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Krabi
The province of Krabi is less “Thai” than northern Thailand. The influence of Muslim culture and the nearby neighborhood of Malaysia is clearly felt here. The Andaman Sea surrounds it from the west, and the landscape is dominated by huge rock hills with vertical walls called “mogotes.” In the Krabi River delta, there is Krabi Town – the capital of the region where the port is located, from which we can sail to Koh Lanta, Phuket or Koh Phi Phi. 16km from the city is the town of Ao Nang. This is the place from where characteristic boats with raised noses come from, which we can see in the pictures from Thailand
After almost two months of staying and working in Asia (one and a half month in Bangkok and more than a week on Koh Phangan), it’s time for a full week’s vacation on the west coast of Thailand, just before departure to Poland. For a transport, I chose the Thai Airways airplane from the neighboring island of Koh Samui, where there is a very nice small airport. The flight was December 9, 2017, at 12 o’clock. The flight lasted slightly over an hour and after 1 pm I landed at the airport in Krabi. You can take a minibus to Krabi Town or Ao Nang from the airport for 150THB. My hostel was in this second place.
Ao Nang Beach
While Krabi Town is the capital of the region, Ao Nang can be called a tourist capital. A small town with just a few streets filled with pubs, hostels, and hotels. From here you can easily get to the Railay peninsula or take a trip to the surrounding islets.
I am a person who hates to bargain. I believe that everything or service should have one fixed price. Unfortunately, like in the Arab Countries or in China also in Thailand, you have to haggle in many places. Therefore, when I was looking for a trip to four islands, I went to a travel agency, which, as one of the few, had prices on a window, and I had not guess at how much the trip would cost. An all-day trip to 4 islands costing 450THB. (according to the leaflet, the price of the trip is 2000THB and some travel agencies try to sell it at that price…)
Before the end of the day, I went on a hiking trip through the Monkey Trail in the south-eastern part of the beach. This is the area of the national park where we can meet wild monkeys. I was expecting light rocks, but there were footbridges or stairs everywhere, so I consider the route as very nice and short ~ 15min
Pranang Cave Bay
The tour begins with picking up from the hostel around 8 am. We have been transported to a small marina, from where a traditional boat (Longtail boat) flows to the first point of the program, which is Pranang Cave. It is a cave in which there is a mini-temple dedicated to the princess Phra Nang, which according to legend has died in the wreck of the ship, and her spirit lived in a cave. A characteristic element of the cave are the various figures of a penis that are folded in the cave as gifts for the princess.
4 islands (Poda, Tub, Mor, Chicken islands)
We then sailed off the coast towards 3 islands: Tub, Mor and Chicken Island. At high tide, they are 3 separate islands, while at low tide they are connected by a small beach. On the date when I visited this place, the first two tiny islands were connected to each other, and on the way to Chicken Island, the water reached the waist. After a short walk, we sailed to the other side of Chicken Island where we could see where the island got its name from. One of the rocks looks like a chicken head from a distance, and the whole island looks like a chicken. Here we also jumped out of the boat and we could admire the local reef, which unfortunately was not too good. The last island we visited was Poda. The largest of all four. We ate lunch here too, and after that, we were taken back to the mainland and dropped-off at hotels. Here, quite accidentally and unexpectedly in the middle of the street, I met a friend from my hometown in Poland, he also was staying in the same hostel as I. It so happened that the next day they were moving to the Railay peninsula, which I also wanted to move on, so the next day we all went together.
Railay
Railay is a paradise peninsula, which can not be reached from the mainland and can only be reached by sea. There is no large marina where ferries could moor. Only small boats can reach the shore. However, this did not prevent local people from building here resorts. There is a Railay Beach here, which is considered one of the best in the world. It is certainly an ideal place to enjoy the sunset.
Krabi Town
After returning from Railay I caught a bus (converted pickup) to Krabi Town. The ride cost only 50THB. The city is bigger than Ao Nang, but less is happening in it. In the city center, you can see the monument of the big crab, although the name Krabi does not originate from your animal. From there the next day I had a ferry to Phi Phi Islands.
