Koh Phi Phi Le
The second largest in the archipelago covers an area
of 6.6 square kilometers, 3kms long and 1 km across at the widest
point. The entire island is made of limestone with steep cliffs encircled
by crystal clear water. Its average depth is 20 metres but it is at
its deepest, 34 meters off the island's southern tip. Although uninhabited
the island does have some beautiful bays. Pileh Beach is almost encircled
by the limestone wall of the islands cliffs. On the northern point
of the island is the famous
Viking Cave, a name they were given by His Majesty King Rama IX after
his visit in 1972. At Tam Pya Nak there is a large boulder that resembles
the shape of the giant serpent from Buddhist legend, the Naga. On
the eastern and southern walls of the cave are historical images of
elephant and European, Arab and Chinese sailing boats. There is a
theory that pirates took shelter from the monsoon in the caves and
used them transfer their cargo or make repairs.
The Province of Phuket and Krabi have a largest Chinese community,
descendants of the tin miners and rubber plantation owners that
gave the area its original prosperity. They will come to the island
to collect the nests of the migratory Fork tail Swift, the raw ingredient
for the Chinese delicacy Bird's Nest Soup. The birds descend on
Phi Phi Le during January to April and will build the nests held
together by no more than their saliva. They stay for just two weeks
before continuing their journey.
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