Limestone karsts, long tail boats and getting back to traveller mode

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The Krabi province offers some of the most stunning landscapes we have ever seen, with limestone karsts protruding out of emerald waters, soft golden sand beaches and amazing sunsets, and it was with this in mind we made the boat-bus journey over from Koh Samui. When we did this journey over 2 years ago it was a nightmare, with a delayed boat and several bus changes and it took almost 10 hours. This time it was much smoother, as Lompraya now run this route, so it was one boat then one bus all the way to Krabi, and took just 4 hours.

We were very keen to get back to ‘traveller mode’ so were thrilled when we found a decent room at a good price in the beachside town of Ao Nang and eyed up the numerous food and shake stalls lining the street. Yes there are many tourists here (and shops and resorts) but it just felt different, much more authentic, and straight away we were glad we had come here and our spirits lifted. As we arrived earlier than we thought we got to spend the afternoon on the beach (after grabbing some cheap street food for lunch!) which was lovely, not the best beach in Thailand but nice soft sand and clear waters overlooking the amazing karst formations that Krabi is famous for. I hurt the bottom of my foot on something sharp in the water but couldn’t see what it was, it only left a tiny pinprick but really hurt. Scott went for a sunset run later on, putting me to shame whilst I napped in the room and rested my sore foot. Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, it was really wasn’t that bad. We had decided to relax and detox whilst here so evenings were very low key with us finding even more great food stalls to eat our way around for dinner each night.

The weather was perfect here with blue skies and bright sunshine every day. Our first full day started with a ‘happy hour’ massage (for Scott, 150 Baht) and a pedicure (for me, 100 Baht) at one of the many massage salons lining the beach that offer half price treatments in the mornings which are great value. We then jumped on a long tail boat over to the small Phra-nang beach about 20 minutes away, marvelling and snapping away at the scenic cliffs on the way. When we visited this beach 2 years ago it was popular for rock climbing which Scott was going to try this time, but they don’t offer it here any more, so instead we spent the day relaxing on the powder white sand, regularly dipping in and out of the turquoise waters to cool down as it was really hot. Seriously, we couldn’t lie still for more than 1 minute without being drenched in sweat so we had to keep cooling off in the sea. It’s a hard life we know! In the late afternoon when the tide was getting low a sand bank was revealed allowing you to walk across to what previously seemed like just a big rock but actually was a small island with some beach surrounding it, really cool. What we loved even more about this little paradise was the long tail ‘restaurant’ boats which were docked selling well priced and delicious Thai food and shakes – needless to say we didn’t go hungry whilst here! When we got back to shore we sat and watched a gorgeous sunset which signalled a great end to a great day.

We enjoyed Phra-nang so much that the next day followed the same pattern, without the treatments, and we spent all day just working on our tans and swimming. We did get a bit of energy and walked through the island to the viewpoint but we didn’t have the right shoes with us so we couldn’t climb up to it, although we did see monkeys on the way so it was still a good walk. We also came across a cave at one end of the beach which was full of phallic-inspired monuments…strange but true! There were loads of different sized and shaped wooden penis’ in a variety of colours which looked like they had been carved with a lot of care – we think it symbolises fertility but are not quite sure…

We stayed for 3 nights instead of 2 as we were enjoying ourselves so much and felt really relaxed, almost rejuvenated, when it was time to leave. We debated staying another day and visiting nearby Railey beach but thought we should get a move on as we had already been in Thailand for over 2 weeks, and whilst we were having a good time we were also keen to get into Malaysia quite soon. It's crazy to think we have been away for almost 6 months now and only have a couple more months to go; time has gone really quickly lately and thoughts sometimes turn to going home and what it will be like etc, but for now we are quite content with island hopping and planning where to go in the next few weeks. Our next stop though would be the nearby island of Phi Phi which wouldn't be quite so relaxing.

S&V's Travel Info & Tips:

General Info: Approx 44 Baht to £1. Thailand is getting more expensive as the pound weakens (and by the looks of it so will the remainder of our destinations on this trip).

Transportation: We took the Lompraya boat-bus combo from Koh Samui to Krabi for 600 Baht pp, the journey took about 4 hours. We then took a minivan 13km to Ao Nang for 100 Baht pp. The long tail boats to Railey/Phranang cost 100 Baht pp per way.

Food: Heaven if you like cheap food stalls like we do! These are plentiful and delicous, our favourites were up at the top of Ao Nang by our guesthouse and right at the other end of the beach road, both serving good Thai dishes for 40-50 Baht. Lots of restaurants lining the road but we didn't try any as we were more than happy with the stalls.

Accomodation: We got a good room for 600 Baht with hot water at K.L House, about 10 minutes from the beach up the hill towards Krabi Town. Further up we had stayed previously at Cozy House for 800 Baht but these rooms were now 1000 Baht+.

Other observations:

x) Sunbathing topless in Thailand is bad enough, but we also saw women walking from their towel into the sea and back with it all hanging out - really innappropriate we felt.

xx) The few times we did look at restaurant menu's, the waiter's would appear and start reading the menu out to us, even turning the pages when we were looking at them and reciting each dish to us - very annoying!

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Comments

[Jamie]

Keeping well?
Hi Guys, I would ask if you are well but from the pictures I can clearly see you are both having the time of your lifes. I have been following your adventures and look forward to every uopdate that comes our way. Not only does it brighten my day but also gives me hope that there is alot more out there than the the dreary skys of London. I only wish I had your get up and go when I was younger!! Anyway I just wanted to say I hope you are both keeping well and looking after yourselves and should you ever come back, (why would you) make sure you give me and Jodi a shout