So the trip to Krabi was long and arduous as stated earlier, and there was an unexpected stopover in Hat Yai to change buses which you are not told about (I didn't ask either to be honest!). Mind you, is it normal to put bus stations in places that look like they are in the middle of nowhere or that could just be someones house! It seems to be the way in Thailand! After the stopover, we made it to Krabi safe and sound and I just followed sheepishly the three amigos on the bus to Ao Nang, as I had nowhere better to go!
I am sorry I don't have photos (I deleted all of them in a moment of stupidity), but Ao Nang is tourist central in the way that Khao San road is tourist central in Bangkok, and also in a way you never get in Malaysia. You can buy anything, all the restaurants and bars are fully catered to western tastes, locals don't exist and sex tourism is rampant. Just the kind of place that I would hate, but strangely enough it had an unpretentious feel to it that made it OK. I quite enjoyed the two days I spent there. Though the quick reintroduction to alcohol after an almost forced celibacy in Malaysia, is worth a caution for following travellers!
Krabi has a variety of beaches you can go to. Ao Nang, Railay east and west, Pranang and Tonsai. Ao Nang is the main entry point. Rai Ley is for families and short term tourists, Pranang is the nicest beach and you go there to be seen. But the Jewel in the Krabi crown (for me) would have to be Tonsai. Tonsai is for serious climbers and those out to chill out. The difference between the beaches is startling as they are all 15 to 20 min by boat from each other. I stayed at Ton sai beach for 300 baht per night. You can choose to stay at Railay beach for 150,000 baht if you choose, but there are much cheaper. Weird but true!Tonsai beach is probably the only beach resort where the majority of people aren't out to do nothing, sunbathe and drink the alcohol. It is also the fittest and healthiest looking beach crowd you will ever see. The place is wall to wall rock climbers which gives a completely different and for me better feeling than any other beach resort I have been to! Wake up in the morning and wander down to the Freedom bar, where you can watch the early starters take on serious overhangs while eating your fresh Muesli, Yoghurt and fruit. Generally healthy, with a good comradely and a slow but healthy nightlife, ended up in me being stuck there for a week!
I spent a lot of time doing nothing but there where a couple of highlights.I spent one day 'Deep Sea Soloing'. You may wander what that is, but it means free climbing with no rope or harness. When you reach the top of the climb or just feel you can't hold on any more, you jump off and fall into the water. Brilliant!On another day we went proper rope climbing which was great fun. It did help that we got some advice from some nearby climbers as the four of us were rather vague on the details and could have got ourselves in serious trouble. The way that everyone helps each other and everyone is trying to achieve personal goals is great. After reaching the top of a modest climb after two attempts you could hear my feeble voice echo across the bay. We made it safely through the day with no injuries and deaths and met a variety of interesting people at the same time.
In the evening, this was valentines day, there were big parites everywhere but I felt a certain vagueness and hotheadedness entering my head. By the time I had finished dinner and walked the kilometer up the hill to get to my bed I was feeling totally in a daze. After a bad night sleep and a impromptu emptying of the stomach, I woke up in the morning feeling little better. I managed to get out of bed and walk down the hill but by midday I was flat out dizzy again and retreated back to bed were I slept in three solid blocks till 10am the next morning. I don't know what it was and my stomach still doesn't fell quite right, but my head cleared up significantly after the next after taking more rehydration salts and trying to take it easy. So I spent the day at Pranang beach recovering in the sea and shade.
By the next day I was feeling much better and spent then morning Bouldering (again free climbing, but a low heights) before making my way to out of Tonsai. I had spent too much time there and need to move to northern Thailand quickly. I had planned to catch the bus to Surat Thani train station, buy and train ticket and stay the night and then catch the day train to Bangkok. Now that sounds like a straightforward trip, however to achieve it in practice it took a longtail boat, large tuk-tuk, 2 a/c minivans, utility vehicle, motorbike, bus, train and then a taxi to the hotel. Let me explain!
When you book a bus from A to B in Thailand, it never actually means that. It means catch a bus to a restaurant somewhere where through a process of mix and match you are assigned a bus to your next destination, 5 to 10km from where you need to go, where you stop off at another restaurant and again through a process of mix an match are are placed in another bus to take you to your destination, B. Now in the process of changing from bus 2 to 3 my guitar was left behind. Now this happened a 8pm at night and the bus driver had gone home with the bus and was asleep by the time I realised. What to do! After a few minutes of chit chat it was established that I could not get my guitar back till the following morning and was given directions on how to get there based on me staying at a hotel recommended by them. Not much I could do but to go along with them. So I hopped in the back of a utility vehicle and was taken to the hotel (which was fine) but I had not got to the train station to buy my ticket. So I was all the while concerned that I would not be able to catch the train the next morning as I had planned.
Waking up in the morning I checked out and managed to get my guitar back without any hassles. But then how to get to the train station. After fending off a couple of tuk tuk's, a local said that for 20baht we could take me to the local bus station, where I could catch a bus to the train station for another 20baht. That was definitely the cheapest route so I said okay. So with pack, small backpack dn guitar, i hopped on the back of his motorcycle, for the whole 500 meters to the bus station. Oh well, but the information was worth the 20baht. I go on the bus fine and ended up at the train station on time and luckily one seat was still available. So I got to Bangkok as I wanted, I just took a little detour.
Bangkok up the craziness another notch as I was set down near Khao San Road. This place feel almost like walking through a street in Sydney as the westerners outnumber the locals easily 10 to one. But there are many places to eat, and many little stalls with people wanting to sell stuff. You are also constantly greeted with a cordial "Where you go" from all the taxi and tuk tuk drivers keen to make a baht!
I spent time with Beccy and Christian (more on them in the next installment) who I met in Krabi. Generally killing time, before taking one day to see the sights. After wandering in the general direction of the Grand Palace I met my first Thai person that wanted to help me without trying to get money off me. He told me the main sites to see and in what order to see them. When asked how I would travel, I said walking. He said no and told me I should gt a tuk tuk to take me around for 50baht. Tuk tuk's usually start at 100baht. He then helped me flag one down and negotiate the price. So off I wne tin the tuk tuk, first to the standing buddha, the sitting buddha. But conversing with the driver he realised that I needed to book a train ticket so he said he would take me to a tourist centre where I could buy a ticket (this side trip would incur extra expense I found out later). Tourist centres in Thailand are Tour sales centres and are scant on useful tourist information for the independent traveller. There I was kindly offered a tailored package for a small 13700baht. I kindly refused and instead took a two day tour and booked the train ticket to Chang Mai.
After this the tuk tuk driver took me to the grand palace which is an and impressive structure and the nearby temble houses the emeraldbuddha, which was once located in Chang Mai. It is lavishly enveloped in a sea of gold. The rest off the temple and palace was nice, but when viewing it I was in a bad mood as I had just deleted all of my photos; 600 of them! oh well. After leaving the temple I picked up my tuk tuk who drove me back to the tour centre to pick up my train ticket, and then dropped my off at the ferry pier, all for a mere 80baht ($2.75 approx) From there I took a lazy boat down the river in Bangkok entertained by a very happy and smiling guide, pointing out the major attractions. A very worthwhile trip if your ever in Bangkok!
After hoppng of the ferry, I did my usual thing of catching a train all the way around the city just to see it before jumping off and spending an 1 hour trying to find the right bus to get back to the hotel with. I got there in the ens and saved myself 85baht ($2.90 approx). big money!
After spending more time drinking in the afternoon before wandering the street and meeting a guy that makes bamboo saxophones and meeting an Indian musician who was learning the dulcimer. We spent the rest of the night talking over some juice. anyway better leave it there, in the next blog you can here about my tour and a surprising turn of events!
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