One clear consequence of the movie is that Phi Phi Le is now known and more people will be arriving than ever before. Overnight stays are not allowed on the island, but the inevitable garbage that accompanies humans wherever they go is already present in larger quantities than in the past. Still, it is an astonishing locale, even among the wonders of the Andaman Sea. Oddly shaped cliff islands dot the seas in every direction from nearby Phuket Island to Krabi Province. In this developing nation of 62 million, there are few places that the free-wheeling, capitalist Thais have not scouted and exploited.
Roads are forever inadequate.
Too much haphazard development has been allowed. A plague of uncontrollably proliferating concrete shop-houses litters the land. On this day, a flock of bemused travelers stands on the former movie set at Maya Bay. The beach itself is completely covered with longboats waiting for their passengers to make the return trip, but the setting is still unique and spectacular. No persons ,'' he says, shaking his head enthusiastically.