I gotta say, there are worst things in life than to be a boat driver. I'm Tom, a 45 year old Thai guy who works on Ko Phi Phi in southern Thailand. My job is to ferry people around the islands nearby and show them all the cool stuff here, like the caves that are home to the cave swift, whose nests make Bird's Nest Soup, and bluewater lagoons that are just TEEMING with colorful fish.
There are a few drawbacks. Some tourists like to complain, for example. I don't let it bother me, but I can't for the life of me understand why someone would fly halfway around the world, and come to such a tropical paradise as this, just to bitch about the very few things that aren't perfect here. Fortunately, folks like these are rare around these parts, but when I do meet them, I just tune them out and start humming Thai folk songs to myself.
It's a good life. I've got my wooden boat, which is surprisingly sturdy and seaworthy. Since Ko Phi Phi is in the Andaman Sea, you actually get some pretty rough water here during the rainy season. But my trusty craft has sailed through many a hairy situation unscathed. And my passengers have been very grateful for that.
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