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Published: December 23rd 2006
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KRABI:
Our first stop on the east coast was Krabi. We decided to make our base in Krabi Town, partly due to the cost but mainly because we arrived late after a terrible boat+bus journey. We left Ko Phangan on the earliest boat to give ourselves the best chance of finding somewhere to stay. What we didn't allow for was the bus from the jetty dropping us off at a temple (not bus station), two pick-up truck transfers, waiting in a cafe for two hours, then waiting on the bus for two hours at a stand still (with the engine running!), before we finally left for Krabi. Turned out we were waiting for passengers on the later boat we decided would be best not to take!
Anyway, Krabi Town itself was small and from there we could take a 'sawngthaew' (minibus/pick up truck) to Ao Nang beach and took around half an hour. There is a long strip of sand behind which bars, restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops. The beach was very busy, with a section designated to the longtail boats shuttling people in and out of the beach. After burning for a while on the sand, we strolled
along the beach and came to a wooden path leading into and over the rocky headland. We followed it, passing a group of monkeys that took a hold of my leg as we tried to go past unnoticed! It lead us into a beautiful small bay, with one very plush 5 star hotel. Surrounded by the cliffs and palm trees and the water was a glistening emerald colour, it looked pretty spectacular. And there was only 4 other people on the beach. So we stayed there and had a great time away from the crowds.
The second day in Krabi, we took a longtail boat over to Railay beach. Described in our lonely planet as the 'epitemy of a honeymoon destination' it was yet another picturesque beach set amongst the cliffs with clear waters and white sands. And so we stayed there for the day and enjoyed the same beach that loads of other people had paid to stay in the 5 star hotels for. In the evening we sampled the delights of the local food market in the town.
PHI PHI ISLANDS:
Leaving Krabi we were off on a boat again to the Phi
Phi Islands. Very picture perfect, there are 6 islands of which the biggest, Phi Phi Don, is the only one inhabited. It was also very, very busy and difficult to find accommodation. The island was badly hit by the tsunami and although you wouldn't know it to arrive on as so much has been rebuilt and the work is still continuing.
We didn't plan on staying for long. On the first day I took a walk around some of the island. Checking out the nearby beaches and taking a hot hike up to 'view point' from which you can see down over the two main bays. Caroline wasn't feeling herself and so spent most of the day resting in bed.
Day two, we booked ourselves on a snorkelling boat tour of the islands. We stopped off at a number of beaches and bays for half an hour or so at a time to snorkel the coral reefs. The waters were absolutely crystal clear and we saw so many fish and corals. For lunch we stopped on an island and we could wander off and find a quiet spot on the beach together. The sand was soft and white
and water was the brightest turquoise we'd seen. The highlight spot on the tour was 'Maya Bay' on Phi Phi Leh - the location for the film 'The Beach'. A smallish bay amongst the cliffs with a thick jungle behind the whitest, softest sand ever and crystal clear blue waters it just looked amazing. If only for the hundreds of other people on boat trips it would have been perfect.
KO LANTA:
We moved on next to Ko Lanta, another island but this time slightly different. There are laws that have stopped the overcrowding of big package tourism hotels and so the place feels very calm and less like a city on the coast. We found ourselves a brilliant place to stay, right near the beach in a new resort with a bamboo hut on stilts. It was run by a German guy and his Thai wife and they were so friendly and there was a really calming atmosphere about the place. We felt so well looked after. We spent our nights chatting with them and other guests, playing jenga, watching films and accepting his requests to share a whiskey. It was like staying in their
home. We spent a week relaxing there, as well as doing some exploring of the island on a moped. We had a really good time and we were quite sad to leave.
PS. Lots of pictures to come..........
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