Rubriik: Reisimine

In this blog post series I will have six posts telling you all about my adventures in Thailand. The posts will be published every other Monday. Check out Thailand part I, part II, part III and part IV.

Our morning in Khao Sok began with a 7 AM wake-up call and we had to be on the bus by 8 AM. I had some soy milk, nuts in caramel and funny deep-fried Thai crisps for breakfast. We were all checked out and ready to leave at 8 but some people were late so we just ended up waiting half an hour. Not too bad, considering it’s Thailand 😀

Around 10 AM we had a half an hour break at a market. So much good food! We bought mango, dried bananas and Thai nut cookies (that were greasy and not that great). 

Around 11 AM we arrived at a minibus stop just near Krabi Town. The only way out of there was to buy tickets from the guys there… Which were overpriced of course! Should have paid 50 baht per person for a ticket to Ao Nang but they asked us 150. I tried to bargain but they wouldn’t. They also tried to make us buy a bungalow, tours etc from them. I actually got pretty frustrated because there they were: people trying to fool stupid tourists again, saying that there isn’t any vacant accommodation left etc. We just got the 150 baht ticket to Ao Nang.

In the bus to Ao Nang we also talked to other tourists from the UK and they all had done the same thing as us: just bought the tickets out of that minibus station and not get fooled to book anything else. We all felt ripped off in that bus 😀

After arriving in Ao Nang the first thing we felt was HEAT. It was really really hot outside, well over 30 degrees Celsius. We started looking for a place to stay. I have to admit: many places indeed were full but we managed to find a lovely and cheap bamboo house for 500 baht per night. We also booked our trip to Phi Phi Islands.

We stayed at Gecko Bungalows for 2 nights. The vibe and feel of that place was amazing, by far the best atmosphere during the whole trip. It was peaceful, not touristy, the owner was super calm and nice, there were books and musical instruments in lounging area, a cute dog, chicken running around and a cow in the backyard… I just can’t put this vibe into words. I was just perfect.

After dropping our bags off at the bungalow, we changed our clothes, slipped into bathing suits and were ready to enjoy the sun and sea. Before hitting the beach I had a delicious banana and pineapple shake from a street stall and then we spent the whole afternoon on the beach of Ao Nang.

 

After sunset we went back to our bamboo house at Gecko to shower and head to the center to grab some food and enjoy ourselves. My momma was still ill but felt a little better. Instead: I was ill! My throat started to get sore and I had a cough which later got even worse.

For dinner I had a rich mixed pad thai and then later also some iced tea with milk and a naan bread at an Italian and Indian place. Carb heaven! 😀

The next day we had a tour to Phi Phi Islands. Just to be safe, we didn’t eat any breakfast because we were afraid of the waves and being sick on the boat. It actually wasn’t that bad. The sea was more or less OK. But the boat was overbooked and we were like sardines in a tin.

Our first stop was Bamboo Island. Just gorgeous and breathtaking. The views… I haven’t seen anything like it! 

After a visit to the Bamboo Island we were taken to lagoons and snorkelling. One guy had bread with him and we spread that around underwater. All the fish came to that area and I was literally swimming in a bunch of rainbow coloured fish. So cool 🙂 

Next stop was the infamous Maya Bay. If you’ve seen the movie The Beach (and if you’re backpacking in Thailand, you probably have), you’ll recognize it instantly. But I have to admit: I wasn’t that impressed! With all the motorized boats and the masses of tourists… It just wasn’t the same.

After a stop in Maya Bay we were on the boat again. We saw the Monkey Beach, Viking Cave and more lagoons. We also did some more snorkeling which was great fun.

Then we finally arrived on Koh Phi Phi Don. We were told we wouldn’t be taken to the viewpoint because we didn’t have time… I was disappointed. I really wanted to see that 😦 But what can you do, that’s what happens sometimes. We then had a Thai buffet lunch. Everything tasted really good and I ate way too much. I also noticed that I had a fever but fortunately my mom had some paracetamol with her. 

After lunch it was time to go back to the boat and head back to Ao Nang. We arrived around 3.30 PM. An American guy had told us in the boat that there is a place at the end of Ao Nang where there are a lot of monkey playing around and that we should check it out. That’s exactly what we did.

And the monkeys were so much fun! They even tried to steal our sunglasses and climb on us 😀 

After seeing the monkeys I really wanted to go to the Saturday Market. It was getting late already and I thought about taking a taxi or tuk-tuk but they all offered us ridiculous prices so we decided to walk since I had a good map. We were literally melting in the sun but we finally made it there after a looooong walk uphill.

The market was awesome. I was not touristy and there were mostly locals buying there and almost none of the sellers spoke English. I ate some things without even knowing what they were 😀 We also bought lots of food to take back to our bamboo house for dinner and snacks for the next day. The visit to the market was one of the coolest experiences of the trip.

After we got home from the market I was literally so tired I just dropped into my bed. Or onto, since the bed at Gecko was really not soft. But my mom wanted to get a Thai massage so we went to the city. I got a manicure and a pedicure but the quality of the work there was not good at all. After that I felt that my health was deteriorating fast and we got some medication from the pharmacy. The lady there was a true specialist and gave me antibiotics and a couple of other meds. The bill was, well, not that pleasant on the other hand.

Next day was our last day in Ao Nang. We decided it would be a relaxing beach day since I was a little weak and my mom wanted to sunbathe. But it was so hot outside that I mostly sat in the shade or swam in the sea, drank shakes and read my Lonely Planet. My mom got sunburnt but fortunately it didn’t hurt too bad.

In the afternoon we left the beach, had some snacks for lunch, showered and checked out of our bamboo house. It was time to catch the night bus to the capital: Bangkok. 

Around 4 PM we were picked on a retro transfer bus and then taken to our night bus which wasn’t VIP as they promised.

Around 8 PM we arrived in Surat Thani and fortunately changed from the uncomfortable old bus to a new and good bus. Then it was time to sleep to wake up in our last stop of the trip: Bangkok.

Next post: Bangkok and going home.

In this blog post series I will have six posts telling you all about my adventures in Thailand. The posts will be published every other Monday. Check out Thailand part I, part II & part III.

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We were supposed to leave with the 8 AM catamaran but it was late. The waves were really big again. We then were also late at Don Sak pier. When we arrived, it turned out that we couldn’t get off the ship because the waves were too big. We then sailed to another pier and got on our bus to Khao Sok there around 10 AM.

Around 11 AM we were dropped off our minibus to wait for a bigger bus. I had some food finally: fried rice with veggies and 2 bananas. Next we were put on a tuk-tuk and taken to another waiting point where around 11.45 we got on the actual bus to Khao Sok. We had small stops on the road where people came on the bus and sold grilled chicken, fruit etc. We bought watermelon 🙂

By 2.30 PM we were in Khao Sok. There were a couple of accommodation providers right at the bus stop ready to pick us up and take to the jungle huts. We picked one for 400 baht per night.

After we had unpacked, we were ready to explore the surroundings of the park, eat and buy ourselves a trip to the park for the next day (1700 baht). I tried some soy milk (yum!), fried bananas and sweet potatoes and nuts in caramel for lunch and sweet and sour vegetables with pork for dinner. Thai food is sooooo good!

After dinner we felt that the weather had gone pretty chilly outside. We decided to ask for some extra blanket and that was a very wise decision. Later we found out that this night was coldest in many parts of Thailand (like Bangkok) in 30 YEARS.

In the morning it was pretty cool outside. We had a light breakfast (fruit with yogurt) and were ready to visit the national park. First we were put on a minibus to get park entrance. Before getting there we made a quick stop at a local market to buy some fruit for lunch etc. I finally found coconut waffles Heidi had been talking about. They were SO good! I also tried little steamed cakes and some grilled chicken. Must I say everything was lovely? 🙂

We arrived around 11 AM and were then put on a long-tail boat. The motorized boat created a lot of waves and I was literally soaked after 1 hour when we reached our lunch stop.

The lunch stop was actually in a little floating village. All the houses there were built on water. Really cool setup 🙂 We had some time to swim, relax and look around. And then it was lunchtime! We were served fish, 2 vegetable dishes, a lovely fresh salad and rice cooked to perfection. Seriously, wherever I ate rice in Thailand, it was perfect and so tasty.

After our tasty lunch it was time to get some action going. We started our journey in the jungle to the cave. We walked on a forrest trail, saw lots of different trees, bamboo and other flora. Everything is so big in the jungle, like 2 times taller than here in Estonia. We also saw some beautiful butterflies. On the trail we had to go through water all the time, my feet were soaked the entire hike.

After walking for quite some time we finally reached the cave. It was completely dark in there and our guide gave us all miniature light torches. I don’t know how I would have survived in there without it. He also told us that we would be swimming in the cave and when the time comes, he will take our electronics and put them in a waterproof bag. Other unnecessary things were left outside the cave.

This is the only OK picture I got in the cave. Lots of stalactites, stalagmites and stagnates. We also saw tons of bats hanging from the ceiling – CREEPY! The trail was rocky and completely dark, I had to watch my step closely. In parts we had to climb a rope, swim in cold water, climb bigger rocks and then swim some more. It was so EXTREME and really really cool. Even my mom got excited which is a big deal 🙂

When we got out of the cave, everyone was soaked. There was not a spot on my body that wasn’t wet, maybe only my hair since we didn’t have to dive. While we were in the cave, the sun had also come up and the clouds had departed.

Then we hiked back to our boat and were taken back to the floating village. We had a snack break: dragon fruit, watermelon and pineapples. The dragonfruits are not my favourite, they taste kind of bland to me. Watermelons were good but the pineapple… I have never had pineapple that good and probably won’t have ever again. Unless I go back to Thailand (and I sure will!).

After the snack-break we had some time to relax, swim and sunbathe. The water in the lake was so warm! I was a great afternoon. Around 3 PM we started sailing back to the pier to jump on the minibus and go back to our accommodation. I got soaked again and also was a little cold. Later I got a bad cough because of that and treated the cough even when I was back home 😦

We got back just around sunset. We showered, hung out, bought some food from a small grocery store and then had dinner at Jasmine’s Restaurant. It was a new place in Khao Sok and had a cozy interior and a lovely hostess. I ordered a Tom Yum Goong aka spicy thai soup with shrimp, a mixed fruit shake and with every meal also came a free desert: banana in coconut milk. While making the soup, the cook came and let me smell coriander etc, just to make sure how much herbs and spices I liked and wanted. That’s customer service! 🙂 The soup was the best soup in my life. Seriously. Unfortunately I bit into a small hot chili with my first bite and then had to wait for the fire in my mouth to disappear before I could continue 😀

We were pretty tired after our fun and exciting day at the park and hit the hay around 10 PM. Next morning it was time to hit the road and set off to our next adventures…

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Next post: our final destinations in southern Thailand – Ao Nang and Phi Phi Islands.

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