On the Andaman Sea

After saying goodbye to my students and friends at Ampangan Woh, I had one day back in KL to sort out some office stuff before taking off for Krabi, a town in the south of Thailand, along the country's tail, which curves down into the Andaman Sea.

I arrived in Krabi in the late afternoon and spent the day just enjoying the little city. Having done no research about the place, I was surprised to find that the town itself is not on the beach, but I enjoyed it a lot. A reasonably small town, the main street, which winds along the river that eventually dumps out into the sea, buzzes with travelers on their way elsewhere (Krabi's airport and proximity to several of Peninsular Thailand's most famous beaches makes it a good jumping off point), but it doesn't take too much of a walk to reach more residential areas, where I discovered a school and small, neat houses. I spent the evening walking along the river, and wandering through the massive night market, set up just along the pier.

The following morning I wanted to head to the beach, so after weighing the many choices in the area, I decided to head to Railay Beach, whose rock formations I had heard much about. I shared a longtail boat with a group of other backpackers, and we were on our way. The trip down the river was absolutely gorgeous - the steep cliffs that characterize the entire Krabi area rose out of the water, which itself was the clearest shade of blue.

Our ride to Railay

View along the river

Once we arrived, I wasn't sure where to go. I'd imagined that I'd find bathers and sunbathers not too far from the pier, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of sandy beaches around. I chose a direction and followed the road along the shore, which was lined on both sides by cozy traveler cafes and bars. I had a nice breakfast on a cushion on the floor of one of them, where I sat on a raised platform and could look over at the sea, which itself was thickly crowded with mangrove trees. After I'd eaten, I decided to follow the road across the island, to a place that looked a little beachier, at least as far as I could tell from the maps posted at various points along the pier. I walked past several groups of rock climbers - Railay's imposing black cliffs make it a favorite destination for climbers.

Caves for climbing or gawking

 I finally made it out to the west coast beach, where I discovered a beautiful little patch of sea and sand. More lovely blue-green (but somehow still crystal clear) water and fine, white sand, but the cliffs surrounding the beach were still the most breathtaking part of the place.

The sea was also lined with more longtail boats, some ferrying passengers back and forth, others selling drinks and food to beachgoers willing to wade out to reach them.

I spent the afternoon in and out of the water, then headed back to the east coast beach to catch the last boat back to Krabi, where I showered and headed to the pier market for a delicious dinner of pad thai. To my surprise, I happened to see a friend there, whom I'd met about a month before in Langkawi, when he was on his way from Malaysia to Thailand. It was funny to bump into him, and it was nice to spend the evening with someone.

The following day I caught a "bus" (more like a covered pick up truck) to Aonang, a beach about a 45-minute drive from Krabi Town, which I'd heard was nice, and where I'd decided to spend a night before heading to Koh Lanta. Aonang turned out to be not entirely backpacker friendly - the entire strip of sand seemed more or less owned by resorts, and my hostel was a serious hike from the shore. It was a nice beach, however, if a bit narrow, and eventually I settled down in the shade lent by one of the resorts. I had a nice swim, enjoyed a view of the cliffs of Railay from the other side (Railay lies between Krabi and Aonang), and then beat the heat of the middle of the day at a small food market along the main road. For the afternoon, I walked the length of the beach, past one thousand massage centers and spas, and read and napped in the sand (always protected by the shade of one palm tree, which I jealously guarded. I stayed for a gorgeous sunset, then returned to the hostel for the night (stopping for dinner at a small, hole-in-the-wall place, with delicious Thai food, local customers, and favorable prices).

View from the southern end of the beach

A quiet place to read for a while, with a spectacular view

I couldn't believe the color of the water

Northern end of the beach - I love how the afternoon sun turns everything gold

The next day, I headed (by bus and the vehicle ferry) to Koh Lanta, a large island a bit south of the Krabi mainland area. I'd planned to spend jus two or three days there, before moving on, but I was pretty sure almost immediately upon arrival that I'd stay much longer. I ended up spending six days on the island and skipping my next planned destination (Koh Phi Phi) altogether. Although I've heard that Phi Phi is stunning, it's also a favorite vacation spot for tourists looking for wild party nights and various drugs (probably due to the island's cameo in the movie, The Beach). Koh Lanta is much more relaxed - the haunt of hammock-swinging hippies and artists, and definitely more my scene. I was directed to a hostel where a friend of a friend worked (I met her briefly, but she actually left for Vietnam just a few hours after I arrived). The hostel advertised itself as a "community" and a "house" and it definitely felt that way: I was one of only a few guests not working there or staying long term, and everyone was exceptionally friendly. Everyone ate dinner together, prepared by two of the staff, every night. Several people were selling handmade jewelry, artwork, massages sessions, and yoga classes as a way to fund their travel. The outdoor common area was filled with hammocks, cushions, a dog, and a bunny (who miraculously coexisted as well as any of the human inhabitants), and the rooms were separate bungalows. I stayed in the one dorm that was more or less open to the elements (the walls didn't quite reach the ceiling), and the rickety staircase leading up to it gave the feeling of living in a tree house. It was such a nice place to unwind after a day in the sun, meet other travelers, and spend a couple of days.

My first and second days in Koh Lanta were mostly beach days, although I did follow the main road just to get a sense of the inland town, and check out the beach north of us (I was staying on Long Beach, the most popular with young travelers, which is more or less in the middle of the west coast but the island is so huge that there are eight other beaches on the west coast alone).

I booked a dive trip for the third day to nearby Koh Bida - a tiny island northeast of Koh Lanta. I was told there was a chance to see whale sharks, leopard sharks, and reef sharks, but that sightings are somewhat rare, and not to be too hopeful. My divemaster turned out to be Malay, and he could hardly contain himself when he learned I could speak Bahasa Melayu - he thought it was too funny for words, and we had a fun ride out to the site with me shouting "Boleh!" and "Makan!" and "Lah!" at every appropriate opportunity. We were a small group of four with the divemaster, and we jumped in and almost immediately spotted a reef shark. The coral was unbelievably beautiful - lilac and turquoise, and the water so clear that visibility was great. Saw a few squids, some angry-looking pufferfish, and lots and lots of boxfish. The second dive (after a short fruit and surface break) was just as good: we saw a lot of moray eels and more boxfish, as well as some shrimp lurking around the ocean floor. After the second dive, we were given the option of paying for a third dive or sitting it out and snorkeling for free. My dive buddy and I both decided to save the cash (I was thinking longingly about Indonesia dive sites) but at the last minute we decided at least to snorkel. So lucky we did, because not five minutes after we jumped in the water, we saw a leopard shark relaxing near the bottom. He was enormous (and named Gerald, we learned) - at least seven feet long - and so beautiful. I was surprised that his spots were as defined as they were, especially on his fins and tail. When he'd swum too far for us to catch up, we swam on, looking at funny little trumpetfish, boxfish, and more spectacular coral. Later on, we spotted three more leopard sharks (it's possible that one of them was Gerald, but I'm not sure), which none of the divers saw. Though they got a closer look at Gerald, only the snorkelers saw the second wave of sharks. We returned to the boat and headed back to shore, gossiping about the sharks, regretting the failure of any turtles to show up, but all in all feeling that the trip was more than successful.

The next day I felt like I needed a break from the beach and the ocean, so I decided to rent a bicycle (I wasn't brave enough to rent a scooter like all the other backpackers in Southeast Asia) and ride across the island to the Old Town. Had I consulted a map beforehand, I might have reconsidered, as the island turned out to be much bigger and hillier than I was prepared for. What I envisioned as a leisurely bike ride became a trek up and down mountains, and around 20 miles roundtrip. Not to mention I hadn't been on the seat of a bicycle since I was 17 and living in Switzerland, and I was on the silliest bike an adult has ever ridden. It had no gear shift, so I found myself spinning almost out of control on the downhills, and being forced to dismount and walk on the uphills. What I assume was intended cheers of support from the motorbikers flying past me as I pushed the bike uphill in the baking sun did not actually improve my mood.

Goofiest little blue bicycle you ever did see

I will admit that the trip across the island (Old Town is in the southeast of the island) was beautiful, and interesting to see. I was riding through small local villages with tiny, unstable looking wooden homes and unbelievable views over the sea (from atop the outrageous hills I had to climb). I was rewarded when I got to Old Town by a single street of cute little shops and cafes, and a narrow pier overlooking the sea. I walked up and down the street checking it out, before stopping for a pineapple juice and some lunch. The owner of the restaurant where I ate was a very friendly Canadian from Vancouver, who told me about a big ongoing festival - the final and biggest night happened to be that night. I agreed that it would be fun to check out, but accepted that given my mode of transport, it would be impossible to stay until the evening (no way was I making the trip back after dark).

After seeing what there was to see in Old Town, and sitting and reading awhile in the cafe to ditch the sun for a bit, I hopped back onto my bike (with much less enthusiasm than I had in the morning) and made my way back. I go lost once, briefly, and someone helpfully corrected my mistake, so I got back to the hostel around 5. I had just reclined in one of the hammocks when a couple people I'd met two nights before said that they were going to the festival, and that if I wanted to join I was welcome to jump on the back of one of their scooters, so in the end I did get to go, and I had a much more comfortable mode of transport there and back. The festival was fun: we didn't listen to much of the music, but wandered up and down the streets where street vendors had popped up in the 2 or so hours since I'd been there last. We made a dinner out of a variety of snacks (spring rolls, sushi, some kind of sweet pastry, sticky rice, and even a cricket - crunchy, but only tasted like soy sauce and chilies) before returning home and going immediately to bed. 

My last full day on Koh Lanta, I went with the same people to the orchid farm, where we stood in more baking sun and looked at flowers, as well as Thai spice plants and fruits. It was cool to see, but I don't think the guide spoke very much English, so our tour was more or less silent or one-word explanations.

We spent the rest of the day at the beach, where we caught one more Koh Lanta sunset, and then headed back to the hostel, where we met a Lithuanian couple who would begin working there the following night, and who had a lot to say about Lithuanian and Russian politics, and were very interesting to chat with. I went to bed early again - all the sun here makes me so sleepy!

My last day on the island, I had booked a ferry for 1 in the afternoon, so I had a nice and cool beach morning before packing up, saying goodbye, and heading to the dock. I was on my way to Phuket to visit a close friend whom I haven't seen in nearly a year, despite how (relatively) close we've been living since last March.