Around This Big Bad Planet: Krabi- My Kinda Thailand

Krabi

Molly and I made sure we boarded the boat with plenty of time to avoid a repeat of yesterday. We made our way to the bow of the boat and settled in. We were headed to Krabi and our last destination in Thailand. There were many thoughts that entered my mind as the waves crashed below the boat. 1. How beautiful all the islands were in the distance 2. Why was there a pirate on our boat? 3. Beer for breakfast.. why yes! 4. Noah and how much he is missed.

With a beer in my hand, my feet dangling over the edge of the boat and Xavier Rudd playing on my ipod I felt as if I was finally getting to the place in Thailand that I had came searching for.

This door-
our hostel in Bangkok

Lead to this Hut- The Bananas Hostel

We had not made any arrangements in Krabi prior to our departure from the States. We wanted to leave a little bit of the trip up to chance. And it just so happened that this door lead to this hostel- The Bananas. After, we departed the boat in Ao nang Beach we hopped onto the taxi with the Thai drivers repeating and laughing at the name Bananas. Tip #1 Once, again have a map and directions to your hotel/hostel with you. Slowly, but surely every other person got dropped off at their correct destination. Soon it was just me, Mol and two Thai drivers. They circled around a bit and eventually went to a Travel Agency. We were a little irritated at this point with our "unusual" way of doing things. But, once we got dropped off on the side of the road and Olie the German owner of The Bananas picked us up this brought some relief. He drove down the road towards the hostel with Moby playing on his stereo and our amazement at how beautiful the landscape was. We actually passed a local weekly song bird contest. Tip #2 Sometimes it is worth it to get off the beaten path. The truth is that even though we felt like we couldn't do anything "normal", in reality we really didn't want to. We were finding it better to explore on our own, not stay in the "mainstream" of it all and find our own way- usually a bit more adventurously.

This shit is Bananas- This place was everything I wanted. Mostly because it had hammocks everywhere!

Krabi Day One:

Once, we got settled into our hut, Olie arranged for taxi to pick us up along with an Italian couple to go to the Tiger Cave Temple and Krabi Town Night Market. It just so happened that this was Christmas. Molly and I made our way up the 1,237 steps to the top. The stairs were no joke and definitely gave us a work out but, the views at the top were well worth the sweat. Tip #3 If in Krabi I would recommend the Tiger Cave Temple.

The Krabi Town Night Market was filled with different booths some had food, jewelry, clothes and different art work. Tip #4 When in Thailand go to at least one Night Market. I had some sushi and mushroom soup. Both were delicious and amazing. If you are a little bit more adventurous you can try a lot of more exotic foods i.e. squid.

Krabi Day Two: Kayaking the Mangroves and Canyons

Through our Hostel we were able to go on a kayaking tour through mangroves and canyons. It was nice to be able to get out onto the water. We had two guides that provided us with sea kayaks that sat two people on each. We kayaked for a few hours, stopped at a little beach and then finished with some fruit at restaurant that the tour owned. Tip # 5 Get out onto the water. It is a lot of fun to be able to explore different areas by water. Molly's camera was not so lucky as we were exiting our kayak. Tip #6 If your camera goes for a swim in salt water. Take out the batteries and memory card and put it in a glass full of distilled water. Let it soak over night.

We finished the day by going to a local beach which ended up being called Coconut Beach. We convinced a fellow American and Banana Hostel stayer, John to try to find the sunset with us. He probably thought this would be an easy and relaxing walk to a beach. Little did he know that Molly and I would make it

interesting. We ended up missing the trail head and circling around a little bit. We meant to find the Secret Beach but after not going far enough down the road so, we went through forest, went down an embankment and cut through someone's property but, we finally found a beach. Tip #7 Find a place to watch the sunset but if you are on a beach or near a jungle bring bug spray! We ended the day around a table back at the Bananas with fellow travelers from Germany, Austria and America while drinking Chang we all talked about our adventures in Thailand and our different countries.

Krabi Day Three: Elephant trekking and Secret Beach

Chiang Mai where they were able to sit directly on the elephant solo. After, the elephant ride we decided to go back to the hostel. Eventually, Molly and I decided to find the secret beach. We walked down the road. As I mentioned before that Thai people do not tend to walk a lot so, if they see someone walking down the road they will offer them a ride. Tip #8 Jump on the back of a Thai's motor scooter. Trying to find the beach we ended up doing our usual style of getting lost and this time it placed us in the back of someone's house. We were about to look into the house when we heard a dog barking and running towards us. Again, being locked up aboard came into my mind and also being mauled by this not so happy dog. Luckily, with a little sweet talking we were able to calm the dog down and make our escape up to their driveway and then hopped over their gate.

Back on the path we walked through a Rubber Tree Plantation and finally found the right path.

This beach was AMAZING! The rocks, colors and arches were breathtaking. We did a little exploring around the rocks and then I swam out while, Molly walked down the beach to a big rock pier. Tip #9 You can walk out really far in the water but, be careful Thailand has many sharp rocks and shells that will get you...ouch!

Our last night in Thailand once again we found ourselves gathered around the table drinking and talking with the other travelers. Olie asked us to move to the pier since, it was getting late and there were guests staying in the dorms right by the restaurant. He also, mentioned that there were fluorescent plankton that you can see if you move your hand around in the water. This obviously peaked my interest. Next thing I knew I was running back to the hut to throw on my swim suit. I jumped in the water with this other German guy. We swam around as the plankton glowed around us. One of the coolest experiences of my life. I felt like we were magicians and the water was our act. The German was so right when he said, "We will be the only ones with this experience." Tip #10 Jump in! Life is way better when you go swimming with fluorescent plankton.

Day 3: Our final day in Thailand

We were flying down to Singapore with our tickets we purchased the night before. Luckily, for us John had brought his laptop and was so gracious enough to let us use it. Tip #11 You can't always get to a computer or Internet while traveling. We had our last breakfast of delicious natural food. As we packed and waited for our taxi which, was arranged by Olie we took our last few hours to read, lay in hammocks and take the last few breathtaking views in. Once, our taxi got to the hostel we headed to the airport. As we boarded our plane to Singapore I knew in my heart and soul that one day I will make a trip back to Thailand. It was the most amazing experience of my life. Tip #12 Sometimes getting outside of your comfort zone and taking in a whole new culture and world can be the best thing you have ever done in your life.

A few things that we missed out on that I wish we could have done: 1. Thai massage-they are only about $10 for 60 minutes (take that Groupon!). 2. Railay Beach- we simply ran out of time. 3. Renting a motor scooter and exploring Krabi a bit more.