Swirls and Twirls: Krabi August 2009

Day Two in Paradise

Well, not exactly paradise, but when you are on holiday anywhere would feel like it! :)

On the itinerary for the day was the James Bond island - Kayaking - Koh Panyee - Monkey Temple and Waterfall.

We had to get up early and bright (on holiday!!!) as the tour bus was coming to get us at 840am. Sigh, my body protested violently to waking up but I preserved by looking forward to our excursion.

I got me a waterproof bag the night before in Ao Nang town. Something to keep my valuables. It cost 300THB after much haggling back and forth.

More pix of the hotel:

The lobby and reception area

In the bus. We got the seats right at the back. Boohoo. It was so bumpy.

We took a freaking long bus ride (1 hour 40 mins) to the jetty in the Phang Nga province for the longtail boat ride and the weather was again gloomy. =_=

*****
Longtail boat rides would be pleasant if not for the bad weather and strong winds.

We were seated a the back of the boat because we were not kiasu and did not rush to the front, but after getting splashed by the sea water coming from the front, we changed tactics and became totally kiasu.

Eh, not fun to have your whole face salty and sticky okay!

*****

James Bond Island, apparently famous because it was featured in an old James Bond flick - The Man with the Golden Gun. If you ask me, it is a touristy gimmick and totally not worth it... unless of course you have a lot of time and money.

Our new friends all the way from Germany

HOW NOT TO TAN
Sigh. It pains me to see people at the beach with lobster red or terung purple skin. I mean, like come on lah! I love a good brown tan too, but when your skin looks like its blistering and ready to pop... how can that be attractive? Not to mention the dangers of skin cancer. OUCH!

Unusual leafy insect that drew a crowd of tourists all clamouring to take pictures of it (myself included)

***

Next, after James Bond island we headed for kayaking around some caves.

The kayaking is ideal for lazy people as they have someone actually doing all the oaring and all you have to do is sit and look pretty. Where got fun!

***

Koh Panyee, a muslim fishing village which sorta reminds me of Pulau Ketam, but of course PK is full of Chinese.

We had stopped for lunch here and the food was nothing great. Was not even particularly Thai-licious. It seems that the people in the village are dependent on tourism. Almost every family has a stall selling souvenirs.

The sad thing is that the village was absolutely boring, maybe because we have similar settings in Malaysia. I guess, for someone not used to the environment of a kampung, this would be an interesting visit.

***

We headed back to mainland and stopped by a Monkey Temple (not the actual name, but I can't remember what it is called).

The figure above actually looks like an real old man!

Yes, another cave with bats.

OOOH! MONKEYS!

Our German friends had a blast feeding the monkeys. Vic and I have seen monkeys before (hello! we live in Malaysia!) so we decided not to buy stuff to feed them.

But, if someone gives you free monkey food... why not?

This little fella looked so pitiful! The momma monkey dropped him on the floor, while she was in pursuit of a banana. The poor baby squeaked so loudly! It looks so terribly skinny; everyone was saying that it would die soon. :(

***

Dinner @ Burger King

And yes, THEY HAVE PORK BACON!!!

Ahh... the real thing.

****

After our disappointing massage the day before, we desperately needed something to restore our faith in Thai massage. So we hunted high and low and discovered this place:

http://www.letsearelax.com/

It's right opposite McDees and there's a small sign board to a flight of stairs that brings you to Let's Sea : Let's Relax. The name doesn't offer much, but oh.. we had the best service and a wonderful massage. It is slightly pricier than the other places outside, but it is a much cleaner and a more enjoyable experience. No dingy rooms with yellowed beddings! A nice clean concept with a touch of Zen.