Arriving at Nopparat Thara Pier

Continuing our adventures in Thailand, after two days in Phuket it was time for the tour group to move on, which was fine with me because I was surprised to discover that I didn’t love Phuket. It had been loud, busy, and the general feel of the place was a frantic, party vibe, and not the relaxed beach-y feel I’d hoped for. I was ready to leave Phuket and see what was next. While the tour we were on was referred to as an “Island Hopper”, our next destination, Krabi, is actually not an island. Located on Thailand’s south west coast, it’s a province on the mainland, surrounded by more than a hundred offshore islands. The area is known for is jagged limestone rock formations jutting from the turquoise waters, snorkeling, scuba diving, white sand beaches, lagoons and rock climbing.

The archaic ferry from Phuket to Krabi

early morning ferry selfie

passengers on the sundeck

passengers on the sundeck

Transportation from Phuket to Krabi had been pre-arranged of by the tour company. After successfully not dropping our luggage into the sea while negotiating a very narrow gangway with skinny rope rails, me, Shawn and the tour group boarded a rundown, two story ferry, with ancient captain style seats and antique life preservers from decades past. It was a peaceful 1.5 hour open ocean trip until we got our first sights of Krabi.

splash!

Islands in the distance

The ferry first stopped in the bay at Railay beach to drop off other passengers who would be staying in this area of Krabi. By “dropped off” I mean traditional Thai long-tail wooden boats drove up alongside the ferry and loaded passengers and luggage into them and then jetted off to shore. I’d never seen a boat to boat transfer like this and was a bit surprised to not see a pier or port.

Railay Beach West

Railay Beach – Passengers disembarking onto long-tail boats

Traditional Thai Long-tail Wooden Boat at Railay beach

The view of Railay beach was simply stunning; a gorgeous bay surrounded by emerald green rain forest covered mountains. The beaches were sparking white sand. Long-tail boats decorated in rainbow flags and ribbons dotted the turquoise water. Paradise. Our ferry continued along the shore northward until we reached the Nopparat Thara pier where we disembarked and boarded a songthaew, a pickup truck converted to an open sided taxi/bus, to take us to our hotel.

Nopparat Thara Pier

A boat named “Gretzky”. Never too far from home as an Edmonton Oiler’s fan!

Riding in a songthaew on route to the hotel

La Playa Hotel

Spirit House outside the hotel

Stone relief outside of the hotel

Our hotel was also a pleasant surprise, especially compared to our hotel in Phuket; a gorgeous tropical themed hotel tucked secretly into a stunning garden grove just off the “main” streets of the town of Ao Nang. The rooms weren’t ready yet, and although it had started raining, we wanted to explore. First we wandered through the gardens of the hotel. We found beautifully manicured lawns, orchids, tropical plants and a variety of small birds, unknown to me from back home.

Orchids

Myna bird

Common Tailorbird

We headed down a quiet street behind our hotel and found two 7-elevens for water and a stopped at a delightful small restaurant for lunch. The shopkeepers and restaurant staff in Ao Nang were polite and welcoming, but far less desperate than they seemed in Phuket. The streets were nearly empty, only a few tourist wandering about. It was a bit shocking but a welcome change from the noise and crowds in Phuket. We walked  around the nearby streets for a while before checking in, getting settled and meeting the group for a pre-dinner pool party.

Amazing Pad Thai!

Water Lilies

Lunch!

My favorite. Plumeria aka Frangipani

Pool Party

Pool at the hotel

We didn’t stay long with the group and soon found ourselves exploring the quiet streets again. On the advice of our guide, we found the Ao Nang night market, a small but charming set up. There were makeshift “clubs” and bars along the back perimeter, set up on the back of flatbed trucks, with blinking LED lights and most only large enough to seat 10 or so people. There were plenty of booths to find food, drinks and souvenirs. There were a number entertainments acts going on in the centre of the market, mostly children and teens dressed in traditional Thai costumes, singing or doing traditional dance for the visitors. For dinner, I opted for a coconut stir fry, which was served in a freshly opened coconut.

Krabi night market

The woman who made it for me was absolutely artful in her skill of opening the coconut, making the stir fry from scratch in front of me and even topping the finished dish with an orchid for presentation. I offered her a tip but she was confused, thinking I misunderstood the price. I tried to explain with our language barrier that the extra was because she did a beautiful job making it for me and I thought she deserved extra for her hard work and skill. We had known before going to Thailand, and it was noted by our tour guide as well, that tipping is a rarity. So rare apparently, that I had to explain what it meant. When she understood my intention, she was thrilled; she began to giggle and blushed, clutching the money to her chest, and we thanked each other with a wai, a slight bow with hands pressed together. Shawn and I wandered around the market, purchased a few souvenirs, had a few drinks and called it a night on our first night in the lovely town in Ao Nang in Krabi.

dinner at the night market

night market booth

Have you visited Krabi? What did you think? Too quiet or touristy or just right? Thanks for reading and stay tuned for our continued Thailand adventure. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Until next time, safe and happy travels!

-L