Krabi Town, Ko Phi Phi and Ao Nang
Although there's not huge amounts to do in Krabi town I decided to stay there a few nights before going over to Phi Phi.
I stayed in the City Hotel in the centre of town. I explored the town and the river bank and also checked out the night market. At the night market I was a bit aprehensive about trying the food but was glad I did, the food is all cooked at the stalls on bbqs and hot plates. There was also some live music. It was good to be amongst Thai people and not just tourists.
I'd heard that Phi Phi was really busy so decided to pre-book my accomodation (I have since learned you nearly always get over charged doing this) but it took ages until one agent eventually found me a room.
Next morning I headed over to Phi Phi Don by ferry. I'd lost my travel sickness pills but fortunately the crossing was calm. I checked into the hotel (Don Chukit) which was ok (except for a load of ants in the bathroom) and went out for a look around. The island was very busy and there were quite a few backpackers wondering around looking homeless. My hotel was on the main bay (Ao Ton Sai) but it was just a short walk across the island to Ao Lo Dalam which has a nice beach with swimming areas. The impact of the 2004 Tsunami can still be seen and there is shed loads of building and repairing going on which all seems very disorganised. The size of the main town is deceptive too and I kept finding new sections down the various side streets.
I signed up for a snorkelling trip which took me to Phi Phi Leh, famous for Maya Bay - the beach from The Beach. There is no accommodation on the island so everyone does a day trip to visit. The trip was by long tail boat as there were loads of big boats going I chose this one as it was supposed to leave earlier and beat the crowds.
Our first stop on the trip was Viking Cave where the locals collect Swiftlets nests using vine and bamboo scafolds.
The nests I learned later are used to make Bird Nest Soup. After the cave we headed into a small bay which was very picturesque - as our boat was so small we could cruise right around it over some sand bars. We moved on to our first snorkelling spot. There were tonnes of really small fish which seemed to form into a wall which would bend out of shape if you swam towards it. I followed the guide for a bit and he pointed out two Lion Fish then we saw a massive Jelly Fish which I was keen to get out of the way of.
We headed on to Maya Bay. Instead of going directly to the bay we stopped at a hole in a rock on the otherside of the bay we had to swim accross to the rock then use ropes to get through the hole and down onto the beach on the otherside. We then followed a jungle path which led us to Maya Bay itself.
As it was mid morning by this point I was expecting the place to be busy but I was not prepared for the amount of people there. There were around 10 speed boats parked up on the beach with 2 big boats anchored in the bay itself as well as all the people doing the same as us. The beach was crowded and although the bay itself is undoubtedly beautiful I prefer my beaches a bit less crowded. The speedboat crews even used megaphones to yell at there passengers when it was time for them to go! So although I knew I had to see Maya Bay I was not sorry to be leaving and heading for the next snorkel stop at Shark Point. This spot was OK but there were no sharks because of all the boat traffic - there was still quite a few fish though. Before heading back to port we stopped at Monkey Beach back on Phi Phi Don - although there were no monkeys there (probably scared off as we were the 50th boat to stop there!) it was still a nice spot to sit and relax.
For my evenings entertainment on the island I found a cheap restaurant that showed films and served beer. I watched Blood Diamond and of course The Beach. I had a look in a few of the other bars - one had it's own boxing ring where they were looking for volunteers to kickbox - I laughed at the sign outside promised live lady-boy boxing and inside two Australian lads were knocking each other about.
On my last day on Phi Phi I decided to climb up to the viewpoint. The route up to the viewpoint is now the Tsunami evacuation route and it was quite a climb. Once at the top I had a great view of the beach and port - you could actually see the whole area that had been hit by the Tsunami.
There were various trails leading off and I followed one to another viewpoint which gave me a different view of the island. I headed back to the first point and noticed that more and more people were arriving to watch the sun set so I grabbed a spot on the rocks.
I caught the ferry back to Krabi then took a taxi to Ao Nang. Although my first choice hotel only had the most expensive rooms left I opted for a budget option next door. I was in the mood to do some activities so signed up for an Elephant Trek. The trek was with a company called Noisey Parkers (do you see what they've done there?) They drove me out to the start of the Trek and got me onboard the elephant. I thought I was going to be on the only one on the trek as my guide led me off straight away. At one point he jumped off the elephant and let it roam around which was a strange feeling as I didn't know what it was going to do next. I got off the seat and sat in the driving postion behind the elephants head - she kept flapping her ears and banging her head and trunk against trees.
Eventually some more trekers turned up and we headed off into the jungle. On the way back one of the elephants saw a geko and panicked which entertained me but not the guys on its back. Once across the stream and back at the camp we got to feed the elephants before visiting the rest of the elephants.
You could see why they cost a fortune to keep as they all had massive piles of food which they scooped into their mouths. There was also a baby elephant there which played the harmonica and span a hula-hoop for us. Unfortunately though he had a really short chain around his leg (apparently chained for its own safety as it kept escaping) and it looked like it was in the process of going mad.
That night I went to see some Muay Thai (Kick Boxing). It was very touristy and a bit of a scam. I was glad I had not paid for the VIP seats as they were arm chairs by the edge of the ring. I had a good view from up in the stands. There were lots of kids fights and only a couple of adult fights. It was good to see all the ceremony surrounding the fights along with the traditional music though.
On my last day in Ao-Nang I did a combined day trip to the hot springs and Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple). This was a really good trip and we had a good guide. Our first stop was Klong Thom Hot springs in the jungle. The springs were so warm you were only supposed to stay in the water for a 15 minutes. There were naturally hollowed-out 'bathtubs' in the smooth stone. When you got too warm you could climb down into a big pool to cool off. From the springs we headed to another great swimming site 'Crystal Pool' in Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. There was a scenic nature walk through the forest to reach the pool.
The pool itself was impressive and the water was crystal clear and great to swim in.
The lunch stop was nice too as it was Thai Chicken and Chicken Curry dishes at a local restaurant. After lunch we went to Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple). 3 of us decided to climb the 1200 steps to the top of the 600m Karst peak. At the top was a Buddha statue and a guilded stupa but the views of the surrounding area made the climb worth while.
When we climbed down we couldn't find the guide so I went off exploring I found another set of stairs and climbed up them over a gap in the ridge then down into a valley of tall trees and limestone caves. I explored some of the caves and walked past the small houses where some of the monks lived. I followed the trail around then realised I should probably be heading back. By the time I got back to the start of the trail the sweat was pouring out of me, luckily the guide was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. She showed me into the main temple where I met one of the monks and had to sign a visitor book - I was a bit embarassed at how much I was sweating. We had some time to look around the temple and went up a staircase leading to the Tiger Cave which gave the temple its name - no sign of any tigers though! I was glad to get back to the air-conditioned van but was gutted when I realised I'd dropped my travelling hat (see the picture on my profile) - if any of you visit the temple look out for a rather stylish monk!
I stayed in the City Hotel in the centre of town. I explored the town and the river bank and also checked out the night market. At the night market I was a bit aprehensive about trying the food but was glad I did, the food is all cooked at the stalls on bbqs and hot plates. There was also some live music. It was good to be amongst Thai people and not just tourists.
I'd heard that Phi Phi was really busy so decided to pre-book my accomodation (I have since learned you nearly always get over charged doing this) but it took ages until one agent eventually found me a room.
Next morning I headed over to Phi Phi Don by ferry. I'd lost my travel sickness pills but fortunately the crossing was calm. I checked into the hotel (Don Chukit) which was ok (except for a load of ants in the bathroom) and went out for a look around. The island was very busy and there were quite a few backpackers wondering around looking homeless. My hotel was on the main bay (Ao Ton Sai) but it was just a short walk across the island to Ao Lo Dalam which has a nice beach with swimming areas. The impact of the 2004 Tsunami can still be seen and there is shed loads of building and repairing going on which all seems very disorganised. The size of the main town is deceptive too and I kept finding new sections down the various side streets.
I signed up for a snorkelling trip which took me to Phi Phi Leh, famous for Maya Bay - the beach from The Beach. There is no accommodation on the island so everyone does a day trip to visit. The trip was by long tail boat as there were loads of big boats going I chose this one as it was supposed to leave earlier and beat the crowds.
Our first stop on the trip was Viking Cave where the locals collect Swiftlets nests using vine and bamboo scafolds.
The nests I learned later are used to make Bird Nest Soup. After the cave we headed into a small bay which was very picturesque - as our boat was so small we could cruise right around it over some sand bars. We moved on to our first snorkelling spot. There were tonnes of really small fish which seemed to form into a wall which would bend out of shape if you swam towards it. I followed the guide for a bit and he pointed out two Lion Fish then we saw a massive Jelly Fish which I was keen to get out of the way of.
We headed on to Maya Bay. Instead of going directly to the bay we stopped at a hole in a rock on the otherside of the bay we had to swim accross to the rock then use ropes to get through the hole and down onto the beach on the otherside. We then followed a jungle path which led us to Maya Bay itself.
As it was mid morning by this point I was expecting the place to be busy but I was not prepared for the amount of people there. There were around 10 speed boats parked up on the beach with 2 big boats anchored in the bay itself as well as all the people doing the same as us. The beach was crowded and although the bay itself is undoubtedly beautiful I prefer my beaches a bit less crowded. The speedboat crews even used megaphones to yell at there passengers when it was time for them to go! So although I knew I had to see Maya Bay I was not sorry to be leaving and heading for the next snorkel stop at Shark Point. This spot was OK but there were no sharks because of all the boat traffic - there was still quite a few fish though. Before heading back to port we stopped at Monkey Beach back on Phi Phi Don - although there were no monkeys there (probably scared off as we were the 50th boat to stop there!) it was still a nice spot to sit and relax.
For my evenings entertainment on the island I found a cheap restaurant that showed films and served beer. I watched Blood Diamond and of course The Beach. I had a look in a few of the other bars - one had it's own boxing ring where they were looking for volunteers to kickbox - I laughed at the sign outside promised live lady-boy boxing and inside two Australian lads were knocking each other about.
On my last day on Phi Phi I decided to climb up to the viewpoint. The route up to the viewpoint is now the Tsunami evacuation route and it was quite a climb. Once at the top I had a great view of the beach and port - you could actually see the whole area that had been hit by the Tsunami.
There were various trails leading off and I followed one to another viewpoint which gave me a different view of the island. I headed back to the first point and noticed that more and more people were arriving to watch the sun set so I grabbed a spot on the rocks.
I caught the ferry back to Krabi then took a taxi to Ao Nang. Although my first choice hotel only had the most expensive rooms left I opted for a budget option next door. I was in the mood to do some activities so signed up for an Elephant Trek. The trek was with a company called Noisey Parkers (do you see what they've done there?) They drove me out to the start of the Trek and got me onboard the elephant. I thought I was going to be on the only one on the trek as my guide led me off straight away. At one point he jumped off the elephant and let it roam around which was a strange feeling as I didn't know what it was going to do next. I got off the seat and sat in the driving postion behind the elephants head - she kept flapping her ears and banging her head and trunk against trees.
Eventually some more trekers turned up and we headed off into the jungle. On the way back one of the elephants saw a geko and panicked which entertained me but not the guys on its back. Once across the stream and back at the camp we got to feed the elephants before visiting the rest of the elephants.
You could see why they cost a fortune to keep as they all had massive piles of food which they scooped into their mouths. There was also a baby elephant there which played the harmonica and span a hula-hoop for us. Unfortunately though he had a really short chain around his leg (apparently chained for its own safety as it kept escaping) and it looked like it was in the process of going mad.
That night I went to see some Muay Thai (Kick Boxing). It was very touristy and a bit of a scam. I was glad I had not paid for the VIP seats as they were arm chairs by the edge of the ring. I had a good view from up in the stands. There were lots of kids fights and only a couple of adult fights. It was good to see all the ceremony surrounding the fights along with the traditional music though.
On my last day in Ao-Nang I did a combined day trip to the hot springs and Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple). This was a really good trip and we had a good guide. Our first stop was Klong Thom Hot springs in the jungle. The springs were so warm you were only supposed to stay in the water for a 15 minutes. There were naturally hollowed-out 'bathtubs' in the smooth stone. When you got too warm you could climb down into a big pool to cool off. From the springs we headed to another great swimming site 'Crystal Pool' in Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. There was a scenic nature walk through the forest to reach the pool.
The pool itself was impressive and the water was crystal clear and great to swim in.
The lunch stop was nice too as it was Thai Chicken and Chicken Curry dishes at a local restaurant. After lunch we went to Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple). 3 of us decided to climb the 1200 steps to the top of the 600m Karst peak. At the top was a Buddha statue and a guilded stupa but the views of the surrounding area made the climb worth while.
When we climbed down we couldn't find the guide so I went off exploring I found another set of stairs and climbed up them over a gap in the ridge then down into a valley of tall trees and limestone caves. I explored some of the caves and walked past the small houses where some of the monks lived. I followed the trail around then realised I should probably be heading back. By the time I got back to the start of the trail the sweat was pouring out of me, luckily the guide was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. She showed me into the main temple where I met one of the monks and had to sign a visitor book - I was a bit embarassed at how much I was sweating. We had some time to look around the temple and went up a staircase leading to the Tiger Cave which gave the temple its name - no sign of any tigers though! I was glad to get back to the air-conditioned van but was gutted when I realised I'd dropped my travelling hat (see the picture on my profile) - if any of you visit the temple look out for a rather stylish monk!
posted by Phil at 4:06 PM
1 Comments:
Really nice pics. Shame about the hat!
Love
Jen
x
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