Paradise Found....
Trip Start
Aug 22, 2009
1
21
22
Trip End
Nov 07, 2009
Where I stayed
Anawin Bungalows
Krabi, Krabi, Thailand
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
It was a bit of a nightmare to get here though - I know now why the bus tickets sold on the Khao San Road are so cheap - I spent the most uncomfortable night in a seat that didn't recline properly, with freezing cold air-con, to be unceremoniously chucked off the bus at 6am, where we were told that everyone was changing onto minibuses to all their various destinations - so, one by one the minibuses arrived, that one taking the youngsters off to Ko Pha Ngan for the Full Moon Party, that one taking the old folk to Satun, in the South, and so on, until it was just me and 2 other English lads left, we waited over two and a half hours till our bus turned up.
That journey was the scariest I've taken on this whole trip so far - the driver appeared to be nodding off several times, and all the passengers (once I'd woken them up) were screaming at him - it turned out he was sending text messages (at 80 miles an hour) - oh, that's alright then :-/
The worst of it was, I later discovered my rucksack had been opened, everything taken out and put back in - luckily I don't have anything worth nicking and nothing was taken, but that's largely because I now have a small second bag I keep with me on the bus.
We were then left a few miles outside Krabi, and told that was as far as the bus goes - conveniently next to their travel agency who can arrange onward transport and accommodation, of course...
By this time I was thinking that to get to my island I would need to take another minibus, then a songthaew (truck with bench seats in the back), a boat and a pickup truck, and I as I still hadn't managed to confirm the booking, I just knew something would go wrong, and I'd end up stranded on the wrong side of the island.
So, I started talking to the others who were waiting, and it turned out the 2 English lads and 2 Aussies from the minibus were heading to Aonang Beach, and on a whim I thought 'so am I' :)
Well, here I am 4 days later, and loving it! I've found an adorable little bungalow very near the beach. It's obviously not as quiet as the island would have been, but it's not that busy, and there are much quieter beaches if you walk a bit further, which I'm happy to do.
It's lovely to have nothing to do, I don't need to feel guilty about sitting on the beach, walking, reading and just lounging about at my bungalow.
I found a troop (is that the right word?) of monkeys the other day, at the end of the beach, just mucking about in the trees and on the sand. I'd spotted a wooden pathway that led up to stairs across the headland, and I wanted to explore, but as you can see the monkeys were completely blocking it - I watched for a while, until realising it was perfectly safe to walk straight through them :)
There was a festival in town last night - Loi Krathong - still not too sure what it was about apart from the fact that's to do with the full moon. There was a parade, fireworks, and all along the beachfront, they were displaying these ornate flower boats with candles that would later be floated out to sea. They were also making a fortune out of the farang (foreigners), selling small boats, and sky lanterns - the sky was absolutely full of these lanterns, and the sea lit up with candles - it was quite a beautiful sight.
In other news, I had the shock of my life this morning - I picked up a towel which had been sitting on my bed, to go off to the beach. As I walked out the door I saw something black sticking out from the end of the towel, and instinctively brushed at it before realising that actually, that's quite big, and dropped the towel, shook it, and out came a big, shiny black scorpion, about 3 inches long - A FLIPPIN' SCORPION!!! And to think, it could have crawled into the bed.....(shudder)
Anyway, I think I'll stick it out here for a couple of days more, before moving on. Will be in touch again soon.
Love Karen x
