update!

so i have been a really bad blogger for a really long time...but it turns out that this page actually getting some views (thank you!)

so i made it my job for the day to do a new post, but unfortunately my laptop has taken a one-way trip to the koh phi phi electricals graveyard (overpopulated by phones, cameras and computers) and it turns out blogger does not work well on 

my phone. rest assured that i am working on it, and if i have to pay 120baht for a our in the internet cafe, i will (let's hope it doesn't come to that)

in the meantime, follow me on twitter (@charstarl) for bitesized phi phi updates!

sorry for the long wait and thanks for viewing (and for your patience)

C xx 

be my pp valentine

so it turns out there's a rule on phi phi when it comes to the holidays... go big, or go home. this counts for christmas (apparently) and new year (most definitely), but also, most recently, for valentine's day. (i know i'm about a month late with this post, but think of it more as me being 11 months early)..

we love fireworks on phi phi.. nye2013

so on v-day the island is literally covered in red and pink balloons and every shop sells roses and every boy you see seems to be carrying one. and of course there are fireworks. there are always fireworks.

our lovely bar didn't disappoint, either. lots of decorations (above left) and a heart-shaped ring of fire (below) for partygoers to jump through. pretty much everyone working here is coupled up so presents were getting exchanged all night, and we all wore rose transfer tattoos and took polaroids of each other like it was the summer of love all over again. which, on phi phi, it kind of is... every day.

the boy got me a single red rose and a big framed loveheart made out of roses, saying it can go above the bed in our new room when we finally find one. i got him a manchester united shirt and a couple of baseball caps (they're a big thing out here, the fireboys freakin' love them; see the boy playing with the heart-ring above).

   

i guess the moral of the story is that, this valentine's day on phi phi, love was most definitely in the air. (aww!)

lots of love,
c xx

c's guide to loving life

sometimes, when the view is so pretty, you forget you're supposed to be making a living, and making a life.

so, it doesn't take much to figure out how to be happy when you live in paradise. but like anywhere else, there are practicalities to deal with.

i guess anyone reading this blog might have an interest in doing something similar to what i'm doing right now, so i feel like i should offer up any pieces of wisdom i've collected so far.

so under the "word on the street" tab, you'll find practical bits of advice on starting a new life on phi phi, or even just visiting short-term.

i hope it's helpful!

lots of love,
c xx

i must have left a thousand times

phi phi is so beautiful, why would anyone want to go anywhere else?

well, 1. because sometimes you have to (hello visa runs)
and 2. because it happens to be surrounded by other beautiful and exciting places.

hard life, huh?

so under the "retreats" tab, i'll post about the other places i've been; my non-PP adventures, if you will.

and i promise to try not to judge everywhere by phi phi standards, because frankly, that just wouldn't be fair.

lots of love,
c xx

"whoever said that money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping"

so, anyone who knows me knows that i love shopping. (in fact, some may call it a problem. in fact, many have called it a problem).

and anyone who knows thailand will know that it's a great place to shop, and the prices are great compared to back home.

and anyone who knows phi phi will know that, while it's more expensive than most of thailand (being a tourist destination and an island where everything has to be imported), it's also a really great place to shop.

thanks to the number of twenty-something western girls who have relocated here, in between all the tourist shops with slogan tees bearing 'same same', 'gangnam style', various beer brands, and justin bieber's face, there are some absolute gems carrying some really beautiful clothes dotted around the town here.

so of course i'll have a section dedicated to that. you didn't seriously think i'd have a blog without a shopping section, did you? click on the "treats" tab for more.

lots of love,
c xx

the people make the place

so phi phi is stunning, but i couldn't have decided to stay for its looks alone.

me, top centre, and some of the lovelies i work with.

for a small island, and an even smaller town, the place is filled with characters: locals and tourists, backpackers and travellers who never left, thais, swedes, brits, americans, canadians, russians, aussies, and every other nationality you could dream of.

restaurateurs, bar staff, divers, climbers, firedancers, massage ladies (yes, those), ladyboys, sailors, shopkeepers... i'll try and introduce you to as many of the amazing people i've met i possibly can in the "meets" section.

i hope you love them all as much as i do

lots of love,

c xx

there is no love sincerer

one major advantage to living in thailand: the food.

welcome to pad thai heaven

yes, thai food is incredible. chilli, lime, coconut, jasmine, lemongrass, mango, all the most beautiful flavours.

one major advantage to living in 'tourist thailand': the food

all the thai food you can eat, plus any other kind of food you can think of: italian, middle-eastern, burmese, vietnamese, traditional english, fast food, even a proper cup of english breakfast tea on every other corner.

in fact, there are so many options that almost every cafe and restaurant has chosen to plaster their walls in recommendations from customers from all over the world in the hopes of proving their pad thai/somtam/massaman is the best on the island.

so the "eats" tab is dedicated to the culinary offerings i get to experience on a daily basis.

i'll try not to gloat too much if you try not to salivate on your keyboard.

lots of love,
c xx