Spring Break - KRABI
Trip Start
Jan 06, 2007
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3
7
Trip End
May 19, 2010
Krabi, Thailand
Monday, March 17, 2008
An eight-hour bus ride landed us in Krabi around 8:30am and with hotel check-in not until noon we had a few hours to venture about. Wes, Ai and I found a restaurant where I ate the American breakfast and remembered what it was like to feel full in the morning hours. A ketchup bottle spontaneously combusted, but thankfully nobody was harmed and nobody had ordered French fries. The rest of the morning was spent checking out the beach, the afternoon proved to be quite similar.
Wednesday took us to several islands, which included snorkeling and lounging. The first stop was an hour or so off Ao Nang beach, but a massive amount of jellyfish kept most of the snorkelers out of the water. I've snorkeled once before, but couldn't shake the feeling that I was intruding on some type of secret society I wasn't invited to. Being submerged in water and still being able to breathe was a very odd feeling. It's hard for me to explain, but the closest thing I can think of would be like having perfect vision in total darkness. It's not supposed to happen, but then again there are temporary super powers that allow you a peek into a world you aren't accustomed to, like night vision goggles, or in my case a snorkel. It was fun seeing fish and jellyfish and sea urchins and coral reef up close, but I can't say that I really enjoyed it. I suppose the mix of adrenaline and fear confused me.
We stopped at Pe Pe Island for lunch, which was a lot of fun. Definitely a hippie haven, I saw a lot of dread locks and Rasta shops. It was a quick stop and I had less time to explore than I would have liked, but then we went to the beach where "The Beach" was filmed and spent some time relaxing and messing around in the water. The trek back to Ao Nang was great, there's nothing like boating into the sunset.
That night I headed out with Ai, we ate a Sally O'Malley's and made our way to The Irish Rover for an evening live Irish music. I wound up playing pool with 5 Australians and two Swedes and was the active translator for turning Australian English into accent free American English for the Swedes.
A short story that describes a proud moment in the life of Kelsey McClure:
Admist pool, conversation and yet another rendition of The Cranberries "Zombie" a comment was made along the lines of "She's an American, why don't you ask her?" I overheard this and knowing that I was the only American in the bar, turned and made myself available for questioning. Anna, one of the two Swedes looks at me and says, "You're and American?" I reply that yes I am, to which she responded, "Oh, I figured you were Irish."
I spent Thursday at the beach and a good part of the afternoon counting the mosquito bites I acquired from the evening before. Ai and I tuckered out fairly early, then caught the bus Friday morning and here I sit back in Hua-Hin. Krabi was unlike anything I have ever experienced before and I can say I wouldn't mind a trek back, jellyfish and mosquitoes included.
