BKK - Ko Wai - Krabi, Thailand
BANGKOK, returnAnna's entry:
Here we are - back to Bangkok (again), just have returned here from our two-month trip in India. Bangkok seems to have become our home base for our travels in SE Asia. This time, the flooding has subsided, and the life has returned back to normal. As a matter of fact, it is almost impossible now to imagine that two months ago many parts of the city were submerged under water... Having visited Bangkok on numerous occasions and having spent a considerable amount of time here, we know the city pretty well, and despite predictable tourist crowds we've learnt how to avoid them and have our share of places where it is still possible to find peace and tranquility.
The city is not for everyone, it can get pretty intense and polluted here, but I personally like it. It is diverse and interesting, has a good share of striking architecture and culture, an excellent public transportation network, it is quite cosmopolitan for the Asian standards, and still comes with a good value price tag. Most importantly, it feels real and livable to me, and even after endless trips here, I still find it cozy enough to return back to.
It was after 10 p.m. when we finally left the airport building, and with the very first step outside were hit by the sticky humid air - this time it was actually a welcome sensation after numerous cold nights in India. We went (always by public transport) back to our usual hotel, were greeted by the usual staff, and picked the same room we had stayed so many times in. Around mid-night we took a short walk to get a refreshing sweet-creamy Thai chai-tea from a local 7-11 (the latter is a staple of an everyday Thai life by the way, and not to be confused with the North-American version). Next morning we had a couple of tasty roti's (pancakes) cooked fresh right in front of us by a lovely elderly Muslim lady; for lunch - a simple, but adequate meal consisting of rice with chicken and spicy yummy chili-garlic sauce accompanied by soup; and then for supper - vegetarian pad thai loaded with chopped peanuts and various sauces, as well as spring rolls with sweet chili sauce - all freshly cooked in minutes in large woks set up along streets. Add fresh juicy pineapple slices and fruity drinks for treats, and all together you can feast for about $4 per person per day - watch your diet though. After a couple of days like this, you have to head out to a "redemption island" - a remote place with limited food choices that is. Also, just for the record - Bangkok food scene is quite different from other parts of the country, where the "real-real" Thai food can get quite traumatic for your senses both for the eyes and the stomach (and not in a good exotic way). We have travelled across the country numerous times, and even for our patient and forgiving palates, some types of food and cooking are just outright insane. So, loosing weight outside Bangkok is quite easy...
Bangkok will be our connecting point on the way to a beautiful island of Ko Wai (via city of Trat), and then back on the way to Krabi.
KO WAI (via Trat)
After an over-night in a pleasant town of Trat (cheap and homey accommodation, excellent day & night food markets), we took a speed boat to reach our island of Ko Wai. The speed boat has a dual price system (meaning farang - foreigners/westerners - get a higher rate). There used to be a slower cheaper boat service for all (which we would most definitely prefer), but it has become a mystery how to get on that boat. Naturally, I blame Westerners for that, always have to rush, no matter at what cost; and local Thai entrepreneurs eagerly picked up the opportunity to make a profit. Anyway, we arrived to the island in the early evening, settled for the night at the only available bungalow high up on a hill, and then the next morning moved to a cute wooden bungalow located right on the beach. The island was small and peaceful, with crystal clear warm waters, pure white sand, gently breezes at night caressing palm trees, and all that tropical postcard images that come with it. There were just a few people staying on the island, and we practically had it to ourselves, except from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. when a large (mostly Russian) group would be dropped off on a shore here - apparently this was a special day excursion for them. The latter group came with noise, smoke, meaningless conversations, and annoying habits. Being of a Russian origin myself, it is really quite embarrassing to be associated with some of my former compatriots - we are not talking Dostoevsky or Tolstoy here, quite the opposite - the new rich demanding bourgeois class at their worst. I must admit though, that sometimes it was quite entertaining to watch the Russian girls posing for provocative pictures taken by their "sugar daddies" - a common theme of the contemporary Russia these days. Other day-trippers came here for a quick snorkeling, which sometimes would turn into funny episodes - guys would swim around, and every ten seconds would yell through their snorkels "Boris, look - fish, fish!", "Boris, look - fish, fish!", and it went on and on... It was cute I suppose... But, we certainly were happy to re-gain the island's ownership when the day-trippers left. It sure felt nice to enjoy the peace and beauty of the nature, hear the wind, watch the ocean change its colours under the sunset, and at night settle under the night starry sky contemplating the meaning of life...
Having spent a week on the island, it was time to return back to the mainland - the town of Trat. On the way back, we ran into a few other Westerners that had stayed on Ko Wai. One of them, a French girl, shared with us a funny, but unusual story - apparently, there was a rat on the island that was visiting various bungalows (luckily it avoided ours). Apparently, the rat ended up in her backpack, and instead of munching on the food treats, it preferred something else - the girl's passport. To the surprise of all, out of all passport pages, the rate ate the very page with the Thai visa stamp. We joked that the rat must have been employed by the Thai border officials, and made its living on that. Not sure, what the repercussions were when the French girl had to cross the border at some point later, but likely the story would have been a new one for the officials.
We ended up spending a little longer that expected in Trat - had to make some journey plans for the rest of the trip, and Trat was an excellent base. Reliable and fast internet, great market food, comfy great value accommodation, and good cheap massages - the latter is a treat for me, especially at a standard $5 per hour rate. Yes, it will be difficult to get used again to the Western prices...
RAILAY ( Krabi province)
Up till this point we purposely avoided this part of the Krabi province during our previous travels throughout Thailand. The main reason is the high number of Western tourists, or farang, as they are referred here by locals. Yes, indeed, the Westerners have ruined the previously exotic and genuine spirit of much of Thailand, and Railay is no exception. The gorgeous, magnificent, lush, breath-taking nature of the region has been conquered by Western popularity contests inviting loud obnoxious spoilt tourists, demanding modern resort facilities, and bringing with them the worst habits from their home counties. To really appreciate Railay you basically have only a couple of quiet early morning hours when you could have to yourself the gorgeous cliffs, white sand beaches, and the azure ocean waters without being interrupted by (in this case German) braless smoking tourists, and loud boat engines. If you are lucky enough to escape the crowds in a few locations, you could still experience that exotic feeling when you swim in crystal clear waters under the hanging cliff tunnel with pretty butterflies flying right over the head, and monkeys shouting somewhere in the distance...
Speaking of monkeys - there is a cute story to share here. We arrived in Railay in the mid-day heat with soaring temperatures and burning afternoon sun. By the time we reached our wooden bungalow located up on a hill, we were exhausted. So, we decided to take a quick nap, and settled in a comfy bed under the mosquito net. If you spend a good amount of time in the tropics, you know that to cool off, one does not wear much of clothing while sleeping, if at all. We also left windows and doors opened to get a cross breeze to cool off the bungalow. About 10 minutes into our afternoon nap, we began hearing the sounds all over our porch, and when I opened my eyes, I realized that our room was raided by at least four thieves - they started going through our things, clothes, furniture, while at least four others settled outside on the porch and steps. They were the professional thieves - wild macaques. Just being woken up, I got startled and screamed. Mosquito net got in my way, preventing me from jumping out of bed quickly. Plus, not wearing much, made it really difficult to chase them outside effectively. Eventually, the monkeys began retrieving, some running away fast, some still figuring out what was going on. One monkey apparently felt horribly startled by my sudden screaming, and poor thing peed right under herself. She must have been bewildered by what just had happened and took off running. Luckily, the monkeys did not take anything, and once things returned to normal, we had a good laugh. In the next couple of days we would see them passing by casually, and one of them seemed to always keep a further distance. She probably, got teased a lot by her group-mates for that accident on the porch, and did not want a repeat of it...
We returned back to a town of Krabi in a rickety boat, operated by a sleazy local.. I know he is likely a good guy in his normal life, but dealing with tourists (who he probably hates and resents) turned him into someone else. This is probably why he pulls his boat closer to the shore for local Thais to conveniently jump in, and moves his boat in deeper waters to make Westerners walk in the water up to their waste to board the boat. In either case, I stubbornly stood on the sand until he brought his boat back to the shore for us to enter - after all, I would rather feel like a local in Railay than a farang. Anyway, as Bruno's character would say "Not a big deal, whateveeeeer". Oh, yes - and no returns are planned back to Railay any time soon.
KRABI
The town is small, easy to navigate, quiet, cheap accommodation, there are a couple of food markets, but nothing spectacular. There is a Buddhist Wat (temple) and an attached monastery on the edge of town, that supposedly used to host an interesting cult. It has mellowed out by now, and the previously scattered around the grounds human skulls and bones (presumably to serve the educational purpose) are only few. There were several caves and trails around the wat, and it was pleasant enough to take a couple of walks and spend an afternoon there. Walking back to town, we were invited by a local family to witness the Thai kick-boxing training. It is always very nice to experience a genuine offer of hospitality, which many Westerners seem to be oblivious to. Later that evening we explored a weekly night market and tried a few local food specialties. Apart from that, it was just a quiet stop-over, and we were ready to push on further South.
posted by Rob and Anna @ 11:38 AM
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