A Very Krabi Christmas

February 18, 2018

A Very Krabi Christmas

🔻 -Holiday away from home- 🔻

Ground breaking; the very first time I have ever been away from Family During the Holidays. This is something I had prepared for since I committed to moving to Thailand full time in March of 2017, which was almost 8 months ago. Can I say I was prepared to be across the world and miss my favorite time of year? No. I wasn't. There is no real way to prepare for these things. On that note, we had our plans set from the moment we settled into our towns. We were all on the same page, we knew that we would be two months into teaching, homesick and in need of a vacation that could take our minds off of the circumstantial misfortune of missing out on this massive American Holiday. Two weeks into November, we were at a local mall and heard our first Christmas song. To say that a few of us didn't immediately get sentimental and that there may have been a few tears would be a lie. I looked over and found my friend Shawnda and Emily with puppy dog eyes and sniffles as were were standing in line at the Starbucks. We had a momentary lapse of our first huge dose of homesickness. It wasn't even thanksgiving yet! How dare they put on jingle bell rock at such a time. We got on our computers, and researched the most affordable yet must do locations in Thailand and booked our two week winter break. There it was; an itinerary for Christmas in Krabi and New Years in Chiang Mai.

-Krabi Town-

When booking an air b and b for 15 friends during the holiday season comes into play, getting a head start is the most necessary thing to do. I happen to be the planner of the group, does this surprise you? If you understand the control freak that is me, you best believe I take all actions into my own hands and get the job done. Call it a strength, or a weakness. At least I can sleep at night. I found this beautiful house in what is known as Krabi Town. Little did we know, we were in the less popular area of Krabi and that we were about 20 minute drive to the other side of the peninsula known as Ao Nang. Also, our hostel had black mold as well as appeared as though it had never been cleand. (Another story you don't want to hear about) All I can say is read ALL reviews before renting houses on Air B and B. Anywho, due to the distance of our hostel from the main strip in Krabi called for Motorbikes! (Sorry mom) but the best way to get around in Thailand let alone South East Asia in general. Motorbikes was not a concept I had initially been too keen of considering our program told us to steer clear and my parents were not big fans of the matter. However, once you have arrived in South East Asia, and you attempt to get around only by public transportation outside of a big city, I promise you that your thoughts will bend regarding cost and time lost while waiting on public transportation. Slowly, I started to consider the concept, after riding a good amount of motor taxis to local markets and even to local shops to save time and money. It was time to fight my fears and try it out! We found out early on in our trip that the particular road we lived on was not the most popular for Song Theaws and other modes of transportation. After 8pm, Krabi Town shut down, shops, stores and other things weren't exactly accessible. The few bars that were open were definitely worth a try, one being the FUbar, a live Raggage bar with a tree bungalow vibe including creative little lofted nooks. We spent Christmas eve sitting, singing and sharing stories of our travels together. Another favorite in Krabi Town was the water front, lined with breakfast joints and cozy hostels. We spent almost all of our mornings starting our day at one particular restaurant named Easy Cafe. Much like the name, this place was perfect for our early morning commutes, we would buzz up to the outdoor tables, receive menus with a large breakfast assortment which if you know me well was nothing less than the most exciting point of my day. The owner having good English skills was able to not only take our order in bulk but serve us breakfast all within 45 minutes. This is extraordinary compared to a typical dining experience in Thailand. Usually service includes bringing out food one person at a time, drinks last and at their own pace. When we go out to eat, we have become accustomed to waiting an hour and a half for everyone to finish their meals and get out the door. Thai time is something that I promise you do have to get used to, choice aside.

-Motorbikes-

My Roomate Shawnda had recently bought a motorbike in our town. She let me take a stroll around our parking lot and I didn't realize how easy it was to drive one. Much like a snowmobile, there is a handheld twist throttle on both handles and brakes much like a regular bicycle. I realized that not only does the wind blow in your hair and cool you down, but that you can maneuver your way through the streets of our small town with ease. Being far enough outside the city, there wasn't much threat for danger.Long story short, we bit the bullet as group of 8 of us gave copies of our passports and handed over 900 bhat for the week to save time and money while shooting around Krabi on colorful motorbikes! Driving in a pack of friends is exhilarating. Not only is it more safe being that we take up room together and noticed oncoming traffic move out of their way. I have never felt more free in my entire life and in my first motor bike ride across Krabi. This immediately changed our experience. Apart from the rest of the group, we could get up early and take the scenic 30 minute drive across the peninsula taking in some of the most breathtaking views without the hassle of trying to track down a taxi or Song Theaw. We stopped at numerous cafes along the way, perched at the edge of some of the most amazing rock formations I had ever seen while we laid back and enjoyed an ice coffee. We could hurry, or relax and take our time depending on how we felt about the day at hand.

-Ao Nang-

Almost everyday we made our ways to the shore of Ao Nang, a busy strip of restaurants, shops and almost any kind of store you could imagine. This part of Krabi proved to be the place to go. There were toursits from all over the world here! Hostels on almost every street corner nightly pub crawls. My favorite place here was the Raggae bar, a brightly colored dimly lit bar with live Raggae music every night. The week we happened to be here, there was a Raggae festival behind the main bar in a large parking lot, tents set up everywhere, food booths, fire dancers and a large colorfully lit stage with live performers. We spent hours here conversing with people from all over the World and drinking ice cold beer. On christmas eve, a group of us met up with friends from Orientation at a restaurant around the corner known as Umbertos. Without getting engrossed in detail regarding my first real italian meal in Thailand, I will save you the agony. It was amazing, everything I had hoped for. My friend Chris had spent two weeks here prior to beginning our program while he completed his TEFL language course. This is when he made this discovery and therefore booked us the most exciting Christmas Eve Eve Dinner Bash known to man. We spent the night around friends from our program bonding over pizza, fresh ravioli and bottles of wine. With this came the elaborately ridiculous dinnertime speeches and volume levels that are deemed inappropriate by the rest of the universe. We quickly finished our meals after being stared at by our neighbors, happy and full proceeding to our night of bar crawling checking out the different themed bars of Ao Nang meeting people from all over the world and creating lifelong laughs.

Ao Nang was a magical place. Every morning we would Here you could find the Long Boat ticket office and buy a round trip ticket to the beach of Railay beach which you can only access by boat, for a total of 200 Bhat/ 6 USD for the day. Pulling up on a long boat is something from a fantasy. These long creeky boats are lead by hardworking small yet strong Thai men throwing their entire body weight into the hull of the boat directing the tiny motor pushing up to 12 people at a time towards the coast of Railay. The water successively gets more clear as every foot passes closer to shore. Once you round the cliffs edge guarding the inlet we are are approaching the beach reveals itself, expansive white sands and resorts perfectly framed by rock formations. This is a view that one cannot described fully in words, but something that you have to experience yourself. Once you take land, you find yourself climbing off of the long boats into knee deep crystal clear water overlooking the beauty of Railay. Depending on the time of day, Raily can prove to be very crowded giving you no option but to maneuver your way down the beach looking for a free spot of land to settle down. With big groups this can be difficult unless you get their earlier! Railay beach as a place that you could never be bored. Depending on your mood you could take up some water sports, rock climbing, hiking around the rock formations surrounding the beach, lounge back at a beach restaurant or just stay put on the beach. We spent three days exploring this inlet of land, its hidden coves, taking the beach by water on stand up paddle boards and hiking the coastline full of perfect rockclimbing and cliff jumping conditions. When you land at Railay, your problems just disappeared. We were at a beautiful hidden coastline with a group of friends on Christmas Day with Christmas hats falling of paddle boards, hiking climbing and swimming in the clearest water. To say we got our mind of just how far we were away from home is and understatement. We had found ourselves in a non-reality, forgetting the time, and responsibilities and let go. I highly suggest you try it one day. To not put too many words into this post would be smart as the pictures can only describe what we were truly feeling.

-Full Day Boat To Koh Phi Phi Island and Beyond-

The day after Christmas, we had the privilege to book a large full day speed boat day trip around the nearest islands off of Krabi. We heard about this tour, and waited until we found the right booth to book the best trip price offered. With a group discount rate, we met a kind man who went by the name of Mr. K whose travel company was nestled between the many shops of Ao Nang. We were able to make a deal for 1700 Bhat / 54 USD for the entire day. Leaving at 8 am the day after Christmas, our itinerary went as follows, Snorkeling on Monkey Bay, Phi Phi Don Beach, Phi Phi Island for Lunch, Maya Bay, Blue Lagoon, Viking Caves and home all by 5 pm. Jam packed, this day was amazing. We shared the boat with two families, whom I immediately felt bad for due to the volume and energy level of our friend group. The views were spectacular, and the tour guides, extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Snorkeling gear, lunch, water and snacks were all included in the total cost of the boat trip. We jet around the islands surrounding Krabi telling stories, blasting music and snorkeling and sunbathing our way through the clear waters of Koh Phi Phi. One of my favorite locations included Maya Bay, the beach I have wanted to visit ever since I saw Leonardo Dicaprio's movie titled "The Beach". This beach represents the island's lost colony formulated by back packers and other MIA persons who decided to not return to reality. If you haven't seen this movie, then I am begging you to stop reading my post and do so. This beach is almost entirely enveloped by mountains on every side, leaving a small gap laid out in front of the beach leading to the ocean. To say I didn't immediately imagine myself in the movie "The Beach", hiding from the rest of the group to be left behind and begin my own private colony would be a lie. The most majestic moment of our day was our final destination, pulling up into almost fully enclosed bay entirely surrounded with cliffs we encountered the most crystal clear blue waters. Anchoring our boat, we sat and ate fresh fruit while we spend the last hour of our day jumping off of our speed boat and floating around what is known as the "Blue Lagoon" of Phi Phi Leh. I remember trying to convince our tour guides to leave us behind floating in the water as we were in heaven and had no reason to leave. They laughed at us and gave us a hard no. My heart almost broke as we mounted the speed boat and watched the lagoon disappear into our rear view. Sun burnt and heads in cloud nine, we couldn't end the day there, we decided to embark on a journey to create the perfect ending to this close to perfect day.

-Tiger Cave Temple-

We caught wind of Tiger Temple through other travelers in the area. This hike was apparently THE place to be at sunset while staying in Krabi. Shawnda was the first one to suggest catching the sunset here. Exhausted and close to sleep, we all changed out of our boat clothes and within what felt like a minute, were motorbiking our way to the mountain that was to be the next 20 most physically enduring minutes of my life. We heard that this climb was difficult, that it wasn't something that you could categorize as leisurely, but we didn't realize just how steep this climb would be. With 15 minutes until sunset, we realize just how difficult this climb could be. The climb included 1,256 steps climbing 280 meters up a limestone hill The temple started as a small place for monks to learn about Buddhism, and now has grown to be a massive temple and one of the most important Buddhist temples in the south of Thailand. Getting up this hill or what I would call a 'small mountain' had all kinds of obstacles. The monkeys on this climb were over friendly, not so friendly, actually really mean. They jump on your back and steal your water, like they did to me only 200 steps up. I found myself out of breath by the 500 step mark, as every step is just about a foot high. We had to stop occasionally while we were racing the sun, catching our breath and wiping the sweat from our faces. I am going to admit that I was not at all happy. Luckily my pace was paired with Meghan, my most positive and uplifting friend, who every time I would stop to complain or throw a tantrum, would simply smile in my direction and make me stop in my tracks and continue the climb. Out of water and sweating through all layers of clothing I somehow made a terrible mistake of wearing, we got to the top with 2 minutes to sundown. The view we had discovered was out of this world. If I didn't know what heaven felt like, I did when I reached the top of Tiger Cave Temple. In pairs, we slowly crawled our way up to the top of the temple over looking a giant golden buddha statue and what seemed like all of Thailand. The mountains turned into deeper purples the closer they were to our view and the vast layers of mountains beyond that fading into what seemed like the edge of the world. In awe we sat shoulder to shoulder until darkness reminded us that there is an ending to every beginning.

-Tips- How to make the best of beautiful Krabi-

Stay in Ao Nang! This is the best place to be in Krabi
Motorbikes are a fantastic way to explore the Island and what it has to offer

They are sold for rent on almost every street corner
Do not spend over 180 Bhat a day unless you are only renting daily

Take on the climb that is Tiger Cave Temple on a day where you have enough time and energy to successfully accomplish it!
Spend as much time on Railay as possible, get there early, do not spend over 100 Bhat either way from Ao Nang Boat dock
Buy what you need for the beach at Ao Nang rather than on the islands where the price is inflated i.e, water, food, etc.
Great place for big groups or small pairs, either way you will meet people from all over
Search around for the best Boat Tour deals, people will try to make you pay more for the very fact that you are a 'farang' or foreigner
If your searching for good Italian, go to Umbertos right off the Ao Nang Main Street!
Indian Food- Taj Palace, just yum
Raggae Bar is a great place for a calm night with great music
Pajama hostel Bar Crawl! Join one of these and meet people from all over the world.