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Published: February 15th 2011
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Hello,
Just re-read the last blog and realised it was a little bleak, luckily things definitely picked up when we got to Krabi.
The journey was about 7 hours long and the majority was spent on a sweaty local bus, but we're old hands at this now. We're staying in a guesthouse about 10 minutes walk from Krabi town and even though we're only supposed to be there for the night, we end up staying for 3 more! It's burning hot weather so we spend the next couple of days on the beach in Ao Nang which is a bus ride away. Catching the sangtheaw to Ao Nang should be straight forward but I still manage to make the odd faux pas. On one ride in particular, I decide to stick my head out of the window to see if our guesthouse is near and manage to knock my own hat off.
However the story has a happy ending...I jogged a good 2 miles back up the road to retrieve it from the traffic. Finally I recovered some lost clothing on this trip - a minor victory!
Ao Nang beach and the nearby Railay Beach are both
undeniably beautiful with incredible limestone scenery surrounding them and crystal clear waters. It's just a shame about all the tourists! The water is filled with lobster coloured Europeans, with unflatteringly tight swimming shorts on...not pretty.
As many have remarked before us, it's a bit like being on the Costa Del Sol! However we haven't had any proper beach time since we've been in Asia so we get stuck into the sunbathing. Our guesthouse in Krabi is near the night markets so we dine out cheaply every night on some amazing food. It costs about 6 quid for an assortment of delicious dishes and a few beers.
It's also the Chinese New Year, so there's loads of celebrations going on. On our final night there's a stage set up in the town square with loads of performances going on. We forgot to bring out camera out that night which is a shame because some of the acts had to be seen to be believed. Not in a 'death defying' way though, more just plain weird, like 'Thailand's got Talent'.
We drink lots of cheap cocktails, out of bamboo shoots and watch some ladyboys do a skit where they more
or less beat each other up, complete with Vic and Bob style frying pan attacks (although I think they were actually using real frying pans!).
It was a great night, but with no photos you'll have to take our word for it!
The next stop on our trip is Koh Phi Phi, a mere 2 hour boat ride away. I've got to start by saying the main town of Phi Phi, is quite frankly, awful! Parts were destroyed in the Tsunami in 2004 and it's been rebuilt over the past 5 or 6 years. However what we're met with when we step off the boat is endless alleyways of tourist shops, cafes and blokes standing outside Dive Shops, saying 'fancy doing some scubadiving, mate?'
We've been told by a friend that it's not all bad though and there is a beautiful part of the island, called Long Beach. We waste no time in jumping into a longboat taxi and make the 10 minute journey to paradise. He was right, the sand is white, the water is turquoise and the views are stunning (cheers Dave). The only issue is that paradise comes at a price, so there's not many
options for a backpacker budget.
After trudging the length of the beach with our massive backpacks, melting in the midday sun. We finally find a vacancy at a resort which matches what's in our wallet. The only hitch is that you have to walk up a steep stairway to get to the resort, some of it made out wood threatening to break away. Once at the top and drenched in sweat, we find a nice little resort, with a cheap restaurant and an amazing view.
Our bungalow is a bit like a treehouse - it sways a bit when you walk around, the water out the taps is brown and we're sharing it with ants and lizards...however these are minor issues when you've got such a great view every morning. I won't bore you too much with the next few days because they're filled with sunbathing, swimming, reading (I'm on my 8th book since we left Oz). We also take a longboat out to Maya Bay (where they filmed The Beach). We went early enough in the morning so it wasn't too crowded and it still looks beautiful. I have 'Porcelain' by Moby playing in my head for
the rest of the day! Our longboat man takes us to a few more places, to do some snorkelling and take a few pictures - a good day out.
After 3 days of boring old paradise, we take a boat, a bus and then plane back to Bangkok, which is where we are now. We're having a few 'admin days', to sort out visa's for the rest of the trip. We met up with Minke (who we met in Koh Pagnan) and had a fun night on Kho San Road. We also went out for a meal for Valentines day which came to about 6 quid (I should take Clio to Bangkok every Valentines :-))
We decided last week that we are going to shorten the trip by a few weeks in order to make our money stretch a bit further, so we're actually going to be back in 5 weeks! Obviously we're excited about the rest of the journey but we're VERY excited about landing back in England and seeing you all.
Well done to anyone still reading the blog, I'm challenging you now by making them even longer than normal.
Next stop, Cambodia!
Ali and Clio xx
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Ann Pope
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Cat lover
What a pretty little cat, though not a true Siamese! It looks really content.