With low-cost carriers (LCCs) offering direct flights daily to Phuket from major Indian metros, I decided to take a direct flight to Phuket from Bangalore - it's about a 4.5hour flight which, departed from BLR at 4 in the morning and I was in Phuket at around 11. After that I decided to straight away head to Krabi - which is 3 hours by road from Phuket airport. There are multiple ways to get to Krabi from Phuket : A. You could take a ferry. Downside, ferries leave as per fixed schedule and you have to go to the city, and the exact ferry station and time yourself accordingly to catch that. It's about a 1.5-2hour ride by ferry.B. You could take a bus from the highway (exactly what I did), which to me is the most convenient, and also won't burn a hole in your pocket. Take a taxi from the airport (shared taxis available) to the highway pick-up point. It's about 15mins away, there you wait for a bus to come and pick you up. It's about 2.5 hours from there to Krabi bus terminal. From the bus terminal, you can take a tuk-tuk to your hotel. Total cost 250 - 300 THB (Shared Taxi 100 THB + Bus 100 THB + 50 THB for Tuk-tuk). C. You can take a direct taxi right outside the airport to Krabi. Upside: Convenient, will drop you at your exact destination. Downside: Will cost you somewhere around 2500 THB, but that should not be an issue if there are 3-4 people travelling together. Remember, you should always bargain for these taxi charges, they would tend to quote higher.
Took a day trip to Suwan Kuha temples, Monkey temple, Fishing Village and James Bond Island. You can buy the trip tickets from any one of the umpteen tour shops in Ao Nang, the night before you visit. The trip package is fairly standardized and commoditized, hence not much of a price differential (but doesn't mean you can't bargain). It will have a pick-up and drop from your hotel and have a lunch and snack / refreshments on-board included as part of the trip.
After spending about an hour in the company of monkeys and appreciating the Buddha temple (Wat Suwan Kha), I was taken to the next stop - Koh Panyi (pictured above). It's a Muslim fishing village, which is also the usual stop for lunch. Lunch is pretty quotidian and austere - comprising sticky rice, steamed veggies, chicken broth and fried chicken. It's an hour long stop, where after finishing your lunch you can utilize your time to pick-up some handicrafts, souvenirs from the shops or just stand by the deck and appreciate the nature (usually it's pretty hot as it's around 1pm :P)
The backdrop that featured in the Bond movie - "Man with the Golden Gun" still reaps rewards for the Thai locals / tour operators with the daily heavy influx of tourists. This is usually the last segment of the tour. Honestly, it's nothing majestic, probably the presence of huge crowd is a dampener. But the setting amidst the surrounding jagged limestone cliffs, is definitely a treat for the eyes. Spend your time here, taking multiple shots in different angles with the cliff, or go take a dip in the bay - roughly 1.5 hours given to spend at the last segment of the trip, before you head back on ferry to the starting point.
If you're in Ao Nang - make sure you visit Railay beach, it's only 10mins by longtail boat from Ao Nang beach. The beach is accessible only by water. You can also go to Tonsai beach which is just adjacent to Railay, but again accessible only by water.
If you go early in the morning, you'll have the entire beach to yourself and trust me it's worth it. The U shaped beach, situated between two cliffs makes it an ideal spot for admiring the nature and definitely some introspection. If you feel hungry, there are hotels right next to the beach, whose breakfast buffets are also available for guests for a charge.
After spending the morning, and first half at Railay - I headed back to Ao Nang. Got myself a good lunch, hired a scooty and then went off to Tubkaek beach to savour the sunset. Thailand's high quality beaches lie in the islands and in northern parts of Krabi. Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara are more commercialised and the terrain is not as breathtaking as in Tubkaek. The 30-minute scooty drive from Ao Nang to Tubkaek in itself was magical, where the last 10mins is along the coast.
Ao Nang night market is a definite visit - the atmosphere is electric, with some live local music which will definitely make your feet tap. Besides, there is a designated food area which houses about 30-40 odd food stalls selling different types of Thai street food, across all courses.
Took a day tour to Phi Phi Islands from Phuket - as it's closer from Phuket than from Krabi. The tour operates in a similar bundle fashion, where various other islands would be shown to you. There's something vastly different about the terrain - that you would not witness anywhere else, but this part of the world that makes it a memorable experience.
Wat Chalong Temple (above) is a beauty - it's about an hour's scooty drive from Patong. But when you are in Thailand you should pay a visit to not only its idyllic 'Koh's(islands) but also its picturesque 'Wat's (temples). You can easily spend an hour or two here going around the different temples within the complex.
Closing it off by visiting the Big Buddha temple, situated on a hill-top. When you reach the top, you'll be mesmerized by the larger than life Buddha statue in front of you - but if turn around and look back you'll b equally mesmerized (if not more) by the panoramic birds eye view of the Andaman sea and the islands dotting it. The cool breeze (more like wind) serves as the icing on the cake. Hope you enjoyed the anecdotes of my travel to Krabi and Phuket.
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