When we arrived in Krabi we decided we wanted to be by the sea, so we headed over to Ao Nang where we would eventually stay for 5 nights. Upon arrival we ended up staying at J. Mansion which had the best shower yet! (A really good shower can be hard to come by in Thailand, its the little things that count I suppose). Unfortunately we could only stay the one night as they were booked up the following day meaning we'd spent most of our stay in P.K. Mansion, and they ended up stealing my towel! Which I'm still bitter about, grrrrrrrr.
The first day in Ao Nang we spent on a day trip going around on a speedboat to 4 nearby islands. We got the chance to see some picturesque islands, go snorkelling and have a generally relaxing day. However, the beaches were very touristy and for some bizarre reason, there were so many people posing in front of the camera like they were models for a photoshoot. To not pass up such a good opportunity, me and Josh spent the rest of the day photo bombing these posers - definitely time well spent! After a boat trip home with a guy who looked like a fatter version of Arsenal's Santi Carzola, all in all it was a day well spent.
Before I'd come to Thailand I'd read that Ao Nang has some of the best climbing in Thailand, so I didn't pass up the opportunity to do a three day rock climbing course. Therefore, the majority of my time in Ao Nang was spent learning the ins and outs of rock climbing and abseiling. Based over at Railay beach, I was climbing grade 5 cliffs and by the end I was lead climbing grade 7s. However, on the last day I came very close to having an accident whilst abseiling, and I was a second away from falling 50ft from the cliff face. So even as I'm writing this, I feel lucky to be alive. It was my common sense that kept me from falling, and as I'd talked about health and safety previously, its not Thailand's number 1 priority so if you do want to do extreme sports in Thailand - be very careful! Ao Nang was certainly an experience I'll never forget, but accidents aside, it was a really nice place to visit. However, after 5 days there, it was time to move on to Koh Phi Phi.
Some travel advice:
- Health and safety, it doesn't really exist in Thailand so always be careful!
- Boat trips are quite a good way to spend a day, but a lot the trips are advertised similarly so make sure you read what's included in your trip.
- Try and pick one that offers something unique to the local area. Rock climbing is very fun and worth a go, even if just for a day. Would recommend Ao Nang as the cliffs are very good there.
Ayden
