like an Indiana Jones movie. I also see some colorful birds and some of the largest bees I've ever seen. The latter sound like a toy airplane.

The jungle path pops out at peaceful Ran Tee Beach, on the other side of the island. I see a few people snorkeling and decide to give it a go.

Wow! What great fortune! The snorkeling here is fabulous, even better than the day before. I see some absolutely amazing stuff. There's still that boat problem, but I'm getting used to dealing with them, kicking up my flippers when they get close.

I'm so absorbed with the snorkeling that I don't stop until nearly dark. This leaves me with a spooky jungle climb back to town. Cool! I don't see anyone on this path during either hike. I reach the viewpoint just in time to catch the sunset.

After a quick shower, I have a tasty fish dinner. I'd stay here for weeks if I could get any sleep at night.

I have some fun hanging out at the excellent Garlic Restaurant, watching kickboxing with the young guys (who bet on it) and letting a baby play with my menu. Then I take the boat back to Krabi and check into a spacious 100b room near the pier at a place called Galaxy. The Tom Yam soup I have in the river night market may not be the best I've ever had, but it could be the hottest -- liquid lemon fire! I take a few sips and then, eyes bulging, push it aside vowing to eat no more. A minute later I pull it back and repeat the cycle.

Despite the plethora of Thai massage places in Phi Phi and Krabi, most are bad and only a few have anybody at all who can give a decent massage. At best, only one person at a shop will have any skill and that woman is most likely over 35 and speaks no English. I have to be very insistent to find these women, often walking out of shops when it is clear that no one inside knows how to do a massage.