Krabi 19th-21st April: Elephants and Exploration

We took one of the frequently running Pick Up Taxis at 11 am (our planning is getting better ;) ) and drove back to the pier on the adventurous route. Together with those who intentionally left before the full moon party, we headed towards the mainland. We changed ferries in Koh Samui and continued with a lightly occupied bus in Surat Thani (mainland).

Surprisingly, we arrived half an hour earlier (6:15 pm) and just 1 km away from our hotel. We walked for 15 minutes to the 'Sleep Whale Hotel', located on a major road in downtown Krabi.

For dinner, we wanted to go to a night market 2 km away (recommended in the travel guide), and a nice guy took us there on his scooter. However, the Krabi Night Market was disappointingly small and only fruits were sold...

So we had spaghetti at the nearest restaurant :D While we strolled around and looked for ice cream, we suddenly discovered the 'right' night market: the Krabi Walking Street. Until 10 pm, we shopped for souvenirs (much cheaper than on the islands!), looked at clothes, and had a super delicious coconut ice cream in a fresh coconut!!

We walked back the 2 km. After watching my favorite series on my phone satisfactorily, we finally went to bed at 1 am.

The next morning, we could sleep until 9 and went down to the basement for breakfast. Instead of a buffet, we were served freshly cooked food (rice, fruits, fried eggs, and sausages).

At 11 am, we were picked up by a van from the 'Elephant House Sanctuary'.

We had booked a one and a half hour tour there. With a group of 20 people (4 times daily...), we walked 300 meters into the jungle with our guide. There, 6 elephants were lined up, waiting to be fed. The guy told us something about elephants in general and introduced the 6 elephants. We learned, for example, that African elephants are much larger than Asian elephants, that elephants sleep only 2 hours and eat 14 hours (I want that too!), and that the 6 elephants all weigh about 3 tons and are on average 50 years old. These 'sanctuaries' (animal shelters) are a place for elephants that were poorly treated in the past and are now trained but not tied up or beaten, for example. We fed them with bananas and bamboo, which they took with their incredibly flexible trunks.

Their skin feels fascinating: thick, rough, and bristly. Already when we walked together towards the river, I had (at least) abandoned my reservation towards the good-natured giants. In our bikinis, we rubbed mud on the elephants, which is both a sunscreen and like a spa treatment. Completely muddy (I got a load from the trunk), we went to the stream.

We poured buckets of water on the 6 elephants and scrubbed them with brushes. The elephants knelt in the water and one even lay down devotedly.

For me, it was just a super great experience that I don't want to miss! As a farewell, we received fruits and then the return transfer. Feeling very hungry, we chose the nearest street restaurant (a very typical cheap plastic chair restaurant).

Instead of the expensive hotel transfer, we chose a cheap pickup bus to get to the famous Tiger Cave Temple.

With a cloth around our legs (short sleeves and shorts are considered impolite), we embarked on the sweaty path uphill. On the way, we encountered monkeys, monks, and 4 Germans with whom we shared the path.

About 45 minutes and 1260 steps later, and probably 2 liters of sweat lighter, we reached the summit.

We got off at the main road and found a super nice, stylish, and cheap restaurant. For the first time, I had a Roti there (Thai crepes, with a bit more flavor and greasier) with bananas and chocolate, as well as an amazing Oreo shake.

After a 10-minute walk home and a much-needed shower, we finally went to bed.
After breakfast and relaxed phone time (thanks to late check-out), we were picked up at 12 by a van and taken to the ferry to Koh Phi Phi (finally included). Bye bye Krabi, see you on 28th April!