Krabi: Day 3

Today, we decided to do justice to the spread at the buffet and spent most of the morning swimming and gorging thereafter. We set out for the Krabi town and after contemplating on visiting the snake show, we decided to head to the ‘tiger temple’. Treading through Krabi was the same feeling, with the peace and slow pace overwhelming us. We got to the airport road and started seeking directions. Now those who have faced problems with accent, they may concur with me that getting your point across is a bit difficult in the interiors of Thailand. Allow me to elaborate some of our conversations:

Desi me: Excuse me, Whaat ez tha way too Taaiggerr cave tempal?

Fuel station attendant: tempaaaa?? (with an expression of those priests of the rougher religions who blast their apprentice over the quality of tea served while overseeing human sacrifice)

Sure enough, I ran from here..

Desi me: Taigarr… Growl.. Roar..

Coffee shop owner: Swadikaaa(p)

Desi me: Taigarr cave tempall (hands folded) rroad?

Coffee shop owner: Have nott.. (giving an expression that you give when they drop an anvil on your head from the 5^th floor)

My wife was of little help in finding the way. She was floored by the coffee shop girl who according to her, defined cuteness and declared that she was in love. Finally, a stop at the Yamaha showroom did the trick.

Desi me: Taigarr tempal? Tiger cave temple.. Way?

Sales lady: tempoooou?????!!!

Desi me: Tiger cave.. Temple.. (almost to tears)?

Sales lady: Ahh.. Tigell tempooll..!!!

Desi me: yes yes!!!!!

Sales lady: Awww. You take light tuln….Then…

 

So we did get to the temple and here are the pictures to prove it. We did not trek to the mountain top which they say offers a good view as the sun was too much. After the temple, we headed to a Tesco store nearby and did some general shopping after a meal. From our basket, alcohol was hush-hushed and kept aside. Word of advice to other tourists- avoid buying liquor off the shelf at day-time as this is forbidden by Islamic laws of the land.

On our way back, we took a call to explore an unexplored waterfall. A good forty minutes drive off the highway, the Huay Tho waterfall in Khao Sok national park is a multi-tiered one offering a great view and a good opportunity for trekkers. 

Spending a great time trekking through the woods, we headed back to the… Sofitel pool of course..

Krabi: Day 2

We were up early and devoured the scrumptious breakfast buffet at Sofitel. While the island tours do offer a pick up from your hotel, we had chosen to drive down on our own to manage forty minutes of extra sleep.

Getting to the destination just in time, we hopped on to a shuttle that took us to the speedboat. The shuttle was the typical pimped up Thai van, which would obviously be used everyday primarily to ferry the criminal warlords or their consignments. And tourists: when it was idling for lack of its primary job. Pardon me, but I have a biased perception on vans: I grew up in a place where Omnis (Maruti vans as they were fondly called) were used mostly by kidnappers. It was quite a usual sight: a white Maruti van stopping next to a businessman or a businessman’s kid, gun toting gentlemen with their faces masked with handkerchiefs stepping out, grabbing the businessman/businessman’s kid, loading them in the van and driving away.

So sitting in this particular shiny silver Toyota Hiace van with 18 speakers, two screens with very dark windows was not a very comfortable affair for me. The chauffeur was clad in an orange shirt, green goggles and his associate was a ten year old kid in a similar attire whose head stuck out for most of the drive. I wonder if the little kid too had a gun. The environment was perfect to play the background track from Amitabh Bachchan’s Thai kidnapping flick:

Mamma told me..

Don’t be talkin’ to a stranger..

Don’t be talkin’ to a stranger..

Stranger is danger..

   

As we started the boat ride, the beautiful sea floored us. The beauty of the place was just beginning to reveal itself as the ‘karst’ rock formations in the sea grew more; and more magnificent. We reached the bamboo island in around forty minutes. The beach is wonderful here. The water is crystal blue and the sand is as fine as it can be. However, the wretched sun was burning us and reminiscing the pool back at the hotel we chose to limit our swimming time. We then set off for a snorkeling session and this was a lot of fun. As I mentioned, the water is wonderful. The fauna is beautiful and we did get to touch a few. We sailed on and covered the monkey island, some other over-hyped island and finally got to the Ph

i-Phi island. The tour operator had arranged for a buffet and by three in the afternoon, we were headed back. Sleep took its toll and most of the return journey was blank for both of us. I would not bother you with words when I describe Phi-Phi island as I believe that pictures can do good justice to the description.

 

Once on the shore, we had trouble communicating to the tour operator to arrange for a shuttle to the car park. The heat, the long wait and an approaching truck pushed us to the other side of the road where we hailed the truck and convinced the driver to give us a lift. After things were set, the fact that we are on a honeymoon confronted me. Sitting in a truck cabin on your honeymoon is certainly not on the top of ‘to-do things on your honeymoon’ list for most Indians. I checked Sona’s face. Sona directed a look in which excitement, surprise and reproof were so nicely blended that it was hard to say which one predominated. Upon further probing, I concluded that she was going to enjoy this and we leapt into the truck next to the driver.

We did get to the parking where we fetched our car (gaddi as they say in Pujabi) and headed to the pool of Sofitel. We did stop at a roadside place for a meal and I have to say- such eateries are not to be missed if you want to get the real flavor of the land. Moreover, even with a poor currency, you feel rich in the little eateries of this pretty nation.

At dinnertime, we were greeted by a beautiful thundershower and we spent the evening running from the rain- hopping through restaurants and pubs in Ao-Nang.

Krabi: Day 1

We were headed to Krabi at the end of the season. We were told that the sun would ensure we would be boiled eggs everytime we would step out during the day. However, we were jumping like kangaroos as soon as we landed. I doubt that in whole of Australia, where I am told this species is abounds, you would find creatures that dolted like the two of us did in Krabi.

For starters, we hired a Toyota Hilux pik-up truck right at the airport. The memories of homicidal dacoits of Bangkok who call themselves cab drivers was still fresh in our minds. So from now onwards, we were free! Totally on our own.. Besides the fact that the truck was the top model and the air-conditioned cabin was more than enough for the two of us and our luggage, it had a huge loading area in which we could load a couple of corpses or some devious smuggling consignments were we to reconsider our current professions.

Our celebratory mood never stopped once we lay our sights on the Toyota; right until we zoomed out of the airport and were confronted with a great problem. Which way?

Then the challenges started compounding: We had decided not to hire the GPS from the rental company. Our phones were dead. And we knew no Thai.

Well; we had a truck with a full tank and historically, the two of us have these numb nerves. Which means our responses may be sluggish in general talk, but the good part about this impairment is that even an earthquake cannot make us panic. So, we marched on and after certain guess-work, route queries (in an opera like tone accompanied with a lot of enactment of our pronunciations), we did get to our destination in double the estimated time.

The drive through the place is a visual treat. Empty winding roads marked with steep ‘karst’ rock formations stunning you on the way. The Krabi town is a small sleepy town during the day and we were to go around 25 Kms further to Sofitel at the Klong Muang beach.

To give an overview of this destination, allow me to summarize: Krabi town is the original town with many hotels, small population (25,000 if wiki is to be believed). The resorts are located  at the beaches around Krabi. Ao-Nang is the party place of the area with a rich variety pubs, eateries and shops. (Note: I shall refrain from mentioning massage parlors again and again. The informed reader knows that once you are in Thailand, you are always a stone’s throw away from massage parlor; no matter how obscure a location you may try to get to).

In two hours, we were splendidly proficient in enacting queries, asking for directions and had explored a significant part of the country. Our explorations were driven by our need to reach our destination, which in-spite of being within a few kilometers radius, had continued to elude us.

Finally, we did get there. And what a spectacle it is! The beach is a debacle with mining ruining most of it but the grandeur of the property more than makes up for it. While you get a colloquial European feel here, the sheer size blows you away.  

The usual star facilities galore, Sofitel’s swimming pool is gigantic. Once we did experience it, there was no way we were missing it any day during our stay. Some things to be kept in mind before you book with Sofitel: First, be warned that it is huge. If you get a room a kilometer from the lobby, you are done for. Second, ensure that the property is not a host to another big ticket event like a golf tournament or a wedding. If you land here during such an event, there is a fair chance you will be sidelined; as in our case when the resort turned out to be sold to the destination wedding party during the final leg of our stay.

Once we were well settled in the resort, we set off to Ao Nang by dusk. This surely is a lively place with endless restaurants and pubs. The beach offers a spectacular view of the setting sun in the backdrop of the karst formations. The objective of getting to Ao Nang tonight was to get a snorkeling deal for tomorrow. Wandering, we covered most of the place dusk to late night. We were also fortunate to have hit a good deal for a tour to Phi-Phi island the next day, two sessions of snorkeling included. Though the best part of the day was the small night market at Ao-Nang. While Sona has little interest in shopping, her love for meats (and sea food in particular) made the night market worthwhile. For it was riddled with stalls selling weird creatures. Cooked: of course, but in their absolute form. For instance, you could not buy sliced meat; but you could certainly buy a fully fried/baked crab, fish, seahorse, etc. When the fried stingray and squid were in her line of sight, the augmentation of red blood corpuscles in her bloodstream was affected. Millions of them were splashing about and calling gaily to other millions of corpuscles.  We did get adventurous and tried all we could. After the night market, we had a hearty dinner at a live music place and headed back to Sofitel in the rain. 

Kudos to Budget car rental at the airport for getting us such a good deal on the brilliant vehicle!