Krabi 2013

We fly Tiger airways to Krabi, Thailand for the extended Vesak Day weekend.

Our accommodation is on Koh Klang (Klang Island). We take a long-tail boat from Tara Pier in Krabi town directly to the resort for 300 baht per person. The ride takes about 30 minutes.

A Buddhist stupa and a long-tail boat, which is the most common means of marine transportation in this area.

Just landed on Koh Klang on a rising tide.

Our bedroom in Bungalow 04 in Islanda Eco Village Resort.

We have a bath tub on the balcony facing the Andaman Sea.

We also have a spacious bathroom with an outdoor shower and toilet.

Monkey in our outdoor bathroom.

A view from the balcony to the Andaman Sea. It is a great place to watch the rapidly changing tides.

Please, wash your feet before entering.

Our Bungalow 04.

Chang beer.

Papaya salad to start lunch.

Yellow seafood curry. We also have some green curry.

One of the two lazy cats on the resort.

Since we arrive early we have plenty of time to explore the island on our first day.

The island reminds us of Pulau Ubin in Singapore, only that there are no cars or proper roads in Klang, only narrow concrete paths that are used by motorbikes and tuk-tuks, and some occasional pedestrians like us.

These signs are everywhere --- the area was badly affected by the 2004 tsunami.

New, and some old, residential development.

See how many crabs and mudskippers you can spot in this photo.

Tha-Hin pier. We walk all the seven kilometers from the Islanda resort to the west end of the island, where we catch a tuk-tuk back.

When back at the resort we have a grand opportunity to watch the approaching thunderstorm.

The tide is low, but as it rises, we can observe a variety colors of the sea.

The storm is getting closer.

The tide is getting higher, but still there are some people trying to catch crayfish.

This is how it looks to the west about ten minutes later --- we don't see the continent or the nearby islands from the rain anymore.

Then the storm rolls over us.

Next morning starts clear and serene.

We hire a long-tail boat and go island hopping.

Our boatman at work.

Our first stop is at Tup Island. There is no place to change so we skip swimming. The island is not that interesting anyway.

Tourists, most of which are local, come to this place to snorkel.

Tiger fish feeding.

Bats, hundreds of them.

Many shades of green and blue.

Chicken island.

Our next stop is at Koh Poda.

Nothing much left of the map.

Music is playing loud and people are drinking cock(and mock)tails and beer.

Next we head to Phra Nang Cave at Rai Lay Bay. There is a tourist resort, which we, as non-guests, are not allowed to enter, but we can walk the beach to the cave.

Rock climbing.

While at the cave, the weather changes abruptly.

The wind rises and dark clouds roll over.

The tourists rush to their long-tail boats, which make prompt attempts to escape the severe condition of being stuck between the rocky shore and the boiling sea.

We leave the shore and take shelter behind the next island.

Soon our boatman decides to take us to another bay that offers a better shelter from the wind. There is another resort, and a number of restaurants and coffee shops that advertize serving REAL coffee.

We have lunch at a seafood place. Tei orders coconut chicken soup and Tomi big noodles (char kway teow).

After lunch we walk back to the boat, but our boatman is not ready to go yet. Or rather, the weather is not ready yet.

Meanwhile, we return to the resort.

We find one of those coffee places with real coffee and order cappuccinos. As soon as we get our drinks, the boatman comes to get us --- it is time to go.

The boat trip back to the Islanda is not very relaxing: the sea is very choppy and the waves huge. The guy works really hard to navigate them so that the boat does not flip over, and we work hard to hold our grips on the railing so that we are not tossed off the boat when it slams to the waves. Quite a hard core work!

Eventually we are safe back on Koh Klang at a low tide. We are the only guests today. This is the view from the Sea Breeze restaurant.

Next morning starts clear and serene again. We leave for an early morning run/walk on the beach.

There is a nice breeze coming from the Andaman Sea.

Tei runs about 7 kilometers back and forth the beach. Tomi continues walking.

In addition to two cats, two rabbits also have found home at the resort. They are particularly agile (given their size) in the early morning.

Then we spend most of the day at the pool, only to be interrupted from sunbathing by a brief promise of a rain/storm that really never reaches us.

It rains quite heavily in the early evening though. (we are the only guests at the resort today, too)

On our last morning we take another early stroll on the beach.

The sun is barely up, and the tide is still low. Many families are out to catch seafood.

Sand dunes bared by the low tide.

After the breakfast, it is time to take a tuk-tuk ride to Tha-Lay Pier and a short long-tail boat ride to Tara Pier in Krabi town, and then a taxi to the airport. The Islanda resort arranges the transportation and everything goes smoothly.