This is the last day of our Krabi adventure. After exploring the wonderful beaches, it is now time to head to its magnificent mountains and hot springs. We booked this trip from one of the travel agents in Krabi Town. As the tour does not include lunch, we bought packed lunch from 7-11 before the trip. The van picked us up from our hotel around 10 am.

It took around one and a half hour to reach our first stop, the hot spring. As it is peak season, the place is full of tourists. Since the place is not big enough for large crowds, tour operators allocate only 45 minutes to stay in this place. This time includes changing your clothes so it is advisable to wear swimming attire underneath so as not to waste time. Going to the hot spring takes 15-minute walk. In there, you could see small river and short waterfalls.

Walk further will lead to Klong Thom Thermal Waterfall. The water is warm and relaxing. The small waterfall is approximately 5 meters high and 10 meters wide by an underground thermal mineral water source which surfaces in a manner similar to hot springs and joins to form a stream due to the sloping terrain. Up on top there are several ponds resembling bathtubs which visitors can take a relaxing dip. The average temperature is 42 degrees Celsius which is believed to be beneficial to good health like a natural spa. The surroundings are covered by forests, shady and quite, suitable for relaxation.  We first took pictures around the place and then took a dip for 20 minutes before going back to our van.

A visit to the Hot Springs would not be complete without a trip to the nearby ‘Crystal Pool’ in Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. Also known as Emerald Pool. After everyone in our group has entered the van, we proceed to our next destination, this is an astonishingly-hued and large natural pool that is filled with pure spring water – although at ambient temperature. Swimming is possible here.

It took another 30 minutes to reach the place. Upon arrival we were given directions on how to reach the pool. As food is not allowed in the nature reserve, we have to leave it to our driver. This time two hours is given for us. The emerald pool is a bit far from the entrance of the nature reserve, roughly 1 kilometer away. Along the way, you will see forest and few animals. The place is also full of tourists and also a number of locals taking a swim. As the name implies, pool is colored green however we find the water is not very clean. 

Time now is 2 pm. As some of the people in our group is going back to Ao Nang beach, we requested the driver to drop us also to the beach instead of back to our hotel. Since this will be our last day, we spend it exploring Ao Nang. Ao Nang is one of the most popular beach here in Krabi, having said that, it has a lot of hotels, beach resorts, restaurants and shops. We took some photos of the beach and did some shopping. 

Tip: Staying here would be more expensive than Krabi Town but it is way more lively.

At about 5 pm, we ride Songthaew to return back to Krabi Town, fare is 50 baht/ pax. Please note that it only runs until 9pm, after that time you will need to hire an expensive taxi to return to Krabi Town. We were dropped by near Vogue Mall and Wat Kaewkorawaram Buddhist Temple is across it.

We then had dinner at the market. Believe it or not, 2 rice meals (choose 2 dish) + appetizer at only 80 baht! Cheap! Also, the market sells some food souvenirs to bring back home.

This is the end of our Krabi + Phuket Trip. Just a reward for you, here is a map of Krabi we took at the airport, to help you plan for your Krabi trip.

Till our next tour!

If you have watched the movie entitled "The Man with the Golden Gun", you should be familiar with today's main attraction

The Man With The Golden Gun

Phang Nga Bay is an impressive body of water at over 400 km² and is renowned for its many dramatic limestone islands. A long-tail boat tour is the perfect way to explore Phang Nga Bay. These distinctive sheer rock formations jut vertically out of the emerald green water and at low tide hidden lagoons can be found through exposed cave tunnels entered by sea canoes.

Phang Nga Bay

Our first stop for this tour is Khao Phingkan and Ko Tapu which are near each other. Khao Phingkan means (two) hills leaning against each other. In fact, the two islets (hills) forming Khao Phingkan are connected by a tiny beach. But one of them is split in two, with one leaning against the other.

Entrance to James Bond Island

Leaning against Khao Phingkan

Standing alone in the sea some 200 metres from Khao Phingkan is the tiny Ko Tapu, or Nail Islet. Looking like a spike driven into the sea, it is perhaps the most photographed object in the whole marine park. It has become a symbol of the park, especially since the Hollywood production -The Man with the Golden Gun, starring James Bond, was partly shot here.

Ko Tapu

After then we went for a tour around the mangroves and caves with the long-tail boat, while others were sea canoeing. Tham Lot is a limestone grotto sculptured by weather and the sea water. The cave is large enough to allow two or three boats going through side by side. There are also stalactites hanging down from the roof, but not as beautiful as those found in a mountain cave, probably because their formation has been constantly interfered by forces of nature.

Mangrove and Cave

And while waiting for the sea canoes group, we have ample time to relax and have some refreshments on the boat. 

Relax Mode = ON

A Phang Nga Bay tour may take you to Ko Panyi, a village built on stilts. The mosque and the graveyard are the only places which are built on ground. It's a tourist trap during the day as many tours also stop here. Some tours will give you the option of staying overnight, which is preferable to really experience the village as the village returns to normal in the evening. We had our lunch here.

Ko Panyi

After refilling our tanks, our next stop is Suwankuha Temple or Monkey Cave. It has a big reclining buddha inside the cave and a lot of monkey outside the temple. Here are some photos.

Monkey Cave

And last, but not the least, we were brought to a place to refresh ourselves as a treat. We visited Ton Tai Waterfall. The water is cold, perfect for a very warm and sweaty day! You may have your free fish spa in here :)

Ton Tai Waterfall

This ends our James Bond Tour. Tomorrow I shall be with you again for our last day of tour.

Today's activity will be island hopping in Krabi. This package is way cheaper and the island hopping experience outweighs yesterday's trip.

"4 ISLANDS" is a popular day trip from Ao Nang, taking in the group of islands closest to the coast – the ones that can be seen on the horizon from the beach. The four islands are Chicken Island, Poda Island, Tup Island and Mor Island. The tour will also pass by Phra Nang Cave Beach on the Railay peninsula. This beach, inaccessible by road, is considered to be one of the most beautiful strips of sand in the world.

We signed up for Barracudas Tour for our 4 islands tour by long tail boat. We got it for 400 baht/ pax which is 200 baht less the original price.

A wooden truck came to pick us up from our hotel at Krabi town around 8AM along with our group. We reached Ao Nang at about  45 mins and waited for the long tail boat.

About 30 minutes or less, the long tail boat arrived. And we started our island hopping tour.

Our first stop was the dazzling Phra Nang Cave Beach surrounded with impressive cliffs. On one side of the beach was the beautiful limestone cave formation which is famous for rock climbing and the sacred place which is worshiped. Being one of the most visited places of Krabi , it was over crowded with tourists and boats anchored on the shores. Other tourists with us on the long tail boat jumped into the water with snorkeling gear the moment the boat parked while we capture the beautiful scenery in our camera. FYI: They sell expensive snacks in this beach.

Next stop before lunch is Chicken Island. The name is due to the strange formation of rock in the shape of Chicken (head and neck). Though we were not allowed to visit the island but our boat did stop for snorkeling near the island. There are a lot of fish that will surround you if you throw some bread.

Our third stop was a small yet beautiful island named Tup island.The below pictures says thousand words. Near Tup Island lies the Mor Island connected with a sandy bar  which makes it accessible to walk from one island to other during low tide. Less crowded and one of the smallest island we have ever visited but undoubtedly smashing.

And our last stop is Poda Island, where we had enough time relaxing on the shores after having lunch. The cliffs which have mushroomed all around the islands were impressive forming a striking picture and shallow sea perfect for snorkeling. We were in awe of the scenic beauty all around. We just enjoyed the moment because camera's battery died before our trip ended.

The tour ends around 3pm, and you can opt to be transferred to Krabi town for free or spend some time to explore Ao Nang Beach. There are a lot of shops in Ao Nang compared to Krabi Town.

We had a great time in Phuket but it is now time to go to our main destination for this trip, Krabi. This time around we will be taking a ferry ride from Phuket to Krabi. Along the way, we will make a short day trip to the majestic Phi Phi Islands.

Phi Phi Islands is roughly 1 hour ferry boat ride from both Phuket and Krabi. It comprises of two islands, Phi Phi Leh which is more secluded and free of human inhabitants and the other one is Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two. The islands feature magnificent limestone cliffs abounding with vegetation, a look-out point, and clear waters good for snorkeling. Not to miss in this side trip is Maya Bay. This was made more popular after the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo Di Caprio was shot there. It is a amazing bay that's sheltered by 100-metre high cliffs on three sides. Within it are a number of small beaches, some only appears during low tide. The main beach is around 200 metres long with silky soft white sand, underwater colourful coral and exotic fishes.

We bought the tickets to the ferry ride before our trip from AsiaWebDirect.com . A van picked us up from our hotel around 8 AM and took us to the pier. After getting our tickets from the tour guide, we proceed to our ferry. The ferry we rode was quite spacious. It could hold probably around more than 100 passengers. Upon entering we were offered biscuits and coffee as refreshments. There are also toilets inside if you need to relieve yourself. For this trip, our itinerary does not include setting foot on the beaches in Maya Bay. However, we were given around 15 minutes to take pictures from our ferry. Here is a panorama that we took.

Upon arrival in Phi Phi Don, we were asked to transfer to a smaller boat for our snorkeling activities. 

Included in the tour package is the free use of snorkel gears but you better be careful as damage or lost will require you to pay 1000 Baht as penalty. After a short 20-minute boat ride, we reached our destination. Weather was good for snorkeling and after applying our sun screens we jump off our boat to see fishes and corals. Personally, I am not really impressed with the variety of fishes in the area, I have seen more colorful fishes in snorkeling activities I have done in the past. Our tour operator gave us 1 hour to swim around. 

After that we went back to Phi Phi Don for our lunch.

It's 12 PM and time for lunch. Lunch is served in Hotel Phi Phi. They serve a variety of dishes with rice and pasta.

After lunch is free time to wander around the place. Here are some pictures of the town.

At 3 PM, it is time to take the ferry back to Krabi. It was another 1 hour trip to reach our destination. Upon arrival, outside the ferry terminal a guy offered to take us back to Krabi Town for 150 Baht. After a quick shower, we then went to visit the night market.

During Weekends including Friday night, Krabi Town comes alive with its 'Walking Street' market. People from Ao Nang and other places in Krabi visit the town. This is located in Maharat Soi 8, which is quite easy to find, it is just near the Vogue Department store. If you are not sure of the direction, you may ask your friendly hotel staff. It features local products, local food, cultural entertainment, activities for children and other programs. During our trip, it was Chinese New Year so we are treated to a Dragon Dance performance by the locals. You will also get to buy local souvenirs, taste local delicacies and buy shirts, shoes, bags and many more.

We spent 2 nights in Patong, phuket. The plan for the second day is to just explore the vicinity as our hotel is at an excellent vicinity.

We stayed at Presley Guesthouse. The hotel is full of Elvis' - "The King of Rock and Roll" memorabilia, thus the hotel's name.

Presley Guesthouse

From here, the bustling Bangla road nightlife is 10 mins walk  away, it is close but far enough away to avoid the noise. Most people are concerned that this town is a huge party town and you won’t get any sleep! It is true if your hotel is too close to bangla road and you will surely hear the loud sounds. It is a debaucherous party town by night with mostly lady-boy performances.

During day time, Phuket is a lovely, relaxing town. From bangla road, walk for about 5 minutes more, you will reach Patong beach. We walked to the beach very early that day to catch the sunrise unfortunately the sun didn't show up because it was drizzling. However, it is perfect for swimming! But on late mornings the weather was suddenly hot and we noticed tourists started to flock in. Most were sunbathing, while others were enjoying their massage. Parasailing, jet-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking and banana boating are some of the watersport activities that may interest you. There are keen operators on the beach waiting to do business with you.

Patong Beach

After idling yourself along the beach, you can also check out for shops along the area.

Next stop is Jungceylon Shopping Mall. Just to clarify, I am NOT a mall person. I would never travel trans-Pacifically to spend my time in a mall. Every tourist town has a mall, but Jungceylon is an especially welcome respite from the humidity in Patong. Jungceylon is the largest shopping mall in Phuket. During our very short stay in Phuket we passed this mall a few times as it is just a 10 minutes walk from where we stayed. Jungceylon was a name used by Europeans for Phuket back in 1511 when it was a prosperous port and tin mining town & it probably has nothing to do with Sri Langka aka Ceylon.

Jungceylon Mall

Besides shopping, there are a lot other activities to do here. The mall is divided into  four zones. "That's Siam" in the zone called Silang Boulevard sells all types of Thai arts and crafts and I like the ambience of this section most. It is on the basement floor and that's where you also find the massage parlors.

The open air section called "The Port" is a favorite hangout for visitors. There is a man-made lake with a replica of a Chinese Junk Boat and visitors are seen clicking away their cameras here. The musical fountain comes on at specific hours.

The Port

The 3rd zone is called "Phuket Square" and the two anchor tenants are located here. One of them is the Big C Supermarket and the other anchor tenant is Robinson.

The 4th zone is called "Sino Phuket" and it is made to look like a street. This may be called the food street as there are many restaurants and pubs lined along it. We ate at Cafe 101 Bar & Restaurant that day, we were very full after we ate the lasagna and steak. It was the best lasagna I have tasted in my whole life. But seems their pizza is the best seller.

Cafe 101

There is Shell World Museum & Shop is this street but you need to pay for some fee to enter. This place is a must-see for sea shell collectors.


At the junction of Jungceylon Mall to Presley Guesthouse, you will definitely not miss the Bangla Boxing Stadium. This stadium organizes kickboxing championship and attracts competitors from all over the world. We don't have an interior look at it because we can't tolerate violence and also tickets are expensive. You can easily spot this building because you will see Tiger statues all over.

Bangla Boxing Stadium

Opposite to the stadium is Banzaan Fresh Market. The building consists of 3 floors. The ground floor is where you find fresh market produce. On the 1st floor are some apparel stalls and a food court. The basement floor is the parking floor. On the outer part of the building are small shops selling a variety of goods. Cooked food and desserts are also sold in the market. Many people would just buy from this market and take them home to eat, and this is also what we did.

Banzaan Market

This ends our Phuket stay. Tomorrow, we will be going back to Krabi via Phi Phi Island.

Now begins our adventure to peaceful and majestic Krabi. Krabi is a province on the southern part of Thailand. It is quite accessible with lots of flight from Bangkok and other major cities around the world. Compared to other famous beaches in Thailand, it is more family-friendly and far-less commercialized. There are lots of activities people can do whether you are an adventure lover or just there to relax in the beaches. Attractions include island hopping, hot spring, night market shopping, temples and many more.

We arrived at Krabi Airport around 3 pm. There are actually several options for transportation going to Krabi Town or Aonang beach. For this trip we rode a shuttle bus. Just after clearing immigration is a ticketing booth that offers trip to Krabi Town for 90 Baht per person. We hurriedly bought our tickets as the van was about to leave.

The van stopped at its office in Krabi Town. We have to walk for 20 minutes to our hotel. After a short rest, we had a look around the place and took few pictures.

Here is a picture of the famous Krabi town sculptor just nearby the river. 

At the background is Khao Khanap Nam. Serving as a landmark of Krabi province, it comprises two hills of 100 metre high one on each side of the Krabi River. It is accessible in 15 minutes by a long-tail boat from Chao Fa pier in the town. There are stairs leading up to the caves which contain stalactites and stalagmites.

Also along the river is a sculpture of the White-breasted sea eagle called Nok Awk. It signifies comprehensive knowledge, self-sufficicency responsibility and consideration for others. It is marked with a large KM 0, the point from where all the provinces distance measurements are made. The eagle is displayed with its wings unfolded looking ready to leap into the air. There is a plaque on the plinth. The inscription describes the biology of these birds and states that there are a breeding pair of these eagles in the province. The statue was commissioned by the town government.  

We then had a quick dinner and proceed to visit some food stalls that sells desserts. 

We needed to rest early as tomorrow is our Phuket trip by land.