Our adventure in Krabi

Our last stop in Thailand is in Krabi. When talking about Krabi, there is a distinction between the popular holiday region with islands such as Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, as well as an area on the mainland, and the city of Krabi. Our accommodation is located in Krabi Town, the place doesn't have much to offer but is a good starting point for day trips in the surrounding area. In the evening, there is a small night market where you can only eat. On weekends, the Walking Street takes place, which offers numerous food stalls and souvenirs.

Now let's talk about the surroundings: On the first day, we rented a scooter and drove north. The first stop was Klong Muang Beach. The beach is described as breathtakingly beautiful, and yes, it is beautiful and has clear water, but by no means breathtaking. Nevertheless, we are happy to cool off in the water. Next, we head to Tub Kaek Beach. Only a few luxury resorts are located here, and there are hardly any people on the beach other than hotel guests. Fine sand, turquoise water, and a great setting - a beautiful place to swim and relax. On the way back, we also stop at the more famous beaches of Nopparat Thara and Ao Nang. There are cliffs protruding from the sea here, but the beach is quite crowded and located on the main road. Additionally, some boats dock here that go to the surrounding bays. The small resort village of Ao Nang is very touristy. It surely offers better opportunities to explore the surrounding islands and beaches, but the prices here are also much higher.

Before we return to Krabi, we make a detour to the Tiger Cave Temple. Since we don't know exactly whether we can expect a cave or a temple, we are shocked when we discover a small temple far up on a mountain - How are we supposed to get up there? But as we get closer, relief sets in: there is a temple and a small cave down here. But no, both structures are rather unspectacular, and further back on the area, we find a sign: we are supposed to climb 1,237 steps... after a strenuous climb, we reach the top sweaty (and of course, we didn't bring water... - even though there is free drinking water at the top, you should definitely bring something for the way). Suddenly, there were 1,260 steps, some of which were very large. On the way up, we kept asking ourselves why we were actually doing this, but once we reached the top, we had an incredible view of the surroundings. Forests, mountains, and the sea - simply beautiful. The way back down is very exhausting as well, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Now to our adventure in Railay. Railay is one of the most famous beaches here. If you have enough money, you can stay here overnight. Everyone else takes a boat trip for a day. The best way to reach it is from Ao Nang Bay, but boats also depart from Krabi. We were supposed to leave at 10:00, but as we are already used to by now, no one here is punctual. After waiting for a while, we ride in a longtail boat with 15 other people to Railay East Beach. The beach here is not a real beach, but a docking place for boats. However, within a few minutes, you can reach Railay West Beach on foot. It has a sandy beach with tall limestone cliffs in the background. Despite the many tourists, it is still impressive. After bathing here for a while, we walk to Phra Nang Beach, the 3rd beach on the island. This one has even finer sand and nicer water. You can also walk to a small cave. Behind the beach, there are great opportunities for climbing. There are also some monkeys here that are lured by tourists who seem to overlook the signs that say 'Do not feed monkeys!' Eventually, the monkeys become bolder and search the bags of the bathers for food - since we are then only concerned about our things, the stay becomes somewhat uncomfortable. We reach the pier on time at 16:20, and the boat is supposed to depart at 17:00 (if you don't want to pay several times the price, you should return by 5 PM at the latest). Once again, we have to wait. The sea is very rough, and there is strong wind and waves. Instead of 15, now only a maximum of 7 people are allowed on one boat. We manage to get a spot on the first boat, and everyone sits with life jackets in the wooden boat in the hope of surviving the 45-minute journey. But no, after only a few meters, we turn around because something is wrong with the boat. However, there are no more boats at the pier that go to Krabi. The bustling boat traffic from earlier is suddenly gone. We sit waiting in the boat, the driver barely speaks English and cannot explain to us what is going on. After an hour, he finally manages to tell us that he has run out of fuel and we just have to wait! Our fellow passengers are already starting to panic and are trying to figure out how to get away from here. It is slowly getting dark. We have to wade through the water over sharp rocks to get to the boat pier. Our driver assures us that a new boat will come, but only at 19:00. The rest of the tourists walk to the other side to catch a boat to Ao Nang (from there, you can take a taxi to Krabi - but of course, everything has to be paid for again). Now we are alone with a Chinese tour group at the pier, waiting for any kind of help. The sun has already set, and it is getting chilly. Our driver talks on the phone with someone every 10 minutes. He tells us that a larger boat will come, but by now, the tide is so strong that we wonder where it will dock. A little later, he says that someone is bringing him fuel. At 7 o'clock, no one is there yet, the Chinese have already left. Instead, a group of Poles is with us, who have simply been abandoned. At 10 past seven, we finally see a boat and they really take us with them. Although the boat is now quite full and it is already pitch black (longtail boats do not have lights), we are just glad to make some progress. And indeed, we arrive in Krabi at 8 o'clock! The travel agency apologizes several times and immediately takes us to the hotel! In the lobby, we run into our former boat companions. They paid a lot more for the return trip via Ao Nang and arrived just under 15 minutes before us! They will not be refunded. So we are glad about our decision to just wait. And so our last day in Thailand ends with an adventure.