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FireFlyz | 17
The mouth of the bay opened up into
a gorgeous, shimmering lagoon, skirted
oh-so-coyly by a mix of greenery like
shrubs and mangroves that lay at the feet
of the surrounding limestone mountains.
Untouched by the hands of mankind, we
allowed the picture perfect lagoon to take
us on a slow drift on its calm waters as
we enjoyed a tranquillity that I believe
cannot be found elsewhere.
We then landed on the main beach
which sported the ubiquitous, inflated
dock-walkway around Krabi piers and
islands. We were given a couple of
hours to gallivant or laze around; kayaks
and snorkelling gear could be rented if
one so wished. We spent a few hours
sunbathing, swimming, snorkelling and
just relaxing, afterwhich we proceeded
to go on a trip around four islands: Koh
Moh, Koh Tup, Koh Poda and Koh Kai.
The Hopping Continues
The very distinctive Koh Kai (Chicken
Island) was easily recognisable from afar
and it was not hard to understand why it
was named as such – a limestone forma-
tion stuck out of the foliage and verily, it
looked like a rooster’s head! After some
picture taking, our entourage went on a
short 10 minute trip to Poda Island.
Poda Island is surrounded by crystal
clear, light blue waters that lap lazily at its
pristine, white beach. Here, snorkelling
and diving are the main activities as there
are beautiful coral reefs surrounding its
perimeter. This is also an excellent stop
for fishing as was demonstrated by a tour
group member, who had brought along
his fly fishing gear
and proceeded to
wow us with a few
catches (which
he subsequently
r e l e a s e d i n t o
the sea) . Poda
Island is largely
unaffected by the
monsoon, mak-
ing it an excellent
point of interest all
year round.
The next stop
was a marvel in
i ts own wor ld.
Between the two
is lands of Koh
Moh and Koh Tup,
a special event
takes place from
the twelfth day of the waxing or waning
moon to the fifth day of the new moon,
at a specific time. Experience the magical
phenomenon that is the
Tha-le Wheak
,
or, Divided Sea, a bridge of white sand
linking aforementioned islands when
the tide is high. It is named as such as it
looks like it’s dividing the sea into two
in the middle of the Andaman. Its true
magnificence has to be experienced in
person.
Boy Was I Wrong!
Each of these islands is a glorious marvel
in itself – a testament to the hundreds of
millions of years of nature’s hand in craft-
ing it into what it is now. The fascinating
Krabi archipelago is peppered by partially
dissolved limestone formations called
karst, which were originally formed over
260 million years ago – the structures we
see now are a result of the undulating
embrace of rain and seawater over the
centuries.
At this point, my cynicism was com-
pletely and utterly decimated. I sheepishly
chidedmyself for blithely dismissing Krabi
as ‘yet another boring pseudo-paradise’–
it is an amalgamation of nature’s architec-
tural precision and finesse; it is a work of
art, and it evoked so much emotion, yet
calm and peace within my soul.
If you’re at that point of time in your
life where everything seems like it’s in a
rut, then perhaps it would be good to get
in touchwith nature. Go back to the basics
by acknowledging and experiencing the
raw offerings of Mother Nature’s bounty
– before it is taken away by development
and modernisation, as the others before
it have.
What a catch! Go
fishing around
the Four islands!
Krabi is never short of
sumputous, good and
affordable seafood