Krabi & Phi-Phi

I have just come back from a wonderful trip to the south of Thailand with Fortune Cookie, his cousin Pearl, and Pearl's mom.  This was our first Thailand trip outside of Bangkok, and it was quite a refreshing break from the city.  We took an overnight train to Surat Thani and a bus to Ao Nang, Krabi.  The train ride was interesting.  We had sleeper seats, w/c were seats that converted into twin bunk beds.  The train staff provided fresh sheets and pillows, and food and drinks were available for order.  The experience was a lot more comfortable than riding a bus because you could actually lay down flat and sleep.  The toilet was really gross however, and seeing tiny cockroaches crawling around the lower beds on the floor and up the walls gave me the heeby jeebies.  Still, it was a fun and interesting experience, definitely a cheap travel option, and one I was glad to take with other people.  I couldn't imagine doing it alone.

At Ao Nang, we stayed at a bungalow which was a 5 minute walk from the beach.  The beach at Ao Nang was really peaceful, and the water was very calm.  I would recommend this spot for visitors seeking a break from all the crowds and tourists.

On our second day, we took a speedboat tour to the Phi-Phi islands which have got to have the most aesthetically pleasing beaches I have seen so far.  We swam for a bit on Maya beach, which is on Phi-Phi Ley.  It is where "The Beach" w/ Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.  It was so lovely, and the sand is definitely the purest, finest sand I have ever felt and seen in my life.  Our tour package included a lunch buffet on Phi-Phi Don, the bigger of the two Phi-Phi islands.  The beaches were breathtaking; the food, however, did not impress.

The next day, we went canoeing, which was a very interesting experience for me given the non-existence of my upper arm strength.  I persevered, however, and surprised myself with the distance and duration of my canoeing. :)

We ended the day with some elephant trekking, which was terrifying at first given the fact that these elephants had to walk through very narrow passageways in the jungle with huge rocks and trees everywhere.  Meanwhile the tourist guides were shouting at them and threatening them with sharp objects.  We got used to it eventually and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. :)