Sunny Krabi

by Chris and Alex

We headed to Krabi with two goals in mind. Diving and relaxation.

Alex learned how to dive from a Hong Kong national named Klins at the Blue Juice dive shop in Krabi town. Krabi itself isn't a beach-covered paradise, it's more of a base of operations out of which you organize trips to beach-covered paradises, jungles and the likes. Klins was a patient teacher and in no time we were out in the water diving. Visibility wasn't great, but we did get to see quite a few neat things including a moray eel, a bunch of sea horses, lion fish, clown fish, and my personal favorite, nudibranches. We also got a bonus on our second day when we saw a group of dolphins on the way out to the dive site.
Our time was split between the beaches and the jungle. Honestly, there's not too much to be said about the beaches. We sat. We walked. We played in the beautiful blue ocean. Awesome.

We spent a couple of days in the jungle. First, we decided to climb all 1237 stairs to the Tiger Mountain Cave Temple. 1237's not that many, right? I think we would have been
Flower
Here is a nice white flower with the blue water in the background.fine if we could have skipped steps 200-300. They were about 6 inches wide and a foot and a half tall. We never recovered after that. We almost resorted to shouting slogans at each other after we were passed by a Thai lady who must have been in her 70s. The view from the top was well worth the effort (so I keep telling myself). Sadly, it was overcast, so landscape pictures didn't turn out, but that didn't make the scenery any less breathtaking. Jungle greenery cascaded off of peak after peak of towering cliffs. It was reminiscent of Guilin, but without all the development. Golden Buddhas towered above us as we admired the scene below us. That older woman who sprang past us on the way up prayed at every single statue, large or small and tried to persuade Chris to do the same with gentle pushing and prodding.

The next day we woke up with sore legs, and so decided on an arm workout. We opted for the kayak/elephant trekking combo tour and were not disappointed. We kayaked through mangrove forests, lagoons, and canyons with a pair of Danes, an Englishman and his young French daughter, and
Limestone Cliffs
Cliffs and rocks like these are all over southern Thailand. Made from limestone, they shoot up out of the seas.our talkative Thai guide. In addition to some stunning scenery we also got to see a monitor lizard, a meter and a half long water snake, and many well behaved monkeys. I especially enjoyed all our variations on Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry. Among the best had to be--"No rain, plants die,"--Chris, "Monkey pee, monkey die."--our guide.

Zoe, the eight year old French girl that kayaked with us, was nearly beside herself with anticipation for our elephant trekking. This was certainly one of those times when catching the excitement of a child makes an experience worlds better. So after drying off we headed to Nosey Parker's, the elephant trekking company.

Elephants are not small.

Chris got to ride the hundred year old bull solo (well, save the guide), and Alex got the chance to ride on the elephant's head instead of on the harness and wouldn't be denied. The trek was short, but fun, especially since Zoe was around. The elephants marched around at a leisurely pace, stopping to uproot a tasty snack or to decorously scratch their backsides up against trees.

So after all this excitement we decided it was the time for some
Islands for Diving
Here is one of the first small islands that Alex learned to dive near.good, old fashioned beach bumming. So it was off to Koh Jum for us, an island that lauds the fact that upon it there is nothing to do.

Giant Buddha

This giant Buddha statue sits atop a brutal 1237 stair climb up a steep mountain. We made it, but it was torture.

Giant Buddha Cont..

Here is a close up of the giant Buddha statue.

Dolphins!

These guys came and said hello one morning as we were headed off to dive.

Klins and Alex

Alex's dive instructor Klins and Alex pose in the dive shop one evening.

Jungle Kayak

We spent a day kayaking around the Mangrove trees with some wonderful people.

Kayak Guide

Here is a shot of our guide on our kayak trip.

Jungle Alex

Alex swings from some vines on a small island in the sea.

Monkeys Everywhere

We saw hundreds of monkeys on our journey through Thailand. Some were nice, some not so much.

Elephant Trekking

We rode elephants through the jungle near Krabi. It was a great experience. These Asian elephants where massive.

Posing Elephant

This guy posed for us and blew his trumpet as we took his picture.

A Short Stop In Krabi

by Leezy



15th - 17th March - Krabi

Travelling over from Ko Phangan we caught a ship then transferred to a bus which dropped us off in Krabi. The first coincidence was that at the bus depot we met the Oxford lads from Ko Tao...more evidence to show that it really is a small world! We also found out that they had rented mopeds and that Tom had fallen off and had to have 8 stitches. I don't think we'll be hiring out mopeds again in a hurry!

Waking up early after arriving last night we had to make full use of the day as we had very little time in Krabi. We decided to book ourselves onto a Kayaking tour around the surrounding islands. We were picked up by a large open backed bus and taken to the harbour where we jumped on a longtail boat and set off for the islands. After about an hours journey we floated into the secluded bay of one of the islands and were left to roam around. It was beautiful! The sand was white and it felt very isolated. After our tour guide collected about 10 sandcrabs by digging deep into the sand,

The beach
we set sail again for another of the islands. It was Paradise Beach where we stopped and again it was very secluded. I took the short walk round to another beach and relaxed before heading back over for lunch.

After lunch we set off for Hong Island, the focal point of the trip where we would be able to Kayak. We immediately switched to the Kayaks and began our trip around the island. Fortunately, I had the guide with me in my Kayak and he made light work of the paddling, allowing me to sit back and enjoy the ride! We made our way into a lagoon where we saw lots of wildlife and starfish. Paddling on we also saw the caves where Thai men use ropes to climb up and collect small birds which are then eaten as a delicacy in China. Finally, after a pretty relaxing paddle...while the others struggled to keep up, we hit the beach.

The rest of the group claimed they were tired out and lay in the sand...I don't know what they were talking about! The beach was amazing and has to be up there with the best I have seen so far.
Paradise Beach
The second island where we ate lunch

Thailand Travel Krabi - Tonsai

by Juan Pablo De Wes



Now to bring things slightly more up to date it's now time for my thoughts and musings on the 2 fun-filled weeks i spent in a little stretch of paradise called Tonsai. Tonsai is currently riding the crest of the wave and winning the race for the much sought after Wes' Most Wonderful Place in the World award. Previous front-runners Vang Vieng and Ko Chang are still highly commended but Tonsai offers that little bit more. It's strange actually. You move round, fall in love with a place, leave, and realise that as great as it was, you may well never see it again. Tonsai though i think has found it's way into my affections and i definitely see myself returning one day... eventually... so what makes it soo great?

Well, as a beach Tonsai is not much to write home about. So let me tell you about it anyway. It's pretty, but unremarkable. The water is warm but shallow. The seabed muddy and rock filled. Railay next door fairs much nicer in the beach stakes if you're in search of some serious sunbathing action. This said Tonsai look goods as you come in. It's not over-developed and a lot of what is there is set back under the palm trees. As you chug in on a longboat you see a tree-lined beach surrounded by large limestone caves with little specks of human existence.

But anyway Tonsai isn't a place for lazing around and improving your already impressive tan. Though some do. It is a place to come and take on the Rock. Tonsai's location, snuggly situated between the headland containing the twin beach resorts of Railay East and West, and the more secluded Phra Nang on one side and the busier, more town like Ao Nang on t'other, sees around 80 climbing walls virtually all within walking distance. Talk of places such as the Fire Wall, Wee's Present Wall, Thaiwand Wall, Monkey Wall and so on and so forth soon becomes as familiar as the usual Thai traveler talk of Ko Pha Nagn, Ko Lanta, Chang Mai and Pai. Walls contain varying numbers of sports routes (i.e. bolts and an anchor already placed on the wall) and all have their own characteristics. Some cater for nervous beginners. Others for psuedo-superman climbing some of the most demanding routes in the world. Some are on nice gentle rock. Others are sharp and nasty and rip your hands apart. Some go straight up. Others involve the most ridiculously steep overhangs. Some start from the beach. Others start 30m above sea level giving rise to spectactular views (and frustration about my continued lack of camera).

This time round i started doing some lead climbing, whereas i had always seconded routes previously. When you get to a wall there is simply rock, with a series of bolts and an anchor at the top. You bring your own rope. And someone has to put it up. That person is the lead climber. Lead climbing isn't quite the extreme of solo climbing (i.e. no rope). Instead as you climb you clip the rope into the bolts that mark out the route. However once passed a bolt, a slip would see you fall as far below the last bolt you clipped in at as you have climbed above it. Additional slack in the rope may see you fall further still. This makes lead climbing tougher and much more of a mental battle. If you're seconding a route and are 90% of the way to the next clip and get stuck you can sit in your harness, let the rope hold you, relax and think about how to move on. If you're lead climbing you need to work it out, move on and clip in before you can relax. Or take a big fall. Route planning and technique become much more important. Keeping calm becomes much important. The tenser you become the quicker you tire. The more your muscles begin to burn. And making those last moves becomes a lot harder still.

Needless to say this lead to some hairy, scary moments for yours truly. But it also lead to some real feeling of accomplishment. Of pushing myself to my limit, and then pushing through it. My confidence increased rapidly, one day i climbed my first 6a+ route, the next i lead my first 6a, the next i flew up a route i'd struggled with before. Then i took a rest day. And my confidence disappeared. Then it slowly came back again. I climbed my first 6b and lead a 6a+ (very badly). Some days are good, others are bad. Some days i wondered why was i was doing this at all, and other days i remembered exactly why.

But anyway, enough about the climbing. Apart from a quick recollection about DWS. DWS? Deep Water Soloing! You go out on a boat, swim or kayak over to the rock, climb up without a rope and jump/fall off when you've had enough!! A great day out. The second route was a bit tough, with few people (myself included) able to climb it. Rich impressed the most out of group getting a good 30m or so before realising he actually had to jump back down! Initially i thought climbing above water would be less nerve wracking. And at low heights it is. But you get higher and you become more aware of having no rope. And more aware of how inelegant, and painful, your entry could be if you slip while swinging out from the wall.

One guy did take a bad fall. A bit of rock broke off under his foot. He wasn't particularly high but he slid down the wall opening a massive gash in his leg. To his credit he was remarkably calm about it. Luckily there were nurses on the boat to seal the world, and after a trip to the doctors, and 18 stitches he was out drinking that evening!

But now, enough about the climbing. What else was good about Tonsai? What will i remember?

A lot of good times and crazy banter with Rich and Jay. Getting addicted to learning the firestaff (so far, no fire, just staff). The boat boys constantly shouting "Ao Nang, Ao Nang, Ao Nang" at anyone who wanders past. Our amusement at shouting "Ao Nang, Ao Nang, Ao Nang" at them before they had a chance to reel off their catchphrase. Our even greater amusement when this started being returned with a good humoured "F%^k you". Yow (sp?), one of the waiters at the Andaman permenently struggling with having to work while being incredibly stoned. The lovely Tonsai t-shirt i bought, and then left in Tonsai (perhaps where it belongs). The lovely Tali Leaf Indian Restaurant where i seemed to amuse the staff by turning up with different dining partners. The wonderful Masaman Curry at the little restaurant next to the Freedom Bar (possibly the best curry in Asia soo far). Meeting a Canadian girl who had wrestled crocodiles. Being amazed at people on the slackline (i.e. a kind of low tightrope on the beach). Running to kick a sandcastle and instead hitting rock much to others amusement. The nice people at the Viking Bar. Interesting conversatons with Ele, the nurse at a gender reassignment clinic. Films at the Andaman. The nice relaxed friendly atmosphere and easy camaderie between climbers where anyone you meet at the wall is willing to chat with you. Rascal the Frenchman. The journey over to Railay, a choice of a hike over the headland, or wading round over the slippery rocks. The wildlife. Waking up to 10 monkeys outside a bungalow, all misbehaving as monkeys should. I could go on and on but you probably get the point, i loved Tonsai.

This said though after 4 weeks i was ready to leave and begin, you know, travelling again. You can get too settled in a place. And leaving has resulted in 2 of the most random, bizarre, and in one case scary stories so far of my travels. But it is not for me to talk about these here.

Tonsai is great, that's the point and and i don't need to say anymore.

thailand travel krabi - the beach

by genevievez



hey everyone

so now i've gotten to the relaxing part of the trip...today i've had to make such descisions as to whether i should get a pedicure, massage or go shopping first...hahaha life is good i must say!
the other day we came down to the islands and visited james bond island where they fillmed the man with the golden gun and then we stayed in a muslim fishing village for the night...the entire village is on stilts! it was um...kind of slummy but it was still a cool experience....you had to be really careful to not drop anything cuz it would plumet down about 20 feet before hitting the water which was also the raw sewage disposal...but experience it was! then yesterday we went to koh phi phi island (where they filmed the movie the beahc!) it was beautiful..... butr very touristy....as with krabi...the beachy part i'm staying in now....very touristy....which i'm not a huge fan of....i guess i've been spoiled tho on thos secluded fijian and australian beaches...soo many europeans here...and children galore..i dont understand why people bring their kids on vacations when they're too young to remember it and they ruin everyone elses time (including the parents!)...ew! hahaha anyways so now i'm on krabi...a nice part with beauitful limestone cliffs...but god i've become such a stingy jerk....i hate buying anything down here cuz its twice as expensive as up north (even though it really translates to spending 3 dollars on a meal instead of 30 cents).. but ya...anyways internet is also double down here so i best be offf now...
im' having a great time and i'm heading to phucket from here tomorrow.....dont worry i did hear about the tourist who got murdered but she was camping on a secluded beach by herself....which i will not be doing....

anyways lots of love
gen
xoxooxoxox

Thailand Part 1 - Krabi to Kanchanaburi

Thailand is a very diverse country, from manic cities to tranquil towns and beaches. It's a beautiful place with the nicest of people. We have been quite a few places since we last updated you, but will try and keep it short and sweet so you don't get too bored!!

Our first stop was Krabi, famous for rock climbing (apparently), although we didn't see much. We decided on our first day too do an island hopping tour, we wished we hadn't............... On a nice day I'm sure it would be a beautiful experience although we managed to get a freak day in the middle of summer and had torrential rain all afternoon ha ha. The place had 4 beautiful beaches, 1 being Railey beach where we spent a day climbing up to a view point and down to a lagoon, down a sheer rock face using ropes in our flip flops and half way down it started raining, Clever Hey!!!! British Health and safety would have had a heart attack. It was worth the view once down there though. Also they had a strange but amazing penis shrine, we weren't really sure what it was for
Ko Phi Phi
Lagoon Climb - Railey Beach, Krabi
Don't look down dan!!was the next island, which was made out to be paradise. Although we thought it was too touristy for that. The island was totally wiped out by the Tsunami in '04, but it has now been fully rebuilt and thriving once more. You can walk out in the sea for about a quarter of a mile and it's still only up to your thighs. It was like bath water. The surrounding cliffs were beautiful and the view from the top of them was amazing. In one of the bars at night they had a muay thai competition where you could literally fight anyone in the pub for a free drink. Pure comedy value, we think they should get one in Borrowash......

Then we took a ferry to the island of Phuket to meet our families for my brother Andrew's wedding. I was brilliant seeing everyone and catching up with the in and out's of the UK. We chilled out alot by their 5* pools, it was a real luxury after 8 weeks of slumming it. We even went to Alison's (Dans mum's) hotel most mornings and skanked a free breakfast ha ha! It was really sad leaving everyone after
Reached the Lagoon
such a good time.

Dan and Dave (Jen's stepdad) escaped from the women and went off to a fishing lake for a few days, the place was set in a stunning national forest near Krabi and had not fully opened yet so they were quite lucky to catch the monsters that they did. Dave caught an arapaima catfish weighing around 150 kilo which took him about 50 mins to land and Dan caught a minnow of a mere 80 kilo. You can imagine how happy they were. Dan did just want to point out however that he caught the most fish!!! Sorry Dave.

We spent a few days in Ranong a small town on the Thai-Burma (Myanmar) border which is where we had to go to get an extension of our Thai visa. You only get 30 days on entry so we heard about a loop hole in the law where you can leave the country and return in the same day and get an extra 30 days, instead of paying a fortune to immigration. What an experience!! We had to hire our own long boat which took us to the immigration office in the middle of the
Penis Shrine - Krabi
What she is used too?????? HA HAriver where a boy would run off our boat with our passports, get them stamped and we'd carry on to Burma. There we had to pay 10 usd each but this would depend on the quality and condition of the American dollar note, (it had to be perfect) to how much we pay, the Burmese officer seemed quite impressed with ours. Thank God! It was so easy, it was unbelievable!

Then to Bangkok, capital of Thailand. What a interesting city, we loved it. Hawker stalls and tuk-tuk's everywhere from morning till night, this city never seems to sleep. It didn't seem as sleazy as the first time we came, either it has been cleaned up alot or we have just learned to ignore it. Our first night however wasn't so restful. We checked into a 'budget' guesthouse (Dan's choice may I add) with free internet and laundry, a pool, bar restaurant and pool table etc it seemed great. Although when we went to bed in the small hours after a few beers our room was crawling with bed bugs, they were everywhere and big too, it was disgusting, we spent hours killing them, blood splats everywhere, hopefully not ours!
Lap dancing in Patong, Phuket
New lady boy in town, How much did you make????Needless to say we were straight out of there the next morning, we told reception why we were leaving and she just replied OK!!! We moved around the corner to a non tourist guest house which we soon realised was a hoar house and possibly mafia run (we know how to pick them) the hourly room rate gave it away.
We met up with one of our friends Alan from the village and spent a night on crazy Khao San road with him and his friends, we had a wicked time. We went to the worlds biggest outdoor market, Chatachuk, Dan was disappointed though as he had heard they sell tigers, snakes and other endangered species but all they had was pups kittens and squirrels!!!!!!

And finally onto Kanchanaburi, which is famous for the Bridge over the river Kwai (Death Railway). Having never seen the film we headed for the visitor centre to learn more about the history. It was very moving to see the pictures and videos of the POW's, and learning that over 100,000 people died during the building of the railway and seeing all the graves in the cemeterys, which were kept immaculate by the Thai
Dave's Arapaima Catfish, Krabi
That's a whole lot of fish!!!government. The town itself was lovely and the accommodation was great it even had a pool, one of Dan's better picks at only 5 quid a night. We went on an elephant trek it was brill then Dan steered us down a stream on a bamboo raft, he needed L plates though we had a fair few collisions. Last but not least was a visit to the Tiger Temple! The monks there took tigers in from cubs and they are now pretty much domesticated (?) Here you could go and stroke them and get your pictures taken with them, it was scary but something we will probably never get to do again. We were a little concerned about the disclaimer they made you sign and we are not sure whether our insurance would cover us in a fatality!!
We are currently on our way to Ayutthaya, Thailands old ancient capital, then north to Chaing Mai and Laos. So til the next time, hope every body is well and hope the weather is picking up. We won't leave it as long next time. TTFN.....................

Krabi, Thailand - a short stop-over on the way to paradise

by ElizabethR

Day 22-March 27th: I wrote in my last entry about our arrival into Krabi. I was up at 9 AM the next day, as per usual, and wanted to check out the place.

I went for a walk at 10 AM-ish and got info on the ferry to Ko Phi Phi and where the beaches are in Krabi, since the town was not very interesting.

I went to the bungalow to get Jessie and we took the local taxi/bus/songthaew service to Ao Nang, a beautiful stretch of beach on the coast. It was very scenic/picturesque along the way and once we got there.

We had about 15 minutes and then had to head back to Krabi to catch the ferry to Ko Phi Phi. If we had more time, I would've stayed in Ao Nang for the day/night. But Ko Phi Phi was calling us! We were on the 3 PM ferry to Ko Phi Phi and ready for more beautiful beaches. It was a scenic ride to the island.

Jessie and I are still traveling together, so we shared a room at Ban Thai Guesthouse for 600 baht/night, a good price for this tropical paradise. More news on Ko Phi Phi in my next entry....

Leaving Thailand: Or are we!?

by hingus2000

Sun Setting on our time in Thailand. As we cross into Malaysia at the border.

Thailand is an absolutely stunning country. The cities, the landscapes, and the people - all amazing. It is with great sadness that we have to leave. However, it appears it doesn't want us to go!

We were up at the crack of dawn this morning as our minibus to the Thai border town of Sungai Kolok was due to pick us up at 6.45am. Even accounting for the relaxed nature of Thai timekeeping it was apparant by 8am that it wasn't going to show up. A couple of hurried phone calls later results in us being transferred onto a bus to Penang - save hanging around for another 24 hours. Alternatively we could have taken the later bus to Sungai Kolok, however that would mean us not arriving until after the border closes. As the deep south of Thailand has been subject to some violent troubles over recent years (1500 people killed in the last 12 months, although not directly targetting tourists) we though it was probably not the best place to be hanging around in. Speaking to most people (tourists & locals) suggests that it isn't really unsafe for travellers, but still, better safe than sorry.

As they say, as one door closes, another one opens, so going to Penang gives us the chance to see a part of Malaysia we may not have visited otherwise. We will still go to the Perhentian islands (the reason for choosing the Sungai Kolok border crossing originally), so we are really only gaining a destination, and losing nothing.

I'd love to have some epic final thoughts about Thailand. But to be honest, reading the brilliant adventures we have had over our 7 weeks in the country should leave no final justification necessary. I'll be back and I'm sure Paul feels the same, and that should say it all really. Although having just thought of a killer line, I will give it a public airing: Thailand may not have loads of money, but it is rich beyond means.

Ok anyway, what better way to finish talking about this amazing country than highlight some of its more quirky factors? In no particular order, and no doubt I have forgotten several, here are a few things that I have noticed over the weeks:

Thai Rastafarians: Seen particularly in the south, eg on Koh Pha Ngan, Krabi etc. Not just Thai guys with dreadlocks, these guys look completely authentic and if you saw them elsewhere you would assume instantly they were Jamaican.

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Bangkok Taxi Drivers: Never have I known taxi drivers so openly refuse fairs. Even laugh at you for having the cheek to suggest locations! You usualyl have to flag down 3/4/5 taxis before one will consider putting a fair on a meter!

Bangkok Taxis: Whats with the colours? Is there an explination why the brightest pinks, greens, yellows and purples are needed? Probably not, but it looks class, as does the way they all seem to compete to see who has the biggest spoiler and exhaust.

VIP Buses: Painted like fairground rides and covered in a stupid amount of neon LEDs. Who needs red break lights when a mini strobe and disco lights will do!?

Minibus travel: Never assume the minibus you are on currently is the last until you reach your destination. After a few weeks you learn that you will inevitably do a relay from travel agent to travel agent, swapping buses constantly!

Coach/Lorry/All Drivers wearing flip flops: Surely would never be allowed elsewhere, virtually everyone on the road drives with flip flops on.

Traffic Light Countdowns: To be fair elsewhere in the world too, but still a curious sight coming from the Uk. Digital signs that countdown how long is left until the light turns green or red. So with 3 seconds left of red everyone starts creeping forward, and 3 seconds left of green everyone starts gunning it through the lights. Safer or not, its a really interesting thought.

Nerd section in shopping malls: Yes, the top floor is always reserved completely for comic/figurine shops and arcades and populated by hundreds of spotty kids trading pokemon cards or playing warhammer.

Fake DVDs: Everywhere has them, Thailand doesn't care about showing them! Didnt see a legit DVD the whole time I was there, but every, even respectable outlet seems to sell and show the latest pirate films.

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There are so many more I just can't think of right now, but perhaps most noticeable from all our time in Thailand is the friendliness of the people. Therefore, as we crossed the border a few minutes ago, it is the people as much as the places I remembered, and will continue remember.