Krabi - more than just a gateway to the islands

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Arriving just after darkness fell, we found the bus station in Krabi in darkness. It seemed that our bus was the last one of the day to arrive. It was a little disconcerting but we were able to find transport to our guest house. It seems that the bus station is usually a lively place with places to grab a snack and plenty of tuk tuks and taxis to help you move on.

Rooms@Krabi Guesthouse turned out to be an excellent choice. It's not luxury accommodation but it has everything you need and the staff are super friendly. They were always willing to help and if their English wasn't good enough to answer your query, they could always find someone else. It was such a refreshing change. We enjoyed it so much that we stayed one night longer than we had initially booked for, and returned there for our final night in Thailand on this trip.

The weather, however, was not so welcoming! We didn't let that affect us though, and set out to explore the Tiger Cave Temple and climb up to the top of the hill. Sounds easy, but it was a tough day. After walking along the promenade avoiding the boatmen wanting to take us elsewhere, we admired the statue of the Krabi Crab and then flagged down a passing cattle truck. For a little over £1 each we were taken several kilometres out of town to the site entrance. Along the way the heavens opened but we soldiered on. We sought shelter at the base of the huge temple which is currently being built. Two giant tigers (statues of course!) greet any visitor. The stupa is incredibly high and it looks like the project may be complete in another year or two. It was a nice place to wait for the rain to pass, and whilst we were waiting we saw the inexplicable sight of a statue of two aircraft, one piggy backing on the other, covered in Buddhist symbols. It was a curiosity that nobody was able to explain to us.

20 minutes or so later, the rain eased off and we made our way to the Tiger Cave Temple. On the way in we made a small donation and were blessed by one of the female monks who tied a saffron cord around our wrists and told us the English people were good people. Maybe she has other opinions of other nationalities but we never found out. We are sure though that she has other opinions of the scantily clad Russian girls visiting. So much for dressing modestly! Inside the temple you climb up some narrow steps into a cave, watching your head as you go. There are some garish and heavily adorned statues of tigers in there. It felt a little over the top, to be honest.

Next we climbed to the top. 1260 steps doesn't sound like a lot (ok, maybe it does!) but in the heat and humidity it felt like quite an achievement to get to the summit. Step 1000 was clearly marked and we were very pleased to get past that one. We did have to stop quite a few times and it took our legs several days to fully recover from the ordeal. The views were fantastic. We could see right across the plains in one direction and right into the landscape of the limestone kasts in another. It was great to see the sitting Buddha at the very top, but once again there was no sign of dressing respectfully from many foreign visitors. The descent was easier but perhaps more dangerous as some of the steps are very narrow and high. Handrails guided us all the way and we made it safely down. The next threat was the monkeys who wanted to steal your snacks and your drinks!

The following day was supposed to be more relaxing. The threat of rain was always there but we were lucky, for the morning at least. That enabled us to begin the day with an hour on a boat into the mangrove swamp. It's a beautiful place to glide around in a small boat. We also got taken to a cave complex where neolithic skeletons have been found, and of course there are always more monkeys to contend with.

Back on shore we soon found ourselves on another boat. This time we were heading to Rai Lei, also known as Ray Lay. It was a picturesque journey there as we skirted the coast. Rai Lei feels like an island but it is actually a peninsular which is inaccessible by land thanks to a forested mountain which has prevented any roads being built. It hasn't stopped development though and there is a wide variety of touristy places from backpacker haunts to luxury hotels. It is very much a place to come to for rock climbing as there are many routes and climbing schools to help you find them, and also for its stunning beaches. Getting off the boat on the wobbly floating jetty was an achievement in itself and then we had a walk around, passing the monkeys along the way, to Phra Nang beach. Walking along with our feet in the ocean was a wonderful feeling. Just as our thoughts turned to changing for a swim, the black clouds came over in force and the heavens opened with Biblical strength. There was a mass exodus from the beach!

Instead, we found somewhere for lunch and then walked along the alleyways to the west side of Rai Lei. There we were able to get a long boat to Ao Nang, just a short distance away. There we had to jump out of the boat into the shallow water then walk along the beach to the steps. We stopped for a moment at the huge barracuda monument but as we walked through the town itself we were soon very happy with our choice to stay in Krabi. We may be wrong, but it felt a bit like a tropical version of Benidorm on a bad day. Not really our scene at all. We flagged down a local bus and returned to Krabi at a fraction of the price that the tuk tuks and taxis were asking.

It's hard to say exactly why we loved Krabi. The town had a great relaxed feel to it, and eating on the night market was incredibly cheap and atmospheric. We also found a great restaurant which served wine at a price we were prepared to pay! Chalita also came up trumps with their curries, as we found out on our return after a few days of island life. We were also wowed by the excellent coffee in Easy Cafe. So, if you are looking for somewhere to stay while you get ready to visit the Andaman Islands, or to chill out afterwards, go to Krabi. You won't regret it.

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Photos

Sea Eagle Monument
Or ospreys as we call them!

Life's a beach...
...until the rains come!

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Nice angle
So many monkey's so little time.