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to pubs. Of course, there were also the
obligatory 24-hour marts which were at
most, 100m apart! Clearly, Ao Nang was
an extremely well stocked town.
Excellent Off-Peak
As we had visited during the low-peak
season (a.k.a green season) that falls
during May to October, there was a clear
absence of what I reckon would have
been the usual droves of tourists, making
it rather quiet – a godsend for introverts
such as myself. The only downside would
be that it’s also the monsoon season,
and the Andaman Sea tends to be a tad
temperamental, which may make
speedboat trips extremely bumpy
and rough. Additionally, the
skies may decide to unceremo-
niously rain on you.
However, since Krabi
skies are clear and unpol-
luted due to little to no in-
dustrialisation, I enjoyed
every rainy moment. You
really cannot get that
kind of clear, clean rain
in heavily polluted urban
cities, so it was a treat to
revel in the offerings that
nature can bestow.
Our first day was leisurely
spent taking in the relaxing
resort atmosphere; a far cry from
our hectic city life; waving to
tuk
tuk
drivers, exploring Ao Nang beach
and bouncing up and down on our luxuri-
ous queen beds in our generously spaced
suite at the four-star Peace Laguna Resort.
I especially enjoyed the lush teak-wood
interiors and floorings – extremely classy
and truly feels and looks like a resort.
Its proximity to the prime street of Ao
Nang is a major plus point, as it afforded
us the accessibility to money changers,
banks, restaurants and street food, all
within strolling distance. My friends
and I did not hesitate to head straight
for one of those much-talked about Thai
massages – a two-hour body and foot
Krabi: Amazing Archipelago
Jamilah Lim
goes off on an idyllic island adventure in Krabi and returns very much
enlightened.
M
ost
people would
jump exci tedly
at the chance to
go on a trip to
some heretofore
unknown back-
water province on
some unheard coast off tropical, sunny
Thailand. Alas, I’m not most people. I’m
the unperturbed hermit-crab who barely
managed to muster the faintest signs of
excitement – which mainly meandered
around thoughts of “oh god, not another
beach” – at the prospect of a trip to a
paradise destination. I mean, what’s
so appealing about the sun, sea and
copious amounts of sand?
To be fair, it didn’t sound too
bad either. I did my research
and found some of the attrac-
tions interesting. Pictures
rarely do places justice,
and a then-burgeoning
curiosity about Thailand
was killing me. What
exactly was so intriguing
about Krabi?
So while I was busy
with my monologue-filled
nights debating a holiday
to Krabi, my partner had
quietly written up a list of
things I had to pack and places
I could visit. Thus, armed with
my trusty luggage bag and a bunch
of extroverted friends, I set out to
discover what Krabi has to offer.
The Arrival
Admittedly, much of the initial hesitation
I had had dissipated as our plane landed
in Krabi Airport. I felt the stirrings of
anticipation and excitement – it took a
bit not to burst out into song and dance
in the middle of the airport runway, but
thankfully, rationality got the better of
me and I stopped for a moment to deeply
inhale the cool, clean, haze-free Krabi air.
I lazily watched the roads go by in a
flash as we were transported via a luxuri-
ous mini-bus from the airport to Ao Nang,
one of the more famous beach towns in
Krabi. At some point, my inner cynic
stirred disillusionment as I was expecting
a rustic, resort-like backwater town, but
all I saw from the journey was that it
looked like a typical suburban Malaccan
town from the placement of shop-houses
right down to the modern-day stone
villages. I was disappointed at first, but
then I realised that I spoke too soon.
As we neared the town of Ao Nang to
che ck
i n t o
our hotel, everything I psyched myself
up for fell into place – we started getting
closer to the beachfront, which threw
the passengers into an excited flurry of
chatter. The beach was not only clean,
but remarkably expansive and the waters
were not murky. A cursory survey of the
area showed tons of shops, hotels and
massage parlours, mostly appropriately
themed, lined up fromone end to another;
from purveyors of sundry to laundrettes