After getting our sealegs for Thailand in Bangkok, we headed on a 1 hour flight to the south. We landed in Krabi and took a bus to Ao Nang on the coast just a half hour away. Ao Nang turned out to be a tourist trap; stores only really aimed to tourists, everyone selling the same cheesy souveniors... It rained the first 2 days of being there, and the 3rd day things really looked up when we rented scooters. For 5$ a day, or 300 baht, we got some awesome scooteres and explored the country roads around us, found roadside temples and pristine beaches where we poached a resort pool and met friends. We got scooters 3 days in a row, explored each morning, came back into town for a nap and to eat dinner at one of the many restaurants in Ao Nang.
 |
| landing in Krabi in the rain |
 |
| a step up from the tuktuk is the mini truck taxi. |
 |
The drivers sleep in the back while waiting for customers.
 |
| From the bus window; these are small shrines, usually what you will see outside stores and at the front of houses. Almost everyone had one or two, adorned with flowers, buddhas within the thai style pagodas, and food offerings. |
We got our truck taxi to this place, a 15$/night airbnb. It seemed a little abandoned, no one was at their "front desk" or hut at the roadside. We walked around the premisis and found a woman who spoke about 5 english words, enough to tell us that the rain had flooded the rooms and there are no rooms to stay in..so she got her buddy on the phone, and he gave us a ride back into town. Feeling tired, and needing to regroup, we got a night at a weird but clean holiday inn, watched the rain for a day and found a much more charming spot for the rest of our stay in the area.
 |
| Bored and rained in at the holdiay inn. If I had known we couldn't find bourbon anywhere, we might have not drunk our 3 tiny bottles so soon on the trip. |
|
 |
| Thanks Mini house for cheaper and so much more charming than the child ridden holiday inn. (that's our balcony up there!) |
 |
| view from our spot |
 |
| We had a HUGE amount of fun on these things and kind of want one or two for denver. They are the best way to explore a new place hands down. (We did not get them in the big cities like Saigon and Bangkok, but in Ao Nang and Dalat Vietnam, you could find us riding around like the locals. It was my first time ever riding a scooter and on the left side of the road no less! I was glad to know I still have an adventurous side after all that responsible school work I have been doing. |
 |
| We came across a small temple complex on one of our excursions. A Reclining Buddha nestled up to a Karst |
 |
| Lotus flower |
 |
| within the cave next to the reclining buddha |
 |
| the first of many temples that had wax or stone replicas of actual monks. |
 |
| the tree outside the temple with many ribons and offerings placed amoung the roots. It was really beautiful. |
 |
| Ao Nang beach, stray dogs |
 |
| nearby river inlet we passed over on our walks |
 |
| All hail Rama Dama Doo. King since 1946. Many dedications to him countrywide as well. |
 |
| "Massa" they hawk at you as you walk by the Massage storefronts.. |
 |
| night walk |
 |
| I couldn't help by say hello to all the animals we saw (but I didn't pet them..) |
 |
| riverlet that fed into the sea, right up against the Karsts (rock formations of limestone) |
 |
| river inlet |
 |
| Karsts! |
 |
| hello! |
 |
| One of the more charming washed up human artifacts. Seeing so much little at Ao Nang was a little sad. We did see that there is a volunteer group that collects trash monthly in the area, but it was frustrating to witness. |
 |
| Thailandians were killin the potted plant street game |
 |
| Our lifeblood in Thailand. 9 baht (30 cents) at 7-11. Big bubbles. They gave us straws with everything. |
 |
| An all female run restaurant called the Noodle Boat we enjoyed. |
