Have a day to spare in Bangkok? Not really feeling the joy of the busy streets and wishing for a change of scenery? Well, a day trip to Krabi should suffice then. To the dismay of all the climate compensators out there, I decided to spend my last day in town out of town and headed over to Don Muang airport with a same day return ticket to Krabi Airport. I had absolutely no idea what to expect but had taken great care to book with different airlines which I were really eager to inspect. Come to think of it, I was probably more interested in the planes than in Krabi. Anyway, rise and shine for an early morning flight out of Don Muang on a cute little mutli-coloured ERJ-135 belonging to the solemny sleeping PB ... read more

After a good night's rest I wake up to find that my face is in shreds. The Thai colour is obviously coming off fast. Judy picks me up for lunch before we go out for some sightseeing on foot, the streets filled with little kids in school uniforms rushing for home. We walk both large avenues lined with shopping malls, banks and office towers and narrow streets full of little shops and residences. The traffic goes from being nearly non existent to chaotic. Taiwan is definietly scooter territory, everywhere the sidewalks are cluttered with parked rides and colourful helmets. This is also the first time I have come across a pink shop dedicated to that Hello Kitty craze. I try not to think too much about the fact that a 3.5 magnitute tremor was apparently felt ... read more

Waking up rather dizzy from yesterday's journey I brush the crud out of my eyes and go back to slumber. As I wake up again I feel rather tired, so I scratch my eyes a bit and go back to sleep. More slumber. As I finally come to my senses I rub my eyes a bit again, wide awake now, and something doesn't feel right. I get up and stumble into the bathroom where I make a nice discovery. No wonder I felt like rubbing my left eye, it is hiding under a nice swollen eyelid and is unable to open up. After a moment's distress I realize that this is mainly a cosmetic problem (though of a worrying magnitude) and I start fiddling about managing to open it just a little, looking like a complete ... read more

Time to make a new attempt to get on the boat. Yet another early morning packing up routine but this time we are rewarded with a driver who appears on time and we ride down to the Khao Lak pier, which is on the far side of town. We check in with the ticketing office and receive little stickers to put on our shirts, identifying us as "two day, one night" travellers. Among the people waiting at the pier we can see both two nighters as well as day trippers. The pier is chaotic and bustling with activity and lots of boats and small ships. There is a small navy base next door and a little market were Kay finds some precious chicken snacks to bring along. It seems the entire group consists of Thais, the ... read more

Sleeping like a clubbed baby seal barely making it to the breakfast buffet. There are a couple of other farangs around but generally the resort feels quite low key. After brunch I have to chase the cleaning lady around a bit to have her commit to fixing the laundry. We head down to have a look at the beach. There's plenty of space but the few chairs are already taken so we wander around a bit. The sand looks nice but Kay is a bit skeptical about the quality of the water. It definitely supports a lot of life though. Each little splash brings in lots of small fish and crabs that duck away in small puddles of water on the little rocks that divide the beach into segments. In the afternoon we catch a ride ... read more