Krabi Town

Since the whole 'fly-to-Krabi' idea only entered our minds a few days before we started our trip, we never had the chance to do much preparatory research on the area. As such, we were geographically blind once we landed, crediting what little we knew to a few paragraphs in a Lonely Planet that had been loaned to us. We'd kind of gathered that we wanted to make it to Ao Ton Sai, one of the least-developed beaches in the area. However, after jumping on a bus (chosen primarily because the ticket-girl for the bus yelled at us a bit less than everyone else) and learning that Ton Sai was a one-hour bus ride plus a 15-minute longtail boat ride away, our waning energy levels and disorientation demanded we get off as soon as possible.

So we found ourselves in Krabi Town, the semi-run-down commercial hub for the surrounding beach-centric tourism industry. In our tired haze we begrudgingly agreed to take the first room that was hawked at us from a few guys sitting in an open-air hotel lobby. At first glance, the place was a total dive. At second and third glance, it was still a total dive. But its saving grace was its distinct lack of bugs, which meant that after a quick internet session and dinner at the night market down the street, we slept like rocks.

The next morning we woke up with the sun to a chorus of our squeaky oscillating ceiling fan and a neighbor's crowing rooster. As necessary as showers were at that point for both of us, the state of the bathroom left us both waiting for a better option. We made a trek around downtown Krabi to find an ATM and check out the scene. The town was just waking up, merchants were slowly opening up their shops, and commuters were buzzing about on scooters, a few tuk tuks, and pickups galore. All the infrastructure was pretty run down, but for the most part, the city was fairly clean.

We stopped at an internet cafe near our hotel that advertised American, English, and Continental breakfasts. When I asked our young waiter what his favorite breakfast was, he reported that he was fond of dim-sum pork and honey, and that no, they didn't serve that (or ANY Thai food) at this restaurant. Promising ourselves a more authentic breakfast soon, we enjoyed a 60 Baht (a bit less than $2) American breakfast instead, complete with eggs, toast, bacon, and instant coffee.

Soon after we rode a bus (really a pickup truck with seats in the back) out of town towards Ao Nang on our way to the promised land: Ao Ton Sai.

More to come...