feeling krabi

krabi

wasn't feeling the ever-popular trek to phuket, koh samui nor any of the lamer-but-closer beaches to bkk. so to krabi it was. mostly, it's cheaper to stay here, pretty cheap to get here, and lots of options for getting around to the hotspots, like phi phi islands or any of the other million islands.

DO STUFF.
honestly, krabi town isn't really all that exciting. you need to get out. there are a million and one tours available and everyone's trying to sell you one. pick a place you like and ask around - you can always get a bargain. scratch that; you should always get a bargain. if you bargain thai style, you'll get further: keep it fun and humorous and you'll always get a better deal if you can make a friend. (our phi phi island day tour costs 1800B/adult if you book online, but after bargaining with our hotel, we got 1000B/head. *self-congratulatory hand gesture*). and they always pick you up at your hotel, so no anxieties about additional transpo.

we ended up with koh phi phi tours. - they've got other boat and bus tours available in the area. we took the phi phi island tour. tell me this isn't beautiful.maya bay on phi phi le. beautiful cove.viking cave, where birds' nests are harvested. for what? for eating. ask a chinese person. we went snorkeling near here. i wish i had an underwater camera.bamboo island off phi phi. crystal clear waters, pure white sands.
webby: www.phiphitours.com
you can book online, but you'll be charged 1800B/adult. if you happen to acquire a great deal with koh phi phi tours, great - i give them a thumbs up; but again, ask around for tour deals for whatever company.

railay bay - though not an island, you can only get to railay beach via half-hour longtail boat ride (either from 150B krabi town pier or 90B aonang bay) because of the rocky, mountainous terrain. the pics don't do it justice - the water is glass-clear.known for its rock climbing, railay draws a younger crowd. there are 3 beaches on this peninsular land mass. east is ugly and dirty (and therefore used mainly for transportation), phra nang cave beach which has beautiful rock climbing and tall cliff faces guarding the beach, and west which hosts most of the accomodations. watch out for the mini undetectable jellyfish that can give you a nice smart. between east and phra nang beaches, you'll find a steep 200-300m climb (think 45+degrees) up to a view point and the lagoon. not for the faint of heart. we couldn't make it to the lagoon which required an additional steeper climb down and up a gorge. pity.

we also saw a tour to go to the tiger cave temple, hot springs, and waterfall. after finding out that we could rent a motorcycle for 250B/day through our hotel, we opted for the less-safe, free-scheduled, and 10-times-cheaper motorcycle rental. if you don't know how to ride a motorbike, yet - you can learn in 5 minutes.
here are our motorcycle escapades:
huay toh waterfall - 3 tiers with an option for a longer hiking trail into the khao phanom bencha national park (to the peak of the mountain).22km from krabi town, 100B entrance, 20B parking.

tiger cave temple (wat tam sua) - buddhist shrine built into a cave with many monks and nuns living in tiny shelters in the rock. for the fit and pious, there is an imprint of buddha's footprint located 1000+ steps up the mountain. also fyi, no tigers. there's just a rock formation that looks like a tiger paw.another sight they feature here: "big tree." i coudn't figure which one of the "big trees" was "the big tree." the coolest one was this one with the nun meditating in it. 16km from krabi town, free.

hot waterfall - think natural jacuzzi (unlike other hot springs which are boiling or sulfur-stinky). very, very nice. i could spend all day here. crystal clear water, strong jacuzzi-strength streams, natural rock formations that are various sized tubs, and a chilly river it flows into (so you can get the whole hot-cold alternations).~60 km from krabi town, 90B entrance, 5B parking.

emerald lagoon/pool - about 1km in from the entrance, you come upon a crystal clear, natural pool (almost exactly like a swimming pool) fed by mineral streams, which have tinted the rocks a slight blue-green hue. room temp, very refreshing. again, i could stay here all day. if you come late afternoon, there are much less people and the surrounding forest shades the pool. we ran out of time and couldn't make it to their less popular (superstition) blue pool.~60 km from krabi town (only several km from the hot waterfall), a hefty 200B entrance (yikes! if you can pass for thai, it's only 20B), 10B parking.

krabi town night markets - you want fruit, southern curries, the normal market fare? head over to the open market at thanon maharat soi 10.want street-side dinner off carts? head over to the night market at thanon khlongkha @ the longtail boat pier.
want to see where these places are? check out this google map.

getting there:
i like ease and domestic flights in thailand are relatively cheap. fly into the small krabi airport and you can take either a taxi (about 350+B) or a shuttle bus to your hotel (90B/person for krabi city, 150B/p for aonang)

lodging: baan andaman
i have to give a rec for baan andaman; thai-style, simple, free wi-fi, wide-screen tvs, and we found great tour/day activity deals from them. it's situated away from the center of the city, but definitely within walking distance to restaurants and markets (10 min to the pier). and it smells nice (fresh, like thai herbs). oh, and my favorite was that they left a little snack in our room every day.
(i went through agoda.com, and got a pretty good price. i've used agoda a couple of times and have been really satisfied with their service.)