The film-makers have long since left Phi Phi Le island and their movie, "The Beach" has been released world
wide. Now is the time to focus on the future. But what kind of future lays ahead for this small stretch of beach on Phi Phi Le Island? The obvious comparison is to Tapu Island in nearby Phang Nga province. In the 1974 film, The Man with the Golden Gun, James Bond comes to Asia in search of the villian Scaramanga. Bond is eventually taken to Scaramanga's hideout, an island just off China. In reality, the movie was shot on Khao Phing Kan Island in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. The sheer rock seen nearby, containing the secret weapon, is Tapu Island (see picture). It is this island that has now become internationally known as "James Bond island". Does the same fate await Phi Phi Le? Will we be calling it "Leo Island" or "Leonardo Beach" in a few years time? (see notes at the bottom of this page.)
The small stretch of beach facing "James Bond island" is jam-packed with 52 souvenir stalls. All of them selling the same cheap trinkets. In one corner is a small toilet block. The long-tailed boats land on the other side of Khao Phing Kan Island. There are so many of them that they are only allowed to pause on the beach for a few seconds. Once all of the tourists have been off-loaded, the boats have to then wait out in the bay. All of this so that tourists can come and have their picture taken in front of "James Bond island".
(left): "Leonardo Beach" with one small shop selling refreshments (March 1999). What's next? Toilet block, souvenir stalls, bungalows...? (right): The small stretch of beach facing "James Bond" island has dozens of souvenir stalls and one toilet block. What about Phi Phi Le? Like Khao Phing Kan Island it is also uninhabited. But for how much longer? Phi Phi Le is much bigger and the beach longer. The waters are also excellent for snorkeling. Maya Beach already has one small shop selling refreshments. There could easily be ten or more a year after the film has been released. At the moment there are no permanent structures on the island. A toilet block and a wooden walkway built by the film-makers was originally left on the island at the request of forestry officials stationed there. However, in late March 1999, a group of islanders from Phi Phi Don dismantled the toilets and walkway, stating that the island should be left as it was before the film-makers arrived. The fence around the dune and the walkway up and over was left untouched by the islanders.
Richard: "If these assholes ever found out about our island they'd take just one night to spoil it." (Page 63, first draft of the script for The Beach, June 1998) To try and guess the future of Phi Phi Le it may be a good idea to go and look at its sister island Phi Phi Don with its dozens of bungalows, cafes, shops, exchange booths and hotels. Phi Phi Don has certainly given itself up to tourism. What is stopping Phi Phi Le?
Well for one thing, the government have pledged to do something about the island's future. After all, it was they who gave permission for the film-makers to film on Maya Beach on grounds that it would be good for tourism. Plodprasop Suraswadi, the director-general of the Royal Forestry Department, has plans for the Bt 4 million that the film-makers donated to the department. Plodprasop said he would use Bt3 million to build a forestry protection unit on Maya Beach while the remainder would be used to buy a boat for inspection trips between Phi Phi Don and the other islands. Time will tell. We will be following this story with interest.
February 2000 update: We wrote the above in April 1999. We went back to the islands the same weekend "The Beach" was released in cinemas in Asia. The snack shop on Maya Beach was still there though they had expanded it's area a little with proper tables and chairs, a toilet and shower, and a bigger menu of cooked food. So far, they are not selling any souvenirs. The beach was looking very clean and there were dozens of boats out in the bay. The dune, which Fox reconstructed, had suffered some damage during the monsoon the previous year. The fence put at the bottom of the dune to stop people walking up and over it was no longer there. When we were there Fox was about to pull out of the island as their one year agreement to put the dune and vegetation back to its original condition had expired. The Royal Forestry Department told us that they were "satisifed" with the work done by Fox. For pictures and a more fuller account, please read our February 2000 report.
NOTES:
What's in a name? The term "Leo Island" has already been used a couple of times in the Thai press. Usually the movie star is referred to as "Leonardo" here in Thailand but the nickname "Leo" is just as familiar. Leo is a brand of Thai beer and also the name of a popular theme park called Leoland. Other names for the island and bay have also been proposed: Leonardo Isle, Leonardo Cove and Leonardo Beach. At present, tour operators who take tourists to Phi Phi Don stop briefly at the entrance to Maya Bay. They can't enter as their boats are too big and the waters in the bay shallow. When we visited Phi Phi in October 1998, before the film-makers started shooting, the only comments that were made was to the excellent snorkeling opportunities here. The boat then proceeded further around the island to Viking Cave. Here we were off-loaded into long-tailed boats to make the short trip to the cave entrance to see some edible bird's nests. The name of this cave is mis-leading and shows how that once a name is given it sticks. The cave is named after some cave paintings depicting Chinese junks and not the European Viking ships as the name suggests. The next stop on the tour was Phi Phi Don where we stopped for lunch. From here we had the option to go off snorkeling in the local waters or just lie back on the beautiful white sand. Afterwards, most people then head back to Phuket or Krabi on the afternoon boat, leaving Phi Phi Don a little quieter. Though not too quiet as there are now hundreds of bungalows and restaurant for those people who want to stay a little longer. With more time on your hands you can hire a long-tailed boat to take you to Phi Phi Le and Maya Bay. I expect it won't be too long before there is a demand for the day tours to include a stop on "Leonardo Beach" in their itinerary. (Take a look at our pictures of Phi Phi Don taken in February 2000.)
If you have been on a trip to the islands of Phi Phi and wish to comment, then please send us an e-mail.
Anne Miller "Robert began diving the Phi Phi Islands 15 years ago. The beaches of both islands were then rich in shells, and the water was a great aquarium, filled with a breathtaking array of corals and fish. There were few tourists; two sets of bungalows -- with the only restaurants -- graced the isthmus at Koh Phi Phi Don; there were no hotels, honky-tonks, T-shirt and jewelry shops, not even a wharf. Only occasionally did a few tourists in a long-tail boat bother to seek out Phi Phi Ley's hidden coves, secret passages and "Viking" cave, or dive its crystalline waters. Robert was thunderstruck by the beauty of Maya Cove. Many times he walked the winding trail across the beach, through the narrowing canyon to Loh Samah Bay, slipped down through the hole in the rock into the water and snorkeled there. He thought then and still believes it to be one of the most beautiful places in the world."
Robert Cogen (July '99) "There are serious environmental issues surrounding the Phi Phi Islands. Baby Black-tip Reef Sharks have been fished out in their nursery to highlight the menus of a couple of restaurants on Koh Phi Phi Don; the hotels there put their sewage into the bays around the island, as do all of the boats (except those used for "The Beach", which were brought in from Malaysia, as no sewage-containment vessels were available locally.) Hotel heights have exceeded the limits imposed on the island. Fishing, using nets, continues to occur much too close to these islands, within the boundaries of the national park. These are but some of the highlights of the environmental damage that is actually occurring. It is notable that not a single one of the incensed environmental groups or individuals criticizing the filming of "The Beach" has opposed these destructive acts, or in any way sought to publicize, prevent or discourage this harm. We have written to many of them and pointed this out. The response has been a ringing silence."
Carl Parkes (Jan '99) Ko Phi Phi. Has anyone visited that island in the last few years? I first sailed in from Krabi in 1979 and discovered what is arguably among the most spectacular islands in the world. Today, Phi Phi is perhaps the most trashed and poorly managed islands in the world - a national scandal that the TAT has largely sidestepped over the last decade. Maya Bay, a lovely cove where longtail boat operators have traditionally thrown their discarded plastic water bottles, is now the target of environmentalists who protest against leveled sand and new coconut trees.
[ Phi Phi Le Island in Thailand ] [ Back to Footsteps on the Beach ] To research this page we visited both Phi Phi Le and Tapu islands in March 1999 and February 2000. This was an independent visit financed by Sriwittayapaknam School. All of the pictures were taken by teachers and students from this school. The view expressed on this page do not necessarily mirror the view of the school's owners.
