Andaman Coast - Blogabond

We woke to the sound of hooting Gibbons at around 7am on the last day at the Khao Sok National Park . With our sexy scooter raring to go, we set off on a day long adventure to find the Dam. We arrived at the main viewpoint to find a huge lake with long tailed boats cruising from one side to another ferrying people around. The panoramic views were endless, and the tranquility of the viewpoint was made even more significant by the lack of tourists. In fact we were the only people there apart from the gardeners sweeping leaves! After taking in the views, we had done all that there was to do at the lake. Instead of sticking around looking at the same views, we decided to follow a signpost for some cool springs and a waterfall. We prayed that the hour long ride on the hottest day so far in Thailand (ever) would be well worth it, and after the road suddenly ended, we had to take a dirt track for the last 20 minutes. It was obvious that no one had been there in a long time, and the mosquitos were more than welcoming. The cool springs consisted of a large muddy bubbling puddle. And thats being kind. The waterfall was more of a stream falling from one piece of mud to another. So 10 minutes later, and about 72 mozzy bites, we were navigating our way back to the road. Once we were back on the tarmac, we cruised through small villages that used the surrounding forrests for the production of rubber and for harvesting fruit. Although the cool springs were disappointing, the views that lined the road were awesome-o! The limestone cliffs stood over 50 metres high and the caves were covered with stalagtites. This meant that we kept stopping on the way back for pictures! We finally arrived back at our jungle hut, just as it was getting dark and the toads were coming out. The rest of the night was just spent chilling before heading to Krabi first thing in the morning.
We arrived in Krabi and settled into an average hotel. As we didn't really know anything about Krabi, we just mooched about for the afternoon, checking out the cheap shops and food stalls. Krabi town lies beside a river which is used by longtail boats for tours around the mangroves. However, Krabi really comes to life at night, and one place in particular made us really like the town straight away! The night market by the river is a collection of small local food stalls, selling every Thai dish that exists and to a very high standard. The hardest part of the night is deciding which stall to eat at, as you walk past each one, the aromas are overwhelming! With the food being so inexpensive, the second hardest thing is limiting how many dishes we order. Both locals and tourists flock here in their hundreds for the good food. It creates a really upbeat atmosphere with everyone being there to try the delicious, although sometimes crazy, Thai food.
Aside from the food, the beaches of Krabi are even better than those on the Gulf Coast, with tiny islands rising up from the sea. Yeserday we vistited a beach with a small island about 50 metres from the shore, which could be waded to as the water never goes past the belly button! We spent at least an hour here looking for cowry shels, of which we only found 3 very average ones! We finished the day at a gastropod site, one of only three in the world. It consisted of slabs of snail fossils over 40cm thick that date back over 75 million years. It sounded great on paper, but it looked more like an earthquake site than a tourist hotspot!
Today we went on a trip to West Raillay and Phra Nang Cave Beach. Between the beaches of west and east Raillay lies a lagoon than can only be accessed by an extremely dangerous trek. Being the thrill seekers that we are, we headed up the vertical cliff faces with the use of ropes, and down 20metre drops, again using only whats left of our lean upperbody strength. Two and a half hours were spent getting to the lagoon and back, and being so exhausted, we hit the beach! With the sun being a bit tempremental, Kav went for a bit of snorkelling. He became really excited when he saw some coral about 20metres from shore, seeing tiger fish, clown fish (nemo's!) and squid amongst other things. His smile was a picture and summed up a good day on the west coast!

Tomorrow we're off to Ko Phi Phi, where The Beach was filmed. We've heard mixed reviews about this place, so we'll check it out and make our own minds up about this hood.

Keep it real x x x

P.S Pics will be on in the next few days, we have to go to the night market now! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM :-P we so hungry, we love you longtime!

written by

Kav & Sara on January 24, 2009 from Krabi, Thailand

from the travel blog: Round the world trip!!

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so good to hear from u guys again :)
mmmm u made me hungry reading this blog, ha!
can't wait to see the pics and hear more stories in person. take care xxx

written by mandy smith on January 25, 2009

Hello it's Theebs

Sorry I missed Skypage I would have liked to show you my beard. Peeps have started to call me Gandalf.

The Andaman coast is of course my territory and my recollection of Koh Pi Pi was that there were lots of tourists. Youngsters much like yourselves. I particularly remember that the sewage system was out of proportion with the number of tourists. Thus creating something of a blockage in the pipework with unpleasant consequences. Watch where you tread!

Great to hear from you guys. You sound more like well-seasoned travellers now. This, however, must not lead to complacency. Be vigilant at all times and check your shoes for scorpions and man-eating spiders.

Good luck

Love Theebs xxxx

written by Theebs on January 25, 2009

wow - it just sounds amazing. Hard to imagine when we're in rainy Manchester. Did you really just climb up or down with ropes and body strength? Looking forward to the next batch of pics. Lovely to talk to you yesterday babe.

Love you lots, mummy xxx

written by susan shoesmith on January 25, 2009

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