As crafty as a croc in Krabi

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HE SAID...
I woke at 6am to watch the morning unfold through my lower bunk bed train window. The southern Thai landscape seems very different from the north. Large vertical hills rising out of nowhere, then flat fields full of palm, coconut, rubber and fig trees. This train was a little less steady on its tracks than the northern trains, so my sleep had been broken during the night. However, it didn’t make any difference as I felt completely refreshed, and the prospect of lazing on the beach this afternoon was very welcoming.

Arriving at Surat Thani had its problems - Ren and I misjudged Pun Pin Station and jumped off the train a little too early when it stopped temporarily at traffic lights. We found ourselves alone on an empty platform in the middle of nowhere, so we quickly scampered back on with our packs in tow, only just making it before the traffic lights went green and the train lurched forward. We arrived at Pun Pin Station about 15 minutes later (7.30am). We jumped off, loaded our packs onto an awaiting double level bus and grabbed an iced coffee and cold milo at the local 7-11. We climbed to the top level of the bus and settled into our 2.5 hour trip to Krabi Province. It was a slow and comfortable trip, and we were enshrouded in mist for the first part of the drive. The train had taken us down the eastern coastline of Thailand to Surat Thani, and we were now crossing the country from east to west. The road was incredible - it was almost a straight line. There were times when I couldn’t see the end of the road ahead, as it just disappeared on the horizon.

We arrived at our hotel in Ao Nang at 10.30am and jumped straight into the shower. After a 13 hour overnight train, a 2.5 hour bus trip and 30 minute minibus trip, it was time to freshen up. We headed out for lunch at midday to Aning Restaurant on the beachfront. As we were ordering our meals, a number of police and security bodyguards arrived with a man in a suit. We were intrigued by anyone who could wear a suit in this heat, and we were also intrigued by the interest he was attracting from passers-by. Our Guide asked one of the police, who informed us that he was the Israeli Ambassador to Thailand. We were eating in important company indeed. Suffice to say, we were not served until the entire consul entourage had received their meals. However, the wait was worth it. I had spring rolls and a coconut shake, and Ren had kai jeow bu (Thai omelette with crab meat) and a mango shake. It was good food.

After lunch we walked along the beach to find a place for Ren to have a massage, pedicure and manicure. I sat and waited in a plastic chair and disappeared amongst the hundreds upon hundreds of sun touched tourists that packed the beachfront. It was too hot in the open sunlight, but pleasant in the breeze under the many fig trees that scattered the sandy promenade. Even the cacophony of longboats, the ever-present smell of cigarette smoke and the never-say-die beach vendors all began to shrink into the distance as I lazed in the sun. I would have hated this once. In Tasmania, you can find yourself alone on one of many beaches that border our small island State, yet it seemed the equivalent population of one of our major cities was lying, walking or swimming on this beach.

As I sat in my plastic chair, two travel companions from the northern tour walked passed, so we sat and chatted and lazily passed the time until Ren finished her massage. They left for the airport, and Ren and I walked the beach throughout the mid-afternoon. I dived in for a few swims, but I couldn’t say they were cooling swims - the water was too warm. We headed back to the hotel for a shower, dropped 1.5kg of washing off at the local laundry and then sat and watched the world go by from the deck of our hotel. This was pure holiday relaxation (and the furthest we could possibly get from our trekking experience in northern Thailand). Tomorrow we will be island hopping and snorkelling on coral reefs.

We headed out for dinner at 7pm to Banlay Restaurant, which was literally right on the beachfront. I had woon sen goong op mor din (roasted prawns with glass noodles in a clay pot) and Ren had pla meuk pad nam prik pao (stir fried squid with chilli and lime sauce). The food was just incredible. During the night a number of Thai lanterns were released from the beach, and they were mesmerising to watch as they disappeared into the moonlit sky. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a local street stall and picked up a banana and chocolate pancake for Ren. We sat out on the deck of the hotel until 10.30pm. It had been a long day, and we had another big day ahead of us.

I woke early at 6.15am to catch up on some writing. We had coffees for breakfast at 7.30am and headed off in a songthaew (small pickup truck/ute with seats in the tray) at 8.30am to start our island boat tour. We sped off at 9.00am to the first island, arriving at 9.45am. We walked on the beach with throngs of tourists, swam within the designated ropes and then jumped back into our boat to head to our next scheduled island stop. On the way we pulled into a lagoon with scores of other tourist boats before making our way to an infamous beach featured in the movie titled The Beach. This was tourist hell. The amount of people crammed into this tiny alcove defied belief. I couldn’t even bring myself to swim to cool down. We sat in the shade and watched sun-touched tourists strut and pose. The day was going downhill fast, and we had 40 excruciating minutes here. We started to look forward to our promised lunch destination that was apparently less crowded. I’m very aware that I’m a part of the swarming Thai tourist contingent, but this was a segment of Thai tourism that I didn’t want to be part of. How can a movie drive such unrequited and needless interest?

We finally left the island - thank God (or at least thank Buddha)! However, when we arrived at our next island destination for lunch, the realisation that we were stuck on a tourist conveyer belt finally sank in… this was hell on earth. Our lunch (bain-marie self serve in a lifeless dining hall) was atrocious - it was one of the worst meals I’ve had for a long time. It should have been good - spicy fish tom yum, noodles with morning glory, chicken and cashew stir fry, sweet and sour fish, vegetable stir fry… It even looked ok, but it was cold, overcooked, congealed and tasteless - the bain-marie hadn’t even been turned on. They were pushing thousands of tourists through a timetabled lunch break, and the distinct lack of enthusiasm for the task at hand was obvious.

We finally sped off to our snorkelling destination. The fish were very colourful (attracted to the boat by an attendant throwing bread into the water) but the coral reef was virtually dead (possibly due to the 2004 tsunami or the extensive pollution left from the tourism trade). It was awful being caught up in this. The water wasn’t very deep, but interesting enough. I had to try and salvage some fun out of the day, so I dived in and enjoyed the fish. After 40 minutes we sped off to our final snorkelling island. This time the water was deeper (about five metres) and there were fewer tourists in the water. Once again, the fish were colourful, but the coral was in bad shape. After 40 minutes we sped back to the Thai mainland, arriving around 3.30pm. It hadn’t been a great island tour, but at least I had been in the water.

I pondered the 2004 tsunami many times during the day. This area was badly impacted, and there were numerous photos on beach memorials and tour commentaries to remind us. We jumped into a songthaew and headed back to the hotel. After showering, we headed down to our hotel deck to people watch and recover from the day.

We headed out to dinner at another of the beachfront restaurants at 7pm. I had pad thai goong sod (rice noodles stir fried with tiger prawns, dried shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, tofu, chillies, fish sauce and peanuts) and Ren had pla meuk gaeng phed (squid with long green beans in spicy red curry). The taste was sensational. We were sitting on an open deck on the beach promenade, so the waves were lapping beneath us. Thai lanterns were being released from the beach and the moon was struggling directly above us through the night haze. The atmosphere was fantastic. On our way back to the hotel we picked up a banana and nutella pancake from the same local food stall as the night before - it was incredible. Food had saved the day! We sat out on the hotel deck with a few travel companions and drifted into the night.

I woke early at 6.15am to catch up on some writing. We headed down to breakfast at 8am where I had muesli for the first time in weeks. We walked the beach promenade until Ren found a good place for a 30 minute massage. I was guided to a plastic chair where I relaxed on the beachfront. We had walked to this very spot on the first afternoon we arrived, and it was packed. Amazingly, I had the place to myself. It was 9am and from where I was sitting I could only see three tourists on the beach (and no one was sitting in the thousands of empty plastic chairs). The sky was clear blue, the sea was warm and the scenery was beautiful (apart from an elderly German tourist who walked past in a skimpy bikini - it was just too early in the morning to cope with sights like this). This really is a beautiful place. It’s amazing how a small town like Ao Nang can transform during the day. As I sat, the beachfront literally filled up around me. I was glad to have arrived here early. I was served complimentary pineapple skewers and bananas (provided by Ren’s massage staff). I think I could get quite used to this. 😊

We headed back to the hotel, showered, packed and left at 11.30am in an air conditioned minibus to travel to the Tha Lane pier to catch a ferry to Koh Yao Noi.



SHE SAID...
We arrived in the early morning at Surat Thani train station after a 12 hour overnight train ride from Bangkok, caught a bus for two hours to Krabi, and then switched to a minibus for another twenty minutes to the resort town of Ao Nang. Ao Nang doesn’t get a great review in the Lonely Planet Guide, but it had its charms - in the same way that even a feral cat can have its cute points.

Krabi is a province with 160 kilometres of coastline along the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand, and is advertised as home to stunning tropical islands and coves, dramatic limestone karst formations and sandy beaches all within seemingly easy reach. The weather is definitely warmer in the south, and lacks the humidity of Bangkok. The scenery has changed to palm and rubber tree plantations and masses of beach side coconut trees.

We spent the first day getting into the slower and more relaxed spirit of southern Thailand by walking around Ao Nang beach and getting our bearings. There seems to be more of a Muslim than Buddhist influence here (being quite close to Malaysia), and I thought this contributed to the very different feel of the town - it was also definitely reflected in the food. The town itself is Ao Nang’s least charming aspect and is overrun by tourists and associated tacky tourist services. However, for a small town whose width can be walked in 30 minutes, Ao Nang offers many services for both active and slothful souls alike. It is the primary launching pad to the many islands in the sun and to other beach destination in Krabi that can only be reached by boat. Even though I was in the minority, I didn’t mind the beaches here. Yes, they were teeming with leathery tourist life, but where else could you have a beach lined with ancient Thai fig trees and gorgeous limestone karst scenery for miles? 😊

Our room at Ao Nang Terrace Hotel was comfortable enough and it had a cute terrace where we frequently sat drinking Chang beers and watermelon fruit shakes; but the property is probably not worth recommending. It was not as close to the beach, shops and restaurants as we would have liked (five to ten minute walk depending on the heat), and a quick look around the other hotels on the way to the beach revealed better properties.

After a much needed shower (after the overnight train), Ae took us on an orientation walk of the main street, where we had lunch at Aning Restaurant. I would highly recommend the food here, but our experience was marred by a VIP group. The Israeli Ambassador and his entourage, including a local police escort, decided to have lunch at Aning’s as well. This meant we got no service for at least 45 minutes while they were fed and watered and sent on their way. Most annoying! But as I said, the food was fantastic. We had the spring rolls, kai jeow bu (Thai omelette with crab meat), a coconut shake and a mango shake. After lunch we walked the length of the beach looking for a suitable place for Andrew to swim and for me to get a massage. We had a small world moment, when Andrew randomly ran into Tim and Paul from our northern Thailand trip walking along the beach drinking Chang beers. 😊

And now to one of my absolute favourite, not-so-secret, secrets about Ao Nang. If you walk down the beach towards Railay past the bamboo cafes on the southern part of the beach, you’ll come to several open-sided beach salas/huts containing many massage mattresses. As with most massage parlours in Thailand, the hard sell as you walk past was overwhelming. However, they didn’t have to ask me more than once! These miracle-handed women charged about 200 baht /$7 AUD for an hour massage. They got repeat business from me. 😄

As touristy as Ao Nang can be, we had absolutely no complaints regarding the food here at dinner time. Ao Nang is a seafood lover’s dream and has a large offering of options, of which the aptly-named Seafood Street is the winner and had us drooling over many a menu at dinner time. Seafood Street is on the northern part of Ao Nang Beach, and there are five large open-air and covered eateries. An ideal (if slightly touristy and upmarket) place to chill out, listen to the tide coming in, sip an adult drink and toss a coin about which seafood dish to order. We ate at Ban Lay Restaurant and Longtail Boat Restaurant, and while both offered amazingly good food, we favoured Longtail Boat Restaurantwhich we thought had better flavours, better service and a slightly better atmosphere. At Ban Lay Restaurant we had the woon sen goong op mor din (roasted prawns with glass noodles in a clay pot) and pla meuk pad nam prik pao (stir fried squid with chilli and lime sauce); and at Longtail Boat Restaurant we had the pad thai goong sod (rice noodles stir fried with tiger prawns, dried shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, tofu, chillies, fish sauce and peanuts) and pla meuk gaeng phed (squid with long green beans in spicy red curry). All the restaurants seem to have an Italian influence, which is a bit weird (and not like any Italian I’ve seen before).

On our first night there, Ae highly recommended the roti stands across from the Night Market for dessert. I had the freshly made chocolate and banana one the first day and loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to have another one the next night. On the recommendation of the very lovely woman making them, I had the banana and nutella one next. OMG! Heaven! This woman and her husband make these rotis with different fillings every night for six days of the week - working from 12pm to whenever her 160 balls of roti dough run out. If you are in Ao Nang, you have to check them out. They are in the first little stand across from the Night Market (coming from the beach end of town). On a related note, the Thai people have perfected take away food. The roti was cut into tiny squares and placed on a paper plate inside a paper bag, and I could spear pieces of roti with a giant skewer. 😊

We had an organised day trip exploring the famous islands in the southern part of Phang Nga Bay by speedboat. This was a snorkelling and island hopping trip that received a mixed reception from us. We first visited Koh Mai Phai (Bamboo Island). This is a small island between the Krabi coast and Phi Phi islands. A dense Casuarina grove covers most of the island (mistakenly called Bamboo in translation and the name has stuck). It is a flat, very green island with blinding white sand and beautiful crystal clear water. Andrew and I walked along the beach for a while and then decided to go into the warm and inviting water. Even though there were a few day-trippers swimming and snorkelling, it didn’t feel over crowded.

Just south west of the Krabi coastline lay the once stunning Phi Phi Islands, part of a marine national park. We headed out to Maya Beach on smaller Koh Phi Phi Leh where they filmed parts of The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. The power of the media being what it is, this place is now a meat market for speedboats and is thick with touristy tourists. I hated the spectacle and couldn’t wait to leave. Koh Phi Phi Leh is also a popular site for nesting swifts, and we stopped briefly at the side of a few caves to see the bamboo platforms the workers use to collect the nests (which is used to make bird's nest soup, a much-valued Chinese delicacy). We then continued on to Koh Phi Phi Don (the larger island) for lunch. It has spectacular sheer limestone cliffs and fine sand beaches, but overdevelopment has struck an ugly blow to what should have remained a stunning piece of land and water. I would probably have warmed to this place more if the included lunch had been better. But atrocious food puts me in a slightly bad mood, which really didn’t help ease the pain at seeing masses of tourists as far as the eye could see.

Then came the two snorkelling stops - Andrew indulged in diving and snorkelling at the two gorgeous spots in Monkey Bay. While there were many schools of fish, Andrew and the others in the group were distressed that the coral reefs in the areas were all dead. It is such a shame!

Even though much of this area was devastated by the Tsunami in 2004, the islands have been almost fully rebuilt. The highly visible signage with instructions on how to identify a Tsunami and an outline of the evacuation routes was a bit chilling, and at odds with the almost tranquil day we had just had.

By the end of the day, I had truly felt like I had just experienced one of the most mainstream tourist experiences of my life (even worse than Halong Bay in Vietnam). However, after I got over the overcrowded tourist issues, I started to appreciate how beautiful the islands in this part of the world had been and still are (in parts). Even the act of sitting in a speedboat as it roared along a crystal blue sea and through toothy green krasts made me feel like I had been drawn into some sort of fairy tale.

Even though I wouldn’t stay at Ao Nang Terrace Hotel again, one of its saving graces was the lovely and comfortable terrace. We would quite often gather there for a drink in the afternoon or after dinner and chat with Julie, Nadine and Jessica. I think the terrace really helped to start the group bonding process. 😊

Andrew and I woke up on our last morning in Ao Nang with a mission - to have a leisurely breakfast on the terrace to celebrate our anniversary. We then walked to the beach and I had a back, shoulder, neck and head massage on the beach while Andrew lounged on the beach with the complimentary bowl of fruit from my massage hut. And all this by 9am. Spoilt much? 😄

So in summary, our stay in Ao Nang had mixed reviews, and apart from the touristy negatives mentioned above… our days were filled with relaxing massages on the beach, swimming in warm sea water, sipping fruit shakes in balmy weather and watching the moon rise with cold beers and cool cocktails on the still warm beach...Ah blissss! Now, after having a taste of beach bumming in Ao Nang and surrounds, we are up for more adventure in the form of an island stay.

See you on the small island of Yao Noi!

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Comments

[Jennie & Mick]

Hi Ren & Andrew, Enjoying your blog. It all sounds wonderful, even the touristy bits. Take care and keep enjoying all that wonderful food.

[RENanDREW]

Re:
Hi Jennie and Mick - Thanks! Andrew said that Mick would have loved the boat trips we've done. Wish you were travelling with us again :)