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.

Van Terminal

At the entrance

Shops and Games

Palace of the Elephants

Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant

Tiger Jungle Adventure

Included in our tickets is the shuttle bus service to take us back to our hotel.

Phuket fantasea colorful shuttle bus

That's a wrap for our first day in Phuket.