Krabi

Hi

Well I think that was the worst journey I have had yet! There were about 50 people crammed onto a deck with just space on a mat to sleep, not your own mat, just a designated space. Thankfully, I was between 2 girls as it was such a tight squeeze, you don't even sleep that close to someone you know never mind a complete stanger! I had a couple of Northeen girls next to me which was nice and we chatted and played cards for some fo the journey. Then the lights went off - bed time then! I still had some antihistemines left that I had been saving for occassions such as this so I took a couple, put on my eye mask and tried to get comfy. Not easy when you have no pillow and the boat os rocking and rolling all over the place. The sea was so rough, I don't get sea sick but I could sense I was getting pretty close to it. I was awake all night and it seemed like forever before we arrived at Surat Thani. We were then taken by van to a cafe and told we had to wait there for another 3 hours for the bus to Krabi. That is the one thisng that really bugs me about travelling in Thailand, they always pick you up early so that you have to wait for hours at a cafe in the hope that you will spend lots of money there. I wouldn't mind so much bit the cafe's are always horrible, dirty places that you wouldn't want to eat at for fear of food poisoning or something. Anyway, I was exhausted and so just found a seat, put my head on the table and went ot sleep for 3 hours - I'm getting pretty good at falling asleep in the most unlikely places, the phrase 'could sleep on a washing line' now refers to me! The bus finally arrived and yes, you guessed it, I slept all the way to Krabi. We arrived and they just dumped us at the side of the road and left. This was not good, I was still half asleep, starving, dehydrated and didn't have a clue where i was. Luckily I had a map of Krabi that one of the girls I met on the boat gave me. I managed to work out where we were and realised that we just need to head up the road a bit and there would be guesthouses and travel agents just over the hill. We all struggled up with our bags and were relieved to see lots of shops and places to stay. By this point I was ready to drop so the first guest house I came to I checked it. I'm glad I did as it was really cheap and really nice and clean. I didn't ask too many questions abut the room at the time as it was so cheap but when I opened the door I was delighted to find a huge comfy double bed, wardrobe, dressing table, TV, marble bathroom, huge morror and hot water! Now most of you at home are probably wondering why I was so excited but after some of the places I have stayed, some for more money I might add, this was like the Ritz!
Once I dumped my bags and had a shower I decided to explore Krabi Town. The good thing about Krabi is it's cheap! I headed down to the riverside, where all the boats were waiting to take people to the beaches, and walked along to the centre. There were lots of shops and restaurants and the one thing I came across of any real interest was the traffic lights at the crossroads. The lights are held by huge apes which are said to be symbolic of the apes that the people of Krabi evolved from. They do have a name but I swapped my rough guide to Thailand for a guide to New Zealand so not sure what it is!! After seeing everything that Krabi Town centre had to offer I headed back to my room to get changed. I had decided to go to the Tiger Temple (named because tigers used to live in the caves there) and as it is a working monestry you have to wear conservative clothes. Now this was a challenge, I have never owned conservative clothes and my back pack was limited. I picked out the best I had - long skirt and T-shirt and set off back down the the riverside. I managed to catch the public Strongthaew (which is like a little van) which would take me to the path that led to the Tiger Temple and then I could walk from there. Yeah right - what they forgot to mention is that it is a 5km walk! After losing half my body weight in sweat I reached the entrance. It was well worth the walk, as soon as I arrived I could sense the tranquility, it was so peaceful and picturesque. There were some very impressive statues and buildings, one being a nunnery where you could see the shaven headed nuns walking around the grounds deep in prayer. There were also lots of monks walking around and some of them working. I was reluctant to take too many pictures as it felt a bit dis-respectful. I did notice there were lots of monkies all over the place, I sat and watched one steal a woman's handbag and while she panicked a guide explained that if you bribe them with food, they will give the purse back! This I needd to see, the woman went to the shop, where they conveiniently sell bannanas, and sure enough, when she gave the monkey a bannana she got her camera back. Surely bribery and a place of prayer and religion should not be found together! After watching the monkies terrorise the korean tourists for a while I decided to start the climb up the 1000+ steps to the top of the mountain where there is a self-sufficient monestry at the top and panoramic views of Krabi. I got to about step number 500 and decided that the views from there were just as good as they would have been at the top, and they were -I could see all over Krabi Town. After climbing down the 500 steps again it was time for an ice cream and a much needed rest. I spotted nearby a monk selling amulets and I had read about them being something all the Thai's wear as they are believed to bring you good fortune and protect you from physical harm (I probably could have done with one at the start of my trip). The ones they had here had been blessed by the monks so I decided to buy one and hope it protected me from anymore broken legs! Remebering the 5km walk back I hailed a taxi bike and zoomed off back to the Krabi Town and to my guest house where I found Kylie's showgirl comeback was on the TV. I had to watch it - I love Kylie!! By the time that had finished I was getting really hungry and tired so I headed to the night market on the riverside where they have about 20 stalls all serving different kinds of thai food. As I was so tired, I got fried rice and vegetables with fruit salad shake for dessert to go, all for about 50p! I suggled into the comfy bed with my 'takeaway' and watched 50 first dates. It was only after the 50th perfume and chocs ad that I realised it was Valentines Day - I hadn't even noticed. Ah well I was expecting a card this year anyway!

Lots of love Jules x x x