From Samui we headed to Krabi. We had heard good things about it but as with most places we visited we didn't know what to expect.
We had booked a ferry with a different company, and what a disaster. The actual journey was fine, but our transfer dropped us off, we were directed to a ticket office, then pointed in the direction of the pier. And that was it. It was midday, we were stood at the end of an unsheltered pier and there were 5 of us waiting. Just us 5. Me and the hubby, 2 girls and a lad on his own. No one else was to be seen. We waited about 20 minutes in the baking heat and a guy on a motorbike came down, checked all our tickets and ripped off the stubs then went to ride off. We asked if we were in the right place and he just nodded and kept riding. It was scorching and there wasn't a single shred of shade. As the sun shifted the lampposts started to cast little shadows, soon enough all 5 of us were stood underneath the lampposts that lined the tip of the pier. I've no idea what we must of looked like but those shadows were saving us from sunburn so I didn't care. After just over an hour waiting, a boat appeared, as did what looked like a fresh coach load of passengers. I had no idea where they had come from but they certainly hadn't been stood in the bloody sun for an hour frying half to death. But somehow a few of them thought it ok to just stroll on past to the front of the queue for the boat. Na ah! Not happening.
All 5 of us bustled our way forward, but when one girl arrived next to me, boyfriend it tow, lugging 2 cases, a carry on size case and a back pack while she carried a beach bag and fanned herself with her free hand, I was ready to pounce. She flounced all the way up to us near the front and shouted at her boyfriend to hurry up so they could get on, then stepped out in front of me. I'm not one for charging to the front of queues and if the hubby had his way we would wait until last to get on or off any mode of transport, but after more than an hour of cooking she had no chance. I would of happily thrown her overboard, she would of been fine, she could swim with the free had she had been fanning herself with!!
Once off the boat at Don Sak pier we waited about 30 minutes then we were loaded onto coaches. A few hours later we were arrived in Krabi and were bundled onto a mini bus. We were at the back of the queue for the mini bus when the same girl from the ferry strolled past a line of about 8 people, and plonked herself on the shoulder of the man checking tickets as people got on. Every single person in that line edged onto the bus sideways to prevent her from pushing in. Once we were all on she through a hissy fit at her boyfriend because she had to sit on a single seat by herself and he had to sit in the front. She was fuming! It was hilarious. Our mini bus dropped us right in Ao Nang on the beach front. We found a hotel there and again it was a little diamond find! It included a buffet breakfast and had a lovely little pool.
From here we spent days lazing at the pool, wandering the markets and and bars. Every inch of space was filled with a bar, a restaurant, a clothes stall, a bag stall. It was a bit like Blackpool but nicer weather!
We also decided to do another snorkelling trip through a hostel just around the corner from our hotel. The boat would visit some of the most stunning locations including Ton Sai, Ko Poda, and Railay.
On the day the weather was horrible. It was raining, the whole sky was grey and we had been hearing rumbles of thunder all morning. I was not willing to spend the day throwing up on a long tail so we made a plan to ask hostel to let us go on another day, if they hadn't already cancelled.
We walked the 3 minutes to the hostel and we were pissed wet through! Literally drenched. When we asked the woman at the hostel just said "Sorry no."
So that was it, we were getting on the long tail. Thankfully the group we had was pretty small so we didn't have to cram in. We got food for lunch which was really tasty, and a few beers and water along the way. By the time we had set off the weather had completely cleared. It was baking and not a cloud in the sky.
The snorkelling was fantastic and because there weren't many of us it wasn't chaotic.
We got time on the stunning beaches, visited the famous 'Penis' Caves that are a shrine for fertility. This place is a place of worship but you can't help but giggle like a child when you see some of the carvings and interpretations. Some of them are so big they look like poles. The stories the guide told us of tourists taking photographs in compromising positions was enough to make your toes curl 😂. We relaxed sipping cocktails in a little reggae style beach bar. From the beach bar you could climb to a viewpoint. But this wasn't just a flight of steps, this was a death trap. There was a wooden/bamboo ladder attached to the rock face, perfectly vertical, and rickety as hell. Once you got to the top of that you had to basically become a monkey to get across the rocks. There was a huge gap between them and it was way too high for me to even consider. Obviously the hubby did it. My heart was in my mouth watching him but I couldn't help but laugh watching him scurrying across the rocks with his arse up the air. Hilarious.
The hubby was the only other lad on the boat so him and the 'tour guide', a young lad from America, hit it off and basically spent their day shot gunning beers.
It turned out to be a decent day in the end. We were glad we went.
Another destination ticked off the list. We are flying through them.
