After 4 and half years since the last holiday in Phuket, Daddy and Mommy finally set off to Krabi in Thailand on 30 Jun 2010 for a 3 days 2 nights holiday.
Day 1
Our Tiger Airways flight took off from the Budget Terminal in Changi at 1350 hrs.
Onboard the plane, we bought their 5th wedding anniversary gift - a pair of Polo Rauph watch for S$89.00. Unfortunately, Daddy finds the white strap too sissy....so probably he'll not be wearing it as frequently as mommy.
The flight took about 1 hr and 30 mins. When we arrived in Krabi, we were the first to alight from the plane and no one else was following close behind. When we came to the customs, the custom officer looked at them and asked "only 2?". They thought we were the only 2 people on the flight TR2182 from Singapore. Ha ha!
After collecting the checked-in luggage, we were picked up by a travel agent by the name of "Khun Tiger". In the van, he began to give suggestions on what we could do in Krabi.
We learnt that Krabi has an average population of 300,000 people. And like Phuket, it is mainly a tourist location but most people would know about Phuket instead of Krabi.
We arrived at our hotel (Phra Nang Inn) about 40 mins upon arrival at the Krabi International Airport.
At the hotel's front desk, we ewre once again faced with the same problem we had in Phuket 4 years ago. We found ourselves talking to a female receptionist whose English language is worst than Deborah. According to Daddy, this is not an uncommon problem as long as you are in Thailand.
We were given room no. 2360 at the Spa Wing. The interesting thing when we stepped in was to find the bathtub in the room itself and not in the bathroom.
At first, we did not quite like the room, cos Mommy had the impression that we would get the newly renovated room in the beach front wing. But after some self-orientation, we got used to the room's layout, and decided to stick to this room.
Day 2
Having had the experience of snorkelling in Coral Island when we were in Phuket in 2006, Daddy decided that we should try the Elephant ride cum hot spring.
As fas as Daddy is concerned, we did not make the wrong choice of tour this time. Well, for Mommy, she can only agree to some extent. That's because the Elephant ride was too much to take.
After our devotions, we had a quick breakfast at the hotel's cafe which was facing the sea before we headed for the Elephant ride. The elephant walked thru the trails and it was a really frightening experience, especially when the elephant takes on wet and sloppy trails. Our hearts almost came out of our mouths! The elephant we were always seemed hungry. It would stopped every few steps to stop to chew on bamboo. We were very concerned as the bamboo shoot was almost going to land on our heads each time the big creature would snap the shoots with its trunk. Mid way through the ride, it started raining. In the rain, before we returned to the shed, the local rider brought out some bracelets made of elephant teeth. He was earning some extra bucks from this unauthorised sale.
After wards, the local agent brought us to a temple. A Singapore malay couple were in the same day tour as us. When we arrived at the Buddhist temple, we declined to visit the site but offered to wait in the van so the couple could do their visitation. Thankfully, they already visited the site the day earlier. So we wasted no time and moved on to our next destination.
We were brought to a natural hot spring. It was really comfortable until a group of senior citizens from Singapore came along. They didn't come prepared like us (who were in our swimming gear), so most of them could only soak their legs up to knee length. However, one uncle couldn't resist the tempation. He took off his T-shirt and pants and soak himself only with his underwear on. It was really amusing!
Our next and final destination for the day was the Emerald Pool. Due to the natural minerals, the pool was emerald colour and hence the name. The water is cold, unlike the hot spring. We didnt enjoy it as much as the hot spring, because it was like a swimming pools except that it was in a natural habitat, not a man-made pool with tiles flooring. The floor and edges of the Emerald Pool are filled with fungal like stuff which is slippery and hairy. It was a challenge to get in and out of the pool as it does not have any ladders or steps.
We returned to the hotel and had our dinner along Ao Nang Street, a Thai resturant just few steps away from our inn, for another round of authentic Thai food and not-to-be-missed Tom Yam Koong.
We shopped along Ao Nang street and found that there were more interesting things to buy than the City Centre. However, our night ended with a heavy downpour.
Day 3
We couldn't wait to get home to see our two precious darlings. But before that, it was more shopping along Ao Nang street. It was a good and relaxing stroll as it was a low season, so the streets was not crowded.
Looking back, it is a good break from home, although our feelings were mixed because we left Deborah and David at home. Well, we made it up by buying them a number of gifts. It was all worthwhile seeing them opening up the gifts.
