Island Hopping Around Krabi

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After waking up very early monday morning Baz and I hopped on the minibus bound for the Thai border and then Had Yai. The trip and border crossing went very smoothly and we arrived in the Thai city about 9am where we had half an hour to kill before hopping on the next bus to Krabi. In a way we were a little lucky considering Baz had lost our tickets the night before but they let us on anyway. It was probably another 4 hour trip to Krabi of which I spent most of my time talking to a nice couple from KL which made the time fly by. Once in town we found a cheap guesthouse for $5 a night, had a quick walk around and then went to the food stalls along the riverbank for dinner.

The next day we hired some motorbikes and rode to Huay Tho Waterfall which is about 25 kms from town. We had a nice swim right near the top and took a lot of photos before hopping back on the bikes and riding to the Tiger Cave Temple where we decided not to go in. After this we headed in the opposite direction and rode to the tourist town of Ao Nang where we had a look around and a drink in the deck chairs at the beach. Then it was back to Krabi to return the bikes just after dark.

On wednesday we went on the 4 islands tour which I had already done a couple of years ago but was keen to see the sights again especially for the bargain price of $14 including lunch. After picking up the other passengers we headed to Ao Nang where we hopped on a longtail boat bound for Tup Island. After having a look around and taking photos with the 100 or more other tourists for an hour we got back in the boat and headed off to Chicken Island for snorkeling. The snorkeling was very very disappointing with only dead coral ( it looked that way) and not very many fish at all. Next was lunch and relaxation time at Poda Island before heading to the highlight, Phranang Beach at Railay. This was my third time here and although there are heaps of tourists, I find this place stunning. While Baz was jumping off the 8 metre rock I spent my time watching the rockclimbers and just enjoying the setting. After going for a short swim it was time to go back to the boat and also say goodbye to Baz who was staying on Railay that night. Overall the tour is very good value it's just a pity about the snorkeling.

I did very little thursday but on friday I decided to go on a speedboat trip to Phi Phi Islands. Unfortunately the weather was not great and it rained on the way to Ao Nang but stopped once we were on the speedboat. First stop was Bamboo Island which had a very nice beach and nice grounds to sit in the shade while watching all the asian tourists taking thousands of photos. Next we were off to Maya Bay (of "The Beach" fame) on Phi Phi Lay where we did some pretty average snorkeling before landing on the beach and joining the hundreds of other tourists taking photos and having a quick look around. We had a quick look at a nice lagoon before setting off to Phi Phi Don for lunch. We were herded towards these large dining halls with what seemed like everyone else on these boat tours. The buffet was very good though and I made sure I had my fill before quickly walking to the beach on the other side to take a couple of photos. I could not believe how many tourists were around. Beforehand I was actually thinking about staying a couple of days and doing my tours from the island but now felt glad that I hadn't. After lunch we snorkeled at a spot just off the island which was a lot better than the previous sites. There were plenty of fish and we had a bit of fun when the crew threw bread into the water and we could watch the feeding frenzy right in front of our eyes. From here it was back to Ao Nang and the rain and then back to Krabi in the songthaew. One of the reasons I decided to come to this area on my way up north was to enjoy the snorkeling around Phi Phi which I had heard good things about. I am not sure if we just didn't go to the good spots around the island but I have been very disappointed.

My last day and a half I have just been relaxing and having a couple of short walks around town. I have booked an overnight bus to Bangkok later on today and when there I will decide whether I go straight through to Udon Thani or spend the night in the city.

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Comments

[Kathy Andrews]

great to be able to share your travels
oh my goshhhhhhhhhhhh Jason, it is all so beautiful, totally different to what I thought, thanks so much for giving me the blog to look at, will share with mum tonight, hugs, have fun and stay safe. kathy xoxoxoxo