Thursday 31st January
I decided that my plan for the day would be to pay a
visit to one of the beaches that Thailand is famous for, so I had some
breakfast and then took the bus – well, it was more like a pick-up, called sawngthaew
in Thai – to Ao Nong beach, about half an hour drive out of Krabi
town.
The main road in Ao Nong runs parallel to the beach,
and along this road is a strip of bars, restaurants and shops, making it seem
more like a resort in Spain. It was a lot larger and more modern than Palolem
Beach in Goa, but it still didn't make much of an impression as I took a quick
look about. There seemed to a largely older crowd in Ao Nong, and I wanted to
get out as quick as I could, so I took a longboat to Rai Leh beach and this
lived up much more to the idea of what a Thai beach should be like: white sand;
clear, blue water; big limestone karst formations on either side.....and loads
of fit birds with hardly any clothes on! Fantastic!
The water was beautifully warm, but also cool enough
to take away the heat of the sun that was bearing down. There was quite a lot
of people about, but not too many, and it was good to chill out on the beach
again (it had been almost three weeks since I had left the beach in Kerala). I
headed back to Ao Nong around 16.00, getting back to Krabi an hour later. I was
happy to stay in Krabi as it was not too far from decent beaches, while at the
same time, it didn't feel too overcrowded with other tourists.
That evening, I took a walk about the town, wandering
through the night market to get a glimpse of some of the delicious-looking
food, and also some of the weirder, unfamiliar things that were on sale. Food
stalls and roadside eating places are everywhere, and I have to admit that the
temptation to eat more than the usual is ever present (like Singapore but
cheaper and without the aircon). All in all, it's a good place to stay, and I
would recommend it to other people looking for good tourist facilities but also
wishing to sample some of the locals way of life.
I headed back to the hotel to chill out and watch some
TV. I had picked up a bit of a burning at the beach, but didn't feel too bad. I
watched the movie 'Touching the Void', as I hadn't seen it before, but was
blown away by the story.
