Travel in Southern Thailand..... Phuket is a resort city on the west coast of Thailand on the Andaman Sea with an international airport. In Phuket you will find some very expensive accommodation. There are better beaches to be found along the Thailand coast, both east, north and south. Recently a spate of drink spiking and murders of foreigners have taken place in Phuket. There are plenty of ‘girly’ bars but also some very nice eating establishments, with a variety of Thai, European and Western Style food on the menus. Personally I did not find Phuket a pretty town, overcrowded and polluted; to me Phuket is just one big whorehouse. It is mostly single males visiting Phuket. Taxis in Phuket are very expensive and I found the majority of drivers rude. Resorts on the eastern seacoast of Thailand, i.e. Patayya and Koh Samui located in the Gulf of Thailand, are much more pretty with lots of other attractions in their respective locations. Shopping in Phuket is good with local markets and international style shopping malls. Wherever you go in Thailand always be aware of your personal security. Krabi City is also located on the Andaman Sea and is very clean with wide streets, morning, afternoon and evening markets. You will not find a McDonalds in Krabi City, but there is a KFC. Krabi also has an international airport. You will not find the traditional taxi in Krabi as motorbikes are used as well as traditional tuk tuks at very cheap prices. Interesting attractions are only a stone’s throw away, the fishing good and some very interesting islands nearby with accommodation ranging from back packer to ultimate (expensive) resorts on or close to the beach. If you like markets, Krabi is place to go. The morning market opens 4:30 a.m. and sells everything from the freshest of vegetables, chicken, seafood, meats, clothes, pots pans and woks, flowers, an incredible variety of fruits, plus there is a food section. This morning market is very crowded and closes about 11 a.m. The afternoon market opens about 11 a.m. and sells fruit and vegetables, flowers and ready to eat meals. Be warned though, most of the dishes in the afternoon market are hot and spicy. I love hot spicy foods but some of these dishes are too hot for even me. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings the street market opens about 5 p.m. and sells paintings by local artists, handicraft jewellery, but my favourite is the bbq whole fish and mussels. Cold beers are available from many outlets, plus fresh squeezed fruit juices and other local delicacies. There are local bands playing on the stage and children musicians vying (busking) for money. The atmosphere is really good and the markets get very crowded. There are many good eating establishments in Krabi City. My favourite is the evening open air food market along the shores of the Krabi estuary. Singha and Chang beer are the two local brews, my preference is Chang. There are also international beers available, i.e. Heiniken, Carlsburg, etc. and all beer prices at this market are incredibly cheap. Out of all the things to do and see, I highly recommend Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple) still under modernization construction). If you want to see the temple on the hill make sure you wear good walking shoes and take plenty of water as you will have to climb 1272 steps to get to the top, There is no road and the view is breathtaking. Tiger Cave Temple or Wat Tham Sua offers a genuine spiritual experience in stunning natural surroundings. Located close to Krabi town this is one of Thailand’s finest natural wonders and definitely worth a visit. The temple here is a warren of natural caves formed within a lush jungle and home to monks who worship and live in this beautiful environment. There are interesting icons and relics in the main temple cave but the real attraction here is the ‘footprint of the Buddha’. To get to this historic site you need to hike 1,272 steps up a limestone tower which is a challenging climb especially in the Thai climate. Those who make it to the top are compensated with panoramic 360 degree views of the amazing Andaman Sea, tropical islands, dramatic limestone cliff formations, verdant rainforests and ‘the Buddha’s footprint’. The incomparable vistas are particularly stunning at sunrise and sunset which is also the best time to climb up and avoid the heat and humidity. Many years ago indo-Chinese sabre-toothed as well as regular tigers roamed the area and used the caves to rear their cubs. The beaches of Krabi Provence are located at Ao Nang, 18 km away from the bay with some 83 islands scattered around. Each one of these islands is a short distance away from one another. And during low tides, you can even wade your way to the neighbouring island. In this sort of a natural set up, there is little shortage for sandy beaches and crystal clear water. But among them all, Ao Nang beach is supposed to be the best. Ao Nang has the cleanest of environments in the area. This is the most developed beach in the area. And the beach is accessible by road from Krabi. Less crowded and quieter, it gives a more peaceful atmosphere to the tourist than the Krabi. The majestic looking limestone cliffs rising straight from calm, clear waters of the sea and the long beach line that runs the whole length of the resort are great attractions claimed exclusively by Ao Nang. The shallow coast line is very safe for children to play with the waves. The deserted beach of Pai Plong is easily accessible on foot when the tide is low. There are 83 islands of various sizes in the bay off this beach. And the facilities for boat trips are well organized in the beach. Tourism sector takes care of the food requirements at the sea front itself. With widest range of accommodation facilities , transports either by boat or road, excellent facilities for tasty foods, tourists often make this area a base camp to make their foray further deep to discover the caves or for trekking and rock climbing, for those enthusiasts who like the challenge Ao Nang was totally devastated in the Tsunami 11 years ago but has been rebuilt and is sometimes called the Thai Riviera. Be warned though, the prices of just about everything are a little dearer than in Krabi City. Hardly 2 hrs. journeys by boat from Ao Nang beach, the twin islands Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh provide excellent entertainments. Phi Phi Islands are some of the most beautiful tourist destinations Thailand, indeed the world. The superb scenery of these islands are not just limited to the silvery sand beaches but the Emerald green sea, the multi-colour coral reefs and the abundance of the underwater marine life. Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two islands. Covering some 28 square km area, this is in the northern part of the island. Phi Phi Don has several long white sand beaches. Long, white curved beach, fringed by palms and between mountain ranges provide sheltered calm waters for beach sports. Plenty of accommodation is available at the site. You can have beach side bungalows or smaller resorts as you please. Bars are available adjacent to the Muslim areas where you have to be discrete. Sun bathing and swimming in the shallow waters are the popular enjoyment here. There are very many restaurants in Phi Phi Don. In fact, Thailand as a whole is considered to be a land of restaurants. This may perhaps be the only place in the world where you have more number of restaurants and eateries on a per capita basis. And Phi Phi Don is no exception. Both European cuisine and tasty Thai foods are available at the beach restaurants. Bars, cabaret, souvenir shops, fishing excursions and chartered boats are all available at the site. Phi Phi Leh is only some six sq.km in area. The main attraction is the rocks and caves. Rugged cliff surfaces with sparse vegetation rising straight from the sea bed to several metres to the sky provide real challenge to the rock climbing enthusiasts. There are several caves where birds roost in their multitudes. The sea swallows make their gelatinous nests in these caves. And these nests are some delicacy in the Chinese cuisine. The Viking cave is famous for the murals inside. These paintings depict Viking-like sailing vessels and sailors there by giving the name for the cave. The underwater life is also much captivating. The colourful coral reef and underwater creatures give a feast to the divers. Snorkelling is a favourite sport in these beaches. In short, Phi Phi Islands are a real treat to the tourist and one of the best choices in the Andaman Bay. In closing, a word of caution, travel to the south of Krabi (southern Thailand) is not recommended by DFAT as there have been a spate of bombings and kidnappings of locals and foreigners. Krabi City is truly safe, but cities and towns further south toward the border with Malaysia are not safe. A separatist movement by Muslims is trying to claim independence from Thailand, to extend the borders further north for Malaysia. So, this about raps it up for my favourite places in Thailand (so far). Pardon me as I had to research some of this information. Whatever you choose to do and where you choose to visit, you will enjoy the friendliness and smiling hospitality of the Thai people. I hope you enjoy your trip, who knows, we may even run into each other on our journeys.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:28:44 +0000
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